Hello everybody! Please read
Hello my fellow mods and listeners and members:
- I want you to feel no different this is a place for everyone. I also want you to know that I am always here if you need me I am just a message away.
- Is there anything that you would like disability support to focus on? For example a conversation about autism. I use that example because that was brought to my attention not too long ago.
- Is there a topic that has not been discussed in a while?
- Is there a topic that you feel we need to discuss?
@777Bre777 @adaptablePomegranate1587 @adequatelyInadequate @adventurousBranch3786 @AffyAvo @agreeableTurtle1021 @amusingTalker1267 @Aqua1494 @Arsalanahmed @Ashleylovescats @AttentiveEar @audienta @Averayne93 @Azalea98 @azuladragon34 @BacktotheTrail @BeyondTheInvisible @BlindGrapefruit @blissfulTouch29 @bouncyVoice4149 @Breezy2013 @CaringBrit @CheeryPotato @CheerySandi @ChildGoddessFlute @Colorfulcatsofhope @considerateBunny7436 @crystallizedrequiem @Daisy7cups @DichotomousDetia @disneymoonlight @Disneywoman @DoISayIt @DonaldK @DylanMark @Edobre399 @Emiliako @emotionalTalker2260 @enthusiasticTortoise6681 @fairmindedWater1140 @Fireskye13 @FrenchMarbles @friendlyEars8792 @goldenSpruce1512 @IcedCoffee211109 @InfiniteThoughts2k19 @Jamesjones10123 @jovialButterfly6752 @JoyfulUnicorn @JoyIntoDarkness @K87 @kenzixo @killaj0ule @kwheelz @lightTriangle7748 @LikeABirdWithoutWings @lovelycoacoa @lovelySun2900 @LoveMyRotty @magnifiedfaith @ManinblacK @MeaningfulSilence @Meowsicle @MistyMagic @mnhtx3 @modestHickory2783 @modestOcean1286 @moosprbrk @MyNameIsNicole @NaomiR @NevaehRose @NotKhan2 @OneErased @philosophicalAcai7803 @pinkbunnywabbit @Pixiechu @placidMoth @PotFullOfSky2020 @rainbowVibes @Raysofsunshineandrainbow2005 @redGrapes1822 @Redheadmadeofglitter94 @repen13 @reservedCat9143 @sabeyesofblue3535 @SmolBurrahobbit12 @SparklyCat @specialPurple1582 @StarsOrchidsOwls @stuffiessytem @sunshinegiraffe123 @SystemOfWolves @theboymoana @TimidBear @TomatoEmi @turquoiseHemlock900 @u2canwin @wahmbrenda @WeedyGarden @wonderfulRainbow817 @xandia @Xisle @Zed786
@DonaldK
I would honestly love to talk about how disruptive and distressing ADHD can be at times. I don’t understand why people see it all as fun and rainbows ._.
I think more awareness about the downsides of it would be awesome (:
@emotionalTalker2260, as a person with ADHD I agree. Sometimes friends are like "doesn't it give you extra energy" when really it doesn't do that
@wonderfulRainbow817
exactly! I find I get ‘energy’ at some of the most inappropriate times. But its not all energy ._. Its like most people ignore the AD part of ADHD. Its not just a hyperactive disorder, for some it may be, others might have that and the struggles to concentrate. And to be honest, ADHD has made me rather dysfunctional, I myself don’t function as I should be. And when I need to concentrate on something, I just skip it and concentrate on something my brain wants. Not the mention on how feelings are magnified and can be so heavy at times.
@emotionalTalker2260, I struggle at work a lot. I work retail and some days I am jumping from task to task without completing it the whole way through. On other days I can't focus on a single thing. It's rather annoying. I tried medication but it made my ADHD worse.
@wonderfulRainbow817
I can’t take any meds as it blocks my brain from making any energy and so then my depression eats away the energy that doesn’t even exist. But I do completely understand 😊 some days I feel like I need to run a lap of the world, other days I can’t even remember what I need to do, and I end up hyperfocusing on stuff I don’t really need to know ._.
@emotionalTalker2260 I am sorry that this happened to you and that you feel this way😞. My goal with disability support from the beginning was to Bring awareness about disabilities as a whole. It has been brought to my attention that ADHD, please put under the umbrella of support plus, but I would like to get it back under disability support. Hence, if you would like to talk one-on-one about what you would like to see as discussed as a group, please feel free to message me. My goal being back is to re-organize what is considered our purview if you know what I mean.
@DonaldK
I know support plus would specialise more in ADHD, but autism is also under its umbrella 😊 (I used to be a room supporter for SP). But they are still disability’s, and originally came from this community here, so to my knowledge its still okay to talk about such topics. And I’ll be more then happy to come up with ideas for discussions! 😊 So at some point I’ll message you and let you know about the ideas.
And I completely understand who some people just don’t think about how we feel and assume that some of us enjoy things that we really don’t like. Just to help some live as normal of a life as possible. (Hope it makes sense 😊)
@emotionalTalker2260 Yes! Definitely ok to talk about here!
If it's something we as a team are hosting that focuses on one of those topics (thread or forum) we try to do it jointly with Support Plus.
If community organization/topics get shifted we can adjust 😊
@AffyAvo
thank you so much on the confirmation 😊 and yeah, I think it’d be great to do a team up event, or even multiple events 😊 maybe I might become a room supporter again xD just maybe
@emotionalTalker2260, it makes perfect sense. I agree with you, which is why I already said it in a couple of post replies. It's not that I want to dissolve support Plus, but some of the topics in support plus need to come back under disability support, so if anybody can help me, I would greatly appreciate it. I will advocate for our help, but the more people we have supporting this fact, the better.
@DonaldK
And I do understand 😊 good luck becoming atl too btw.
Keep being awesome! 😊
@emotionalTalker2260 we can do that. ❤️ Give me a bit I wish to move "support plus" into this group but I need time to tell the leaders why. Hug! @wonderfulRainbow817 thank you for being here!
Can talk about intellectual disability !!!people are mean all time don’t understand that makes so much hard to understand and learn things want talk about to people that understand and people that don’t understand can learn more and stop say things like if can do this thing can do other thing when can’t always do stuff
@theboymoana, I appreciate you for bringing this to our attention!❤️ there are so many injustices that it would take so many people, just like it did back when the ATA was constructed, to make a difference. It's frustrating to see that law was put in place for us and then not followed. As for people understanding disabilities, I'd be more considerate that it will take another mountain. It's very frustrating. So we will tackle one thing at a time, and I think we should talk about this in the forums. As a group, we might be able to share each other's thoughts and potential solutions. I love that you are here and want to discuss intellectual disabilities. I hear you, and I see you. Please feel free to reach out to me one on one to talk about this if you want to. I hope you have a good week.
@DonaldK
yea need more talking about intellectual disability here because people don’t understand what means and don’t listen try to explain makes very upset always feel left out here and wish didn’t feel bad :(
@theboymoana I'm really sorry about this takes a lot of understanding. If you're referring to people in 7 cups my goal is to help them. Just to clarify are you referring to intellectual disability such as autism etc. Support plus can handle those but I am willing to teach them a little bit more I'm also trying to restructure everything so there's no confusion. @AffyAvo maybe you could assist me and helping come up with a solution.❤️ I promise we will get this fixed.
@DonaldK Disability is the main community for intellectual disability. Autism is not considered an intellectual disability although it's not unusual for the 2 to go together. We don't have the term explicitly stated in any of our topics. We do have a topic labelled Learning & Developmental Disabilities which would be the appropriate area for intellectual disabilities posts as well, Even if we didn't have a specific topic area (last I heard the plan is to have a small number of topics in each community), if someone asked me where a post should go, I would say the disability community. Topics are just an organizational tool for our threads, plus they do help someone confirm that they found the 'right' community.
@AffyAvo I did not mean to confuse anybody or say anything out of turn. I'm sorry, but there's a spot for that, yes.
@DonaldK um I don’t know ! Just mean when I try be part of things but people ignore me makes me really sad or they are mean because I don’t understand but not usually forums because in forums people is really nice to me but in group chats people not understand things and make me really sad
Coping tips/managing tasks with symptoms besides pain. I've tried to cover this with what I know over time but other information would be welcomed!
@AffyAvo, I think you for being a part of this group. You bring so much insight, at least to me, all these years. I admire your resilience coping is never easy, especially when dealing with Society that thinks they understand but don't. I don't mean to be mean to society. Still, just like everybody wants to be heard, we, as a minority, deserve to be Heard as well, primarily when it has to do with movies that have disabled actors and TV shows that have disabled actors. I could go on; it's nice that non-disabled actors want to learn about disabilities to play roles, but it would be nice to have more actual people with disabilities being actors. Sorry, I went on a tangent, but that's what this group is for to be understood by our peers.
@DonaldK This is a great post thanks
@JackieMan I wanted to get an idea for what people wanted from disability support I'm glad you enjoy it please feel free to share any thought you mean have about discussions we can have either in here for the disability support chat room. It's gonna take me more time but I plan to get things organized a little bit not to say that they're not but just within the short time I've been back there's been a lot of concerns given to me so I'm going to work on them I promise. Even if I can't move support plus under our umbrella I will let them know that they are welcome here as well. I'm still going to try feel free to message me if you want to talk one on one about any concerns you may have or even if you're frustrated for the day.
Amnesia, and other memory related problems.
Tho, truthfully, I wish there were more regulars in the chatroom in general, rather yhan just have discussions there. Maybe then the room would be about disability support, which it hasn't really been in forever.
@OneErased I promise I will be coming soon!❤️ I know the chat room has been left behind, which will change, I promise!😊 I have to get everything in order so that people feel comfortable and trust that I am doing my best to make a difference again. Thank you so much for bringing up your concern. I hope the chat room Will be used more regularly by the end of this month. Hug! It would be best if you didn't feel left out.
@DonaldK
No rush on my part, I'm about done with the whole poor excuse of a room that's got nothing to do with disability support.
As promised I am working on things slowly but surely. I got a letter from H regarding some of the issues. The community leader H is aware of things and they have things working on. I don't know if I'm allowed to disclose but I will say that I'm doing my best as I promise because I need some more clarity as to what she said. Please be patient with me and my partner in crime as we get this straightened out.
With that said I promise that things are going to get straightened out. I was told to reach out to Nicole but she is on a break her profile said. So I'm trying to track down who is taking over in her absence. If anybody in the tag list knows please message me one on one.
@777Bre777 @adaptablePomegranate1587 @adequatelyInadequate @adventurousBranch3786 @AffyAvo @agreeableTurtle1021 @amusingTalker1267 @Aqua1494 @Arsalanahmed @Ashleylovescats @AttentiveEar @audienta @Averayne93 @Azalea98 @azuladragon34 @BacktotheTrail @BeyondTheInvisible @BlindGrapefruit @blissfulTouch29 @bouncyVoice4149 @Breezy2013 @CaringBrit @CheeryPotato @CheerySandi @ChildGoddessFlute @Colorfulcatsofhope @considerateBunny7436 @crystallizedrequiem @Daisy7cups @DichotomousDetia @disneymoonlight @Disneywoman @DoISayIt @DonaldK @DylanMark @Edobre399 @Emiliako @emotionalTalker2260 @enthusiasticTortoise6681 @fairmindedWater1140 @Fireskye13 @FrenchMarbles @friendlyEars8792 @goldenSpruce1512 @IcedCoffee211109 @InfiniteThoughts2k19 @Jamesjones10123 @jovialButterfly6752 @JoyfulUnicorn @JoyIntoDarkness @K87 @kenzixo @killaj0ule @kwheelz @lightTriangle7748 @LikeABirdWithoutWings @lovelycoacoa @lovelySun2900 @LoveMyRotty @magnifiedfaith @ManinblacK @MeaningfulSilence @Meowsicle @MistyMagic @mnhtx3 @modestHickory2783 @modestOcean1286 @moosprbrk @MyNameIsNicole @NaomiR @NevaehRose @NotKhan2 @OneErased @philosophicalAcai7803 @pinkbunnywabbit @Pixiechu @placidMoth @PotFullOfSky2020 @rainbowVibes @Raysofsunshineandrainbow2005 @redGrapes1822 @Redheadmadeofglitter94 @repen13 @reservedCat9143 @sabeyesofblue3535 @SmolBurrahobbit12 @SparklyCat @specialPurple1582 @StarsOrchidsOwls @stuffiessytem @sunshinegiraffe123 @SystemOfWolves @theboymoana @TimidBear @TomatoEmi @turquoiseHemlock900 @u2canwin @wahmbrenda @WeedyGarden @wonderfulRainbow817 @xandia @Xisle @Zed786
@MistyMagic @Heather225 I did not mean to over share I was just trying to reassure people that things were being worked on. I was using de-escalation skills to help alleviate any miscommunication. I did not mean to do anything wrong.
My apologies to Misty and Heather😞.
Donald
PS I'm not trying to move like speedy Gonzalez I just miss being here and there are certain roles that make it easier to instill confidence. Again my apologies I didn't mean to overstep or go out of bounds.
@DonaldK Hey Don! Everything is good! But thanks for the kind sentiments. Love the Speedy Gonzalez thought too! I wish I could move that fast sometimes!
I am tagging @AmintaBlack who is Community Mentor for Support Plus, and also @SleepyShyCat who is a Forum Supporter for Support Plus as I know they both are very passionate about the topics you are mentioning and who work very hard in Support Plus so I feel they should read this thread and have input.
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic
I'm not sure if I understand the thread fully. Is support plus being moved, or specific topics being moved out of support plus?
@SleepyShyCat Hey Cat, At the moment I think there is still time to discuss options. When @DonaldK was here a few years ago Support Plus didn't exist and all the topics were under Disabilty Support, then they grew so that specific topics were moved out to create Support Plus Sub-community that we have now with ASD and ADHD etc.
@AmintaBlack thanks for replying.
@AffyAvo @MyNameIsNicole @CheeryMango @wonderfulRainbow817
There are a few considerations as I see it:-
- Support Plus is lower down the alphabetical list of sub-communities, so someone looking for ASD, ADHD, ADD etc might not look further than under D for Disability. But then others may not consider ADHD a disability and so carry on down the list?
- ASD could become it's own new sub-community, with enough support it could focus on specific aspects of the spectrum and ways of caring, coping, supporting etc and give even better support.
- Some of the topics in Support Plus could be spread and reallocated to other sub-communities?
- Disability has several forum topics but they are general and not specific, Support Plus is more specific but the main name 'Support Plus' is not descriptive enough to let anyone know what it is really about?
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic hi Misty I appreciate the mention. You are correct that it makes it a little difficult to find the right spot. As for your mention of disability support no having certain topics I'm confused. Because we can add those if needed. It was never mind tension to college confusion. The reason it was brought up to my attention is because people are reaching out about ADHD and autism having their own Spaces. I figured since they were considered disabilities we could put them under disability support again. If extra assistance is needed we can point them to support plus where Active listener who wish to support a little bit stronger can do so. Thoughts?
@DonaldK ADHD and ASD do have their own spaces? But, in Support Plus?
So we can all easily see what each sub-community has, let's have a look at the list of topics for each sub-community?
Support Plus has topics for specific disabilities and conditions. Disability Support is more support and general coping, living with, supporting people with disabilities?
I am open to ideas and feedback and of course suggestions too!
Edited to add: Of course this is at 10 March 2023 whilst the forum restructuring discussions are still ongoing, and the changes haven't all been implemented.
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@DonaldK @AffyAvo @MyNameIsNicole @CheeryMango @wonderfulRainbow817 @MistyMagic @SleepyShyCat
I am just including everyone who has a stake in this.
So this is a long discussion, but I agree the name Support Plus is difficult for people to know what it is from the name.
My personal thoughts/considerations are the following:
1. Option 1: Autism and ADHD get their own community. OCD and related disorders get their own space. Pro: Everyone gets their own space and it is easy to find the topic based on the name. Con: Building subcommunities take a long time and a lot of effort and you just want to make sure you have people overseeing and working in those communities before making them. Otherwise they just become empty spaces. The audience might be smaller since people have to find the community and join. Less support with smaller leadership teams (Misty and Shy have been great, but it took some time before they joined and it was abondoned for a while before I joined).
2. Option 2: (as Misty mentioned) The Support Plus gets broken up into larger communities. Autism/ADHD in Disabilities and OCD and related disorders into the Anxiety Community (Because my Don's logic if you decide to group them, OCD and related disorders are anxiety disorders). Pro: Do need to build more subcommunities. Pro: More time and effort can be spent by volunteers hosting sessions and writing specific post topics, larger audience, more support with a larger team for those in leadership. Con: Might be harder for people to initially find their topic of interest just by looking at the name, but I think eventually people would find it.
3. Option 3: Leaving things as they are now. You let Disability and Support Plus exit as they are, and they can collaborate. Pro: Least amount of work needed, you do not lose the progress that has been made in the Support Plus community. While a small community, it has gained more members and we have been working hard to organize, host sessions, come up with topics and events for the community already. Con: Some tension and confusion about who's jurisdiction a topic is.
For now, I am still planning on hosting sessions for the OCD community (unless told otherwise by leadership) because I think that is one of the most important things. A lot of topic specific rooms are open with no host or listeners in them to facilitate discussion. I am happy to host OCD and related condition sessions in the Anxiety room instead of opening up another room to host sessions in. It seems better to me to use what we already have available. Autism and ADHD sessions (which we have scripts for) can be in the Disability room. Autism awareness is coming up April 2nd, 2023 and we had planned hosting sessions and doing events for that.
My focus is on whatever provides the best support for members, as I am sure we all are.
A couple of questions from me:
1. Who gets the final say in these decisions?
2. Who need to be involved in the conversation?
3. Do we have a deadline to make a decision?
I am okay with any of the 3 options I mentioned earlier. I just would like to know what expectations are for me this month.
@MistyMagic
Thanks for explaining it to me Misty :)
I will agree it is confusing to find where Autism & ADHD support belongs when searching the forum. It took me a number of months when I first joined to discover cups had a sub-community space for Autism.
I know there a lot of Autistic members on the site, I talk to them often in the rooms. I think it's quite likely a lot don't know that in the forum ASD is listed under support plus. It can be easy to miss if you don't look at the extra info where it lists what support plus covers, or go through the filters.
I don't have much more input as I do still find it confusing with what's happening, but where ever the Autism community ends up moving or staying I would like to still contribute to it when I can.
@SleepyShyCat You are most welcome, questions are always a good way to understand things more clearly, and you are such a great asset to the Support Plus sub-community!
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@SleepyShyCat @DonaldK @AffyAvo @MyNameIsNicole @CheeryMango @wonderfulRainbow817 @MistyMagic
Typo: *You do not need to build subcommunities for option 2 is the Pro.
@MistyMagic @DonaldK @SleepyShyCat
Hi Donald, so from what I understand from the thread you want to move Autism back over to Disability Support? Could you also clarify what your plans are for ADHD (if any)?
It also sounds like you have worked in both communities prior.
My person opinion is this kind of transition will require some thought and planning. Because Misty is right we have been building the Autism/ADHD community as well and my main concern is confusing members about where they can seek help. But let's think about it more. i'll be back later but wanted to let you know I saw the thread.
@AmintaBlack see what you think about my post to Misty. I'm not trying to cause any confusion or any upset but when I return to disability support people reached out to me about the concerns I have raised. It was not my intention cause discomfort or confusion or anything of that nature. I will support anything that has decided. Much love to everyone!
Just to clear something up, the Autism related forums were not in disability for quite some time. Before everything was connected to a subcommunity/community it used to have it's own forum section, with it's own subforums.
ADHD also had a spot somewhere else prior to joining Support Plus that was not disability. I am unsure if it was it's own forum or not. It may have been under student support.
So these were not in disability and then moved directly from there into support plus.
I hope that gives some better context!
@AffyAvo I had a whole thing written, which got erased because of trackpad gestures.😞
@DonaldK Thanks for explaining where you are coming from this!
The reply is just the forum limitation on number in a row, reply to reply to reply, etc. can only happen 5x.
I don't think there's been any decisiveness between the leaders regarding disabilities and any of the other related forums/communities over the years. Often the leaders are covering both, for example we have had the same people on the Support Plus team and the disabilities team. There are pros and cons to having it all under 1 vs expanding things out.
I think most of us are in agreement here that Support Plus has a problem and that has nothing to do with any of the leaders on that team (or the other teams for that matter). It's simply the naming. Looking through a list of communities and seeing Support Plus really doesn't stand out as to what it's for.
@AffyAvo you pretty much said exactly what I was meaning thank you!
@DonaldK No, I'm not upset at all, It's just the reply limit as Affy says. You are doing great!
Listening - One Step At A Time!
Oh and by the way I didn't know that there was a cap on how many replies you can do with one person I thought Misty was upset with me. Sorry! I didn't know.
Donald
@DonaldK
I would love to see a discussion on how to approach dating when disabled and dating an able-bodied person when their partner is disabled. To be able to experience both aspects of this issue would be helpful to many. I know it would resonate with many people both young and older. We single disabled people could use some help in the dating world.❤️
@xandia
That's actually a nice idea. And even as someone in a relationship it'd be nice to hear other experiences on the matter, as well as offer what little as I can to the topic.
@xandia tell me the actually a good topic I think that would be perfect in my wheelhouse actually. I just experienced something like this myself. However did not end well. She was only in it for the money. Plus we weren't really together because she didn't wanna label it well I think it was because she didn't want to really be with me😞. I'm not saying that what happened to everybody. I just say I have experience with it. I've dated able bodied people before even back in grade school.
