Plastic straw ban is an accessibility issue
I really don't get why able-bodied people have fits about the disabled people needing to have plastic straws instead of being able to use the various other Straw alternatives that are around- paper, steel ,pasta. rice, metal, etc. Despite being disabled I'm lucky I can either drink from a reusable stainless steel straw or just drink straight from the cup. But not everyone has this luxury. And sometimes Plastic straws are only accessible method of disabled people being able to safely drink something without choking or impaling themselves on a straw or the straw doesn't have the risk of melting in a hot drink or get mushy in a cold drink.
And something I have discovered is that apparently is that plastic straws were one of the earliest versions of the "curb-cut" effect that sometime created for ill or disabled people could be used by everyone
In either late 2019 or sometime in 2020 (but maybe as early as 2018) Canada has created a ban on plastic straws. So this post is going to be why other alternatives are not as good alternatives as people think they might be for disabled people.
Let's start with the paper/rice/pasta straws all three of these straws have the same issue that in hot drinks (coffee or tea) they'll will melt pretty quickly. I don't know about the last two but I know from experience, that with paper straws in a cold drink like an Tim Horton's Ice Cap that a a paper straw will get mushy or soggy to the point that they kind of need to offer spoons along side the straws if you get what I mean.
The Rice and pasta straws also have the problem of being useless to people with CD or Gluten-intolerance can't use those types of straws or else they'll get an upset tummy or worse.
Stainless steel and metal straws can't be used in hot drinks and not everyone has the ability to clean out the straw on their own. And also the stainless steel and metal straws can cause an impalement hazard if a disabled person using it suddenly starts to fall forward and onto the straw.
Also the metal/stainless straw because of the lack of the bendable part of the straw like with a plastic straw, it means that a disabled person would have to have some one lift the cup up to their mouth for them to even use the straw.
And for all the straws, there's two things money (a lot of these are too expensive for disabled people to buy) and there's also the fact that because disabled people are forced to bring their own reusable straws now, that if they forget their straws at home-they can't be as spontaneous as non-disabled friends if the friends suddenly want to go out to drink after a day on the town and yet the disabled person can't go because they don't have a straw and the business might not have the correct kind for them.
And here's a chat with straws that don't work and why plastic straws do:
@Disneywoman Thanks for sharing this with us. I have heard about Canada doing this. I am from the United States of America, and I am not to fair from Canada. It is a shame, they have this ban. I am disabled to, but I can drink from a cup or a straw. What are people supposed to do, let's say, they need to drink special drinks, (and they cannot Hold a cup) because they cannot eat food? Did anyone think about that, before coming up with this straw ban?
Did they get the voices of the disabled and listen to their feedback?
Thanks for posting this.
@calmMango9611 probably not, I can make threads about other things like what's known as "Coke Free Style Vending machines", being inaccessible to blind people. As well as another problem with fast-food restaurants locking the lobby doors of the restaurant after 10pm or so meaning the only way to get food is thru the drive-thru and yet when at different restaurants (McDonald's, Wendy's, and something Canada doesn't have, Jack-in-the-Box) a blind or visually impaired people try to use the drive-thru, they're refused because "they're not in a car". I think the McDonald's case that the blind man was laughed at. And like the newer soda fountain machines are inaccessible for people with limb differences in their arms.
And I just learned a few mins ago about one interesting one about movie theatre caption devices if they're ones attached to a table or something in the theatre.
forgot to mention the drive-thru for cars only is not just an blind issue, but its also a issue for people with wheels ie electric scooter or wheelchairs even if the lobby is open.
Thank you for posting this! I had no idea this existed. Thank you for educating us <3
@jesusredeemedme2425 You're welcoming and I'm making another thread about other inaccessibly issues as well at the moment. Only first topic has been posted yet
Can’t wait to learn more! You can tag me if you’d like <3
@jesusredeemedme2425 two topics of the thread are up now:
here's the other thread: https://www.7cups.com/forum/disabilities/General_2442/Otherinaccessibilityissuesfordisabledpeople_329948/?post=3566409
@Disneywoman Thanks for posting these, they are very valuable in raising awareness of how some rules and laws can impact the disabled.
You might want to think of applying to join the Disability Support Community Team.
https://www.7cups.com/forum/disabilities/CommunitySpace_227/JoinTheDisabilitySupportCommunityTeam_325009/
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic I agree. People, who come up with these laws, just do not understand the full impact, it can have on others. They did not do their homework, or talk to the people, that will be impacted by these changes. Where are the disability advocates in Canada? Why are they staying silent on this issue? I wonder if they are being paid to keep silent. I live in the United States of America, I am close to Canada. I have not heard or seen anything by any disability group, speaking out on this issue. Canada, use to be very vocal on disability rights and for fighting against discrimination.
How times have changed, sadly in some cases not for the better.
@calmMango9611 they have spoken out but you know that disabled aren't that important and that kind of B.S.
@Disneywoman They are important, in my country.
@calmMango9611 Yeah but you get what I mean Mango- they are important but the people in charge don't give a darn and refuse to listen. (did you look at the other thread yet?)
@Disneywoman Some people do and some do not.
@calmMango9611 here's an example Ottawa promised pre-Covid, that the disabled people of Canada were suppose to get a disability benefit that was suppose to raise disabled people out of poverty but because they removed the disabled minster in charge of that portfilo out of that, the said benfit is a bunch of crap.
And not a government per say but Toto's public transit system listen to a famous blind lawyer here and other disabled advocates and the lawyer said for a new subway station they needed to have the platforms have "wall" but the TTC (Toto Transit Commission) decided instead to have it be I'm going to call it "open concept"- and it means no walls, which is a bad thing for blind people who need to have a "guideline" of sorts to stay away from the yellow Caution line on the platform.
@Disneywoman That is sad, that Canada did that. People who are disabled, need benefits. For some, it is a matter of life and death. Some, cannot work, so how are they to survive, without the basics. Enorder to get some of the basics, you do need money. The last time I checked, things for the basics were not free. With inflation, being as bad as it is right now, you need all the support and help you can get. Not less of it.
@calmMango9611 I mean there's the provincial benefits but its comes with the claw back if we earn over I think its now $1,000 it means if we earn let's say $2,000 one month and our cheque from them is $1,000 that the next check after the $2,000 check is 50c less, so about lets say $999.50, and then another cheque is 75c =998.75, until either you "pay it back" or they cut you off
@Disneywoman I was interested in this as I know in the UK we have changed to using stronger paper straws, but for special use, plastic is still used. I also found this article saying the ban had been overturned by a Court in Ottawa? I haven't researched this extensively but I wanted to raise this here.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/court-rules-against-listing-plastics-as-toxic-1.7030716
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic the order isn't official over turned yet since the Federal goverment wants to appeal it. So the fight is still on going
@Disneywoman I hope it gets over turned.
@calmMango9611 read the sequel thread as well please there's more inaccessibly issues there as well
@MistyMagic Thanks for sharing this. I understand environmental concerns. But, there is a human side to everything. That is something, they are missing here.
Plastic straws are not banned entirely, and some of that is because they were listening to disabled groups.
This is put out by the Government of Canada https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/eccc/documents/pdf/managing-plastic-waste/reducing-plastic-waste/Factsheet_Exceptions%20for%20SUP%20flexible%20straws.pdf
I'm not entirely sure how restaurants are making them available. It does sound like they can give them out ('sell' includes giving} in packs of 20 or more from what I understand. I do see the downside - less places will be likely to have these be accessible to anyone who needs one.
I still see some places give out single use plastic straws that don't have the flexible bend, especially places that serve bubble tea. I'm actually in a city with some of the most restrictive single use plastic rules in Canada so it's interesting to see how much plastic is still available with food. Before the ban I found most places didn't even offer flexible straws, most places had the straight ones, cafeterias are the ones places that come to mind that had the bendy ones.
I actually use straws as a disability aid, not in the typical way, but when administering medication I like to have a drink available hands-free. When I first started using them for that I bought a box that would fit the current exception - I didn't need single use or bendable but the washable ones weren't so easy to find. Now I have a plastic one that's large (was gifted with a water bottle) and I like it so much I bought some metal ones that are similar in size as I know the plastic one has a limited lifespan as with wear they do develop grooves which become almost impossible to clean.
I have Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder, ADD, and nerve damage impacting my hands - while there is no outright plastic straw ban in the USA there is a fair bit of social pressure including from relatives to not use them now. And trying to talk disability and why I need it gets into but you aren't disabled "enough" or isn't it better to put in extra effort to "pass".
Having flexible plastic straws be mainstream meant having an accomidation that wasn't superobvious and yet just makes sense.
People give me these looks of disdain now when um I need a plastic straw even if the reason why isn't super- obvious.
It is very easy for me to misjudge force, angles, distances, etc. And sometimes my hands just drop stuff.
So now I need to put in so much effort it just feels stressful to avoid the glares or disclose that I have an invisible disability. No matter what I can't just have a normal drink in public.
I can lift a cup, it's just a lot of effort/concentration to avoid making a mess when doing so, even more stress if the cup is breakable, and even concentrating really hard can fail.
Dining out often involves glass cups, a straw is the easiest accomidation, otherwise it's either lots of stress or a child's sippy cup that doesn't spill or tip easily.
Straw please.
The paper straws taste terrible, the metal ones are okay but I do have some injury risk there, and have managed a few, and they increase the risk of one of my epic klutz chain reactions - I have flipped entire tables trying to stop one oops. I can and have managed to hit that tiny metal stick on accident and with enough force to send something flying.
Plastic straw please.
@Disneywoman
Completely banned in the UK. The forever chemicals alongside the aspiration risks of cardboard, struggling with the speed of liquids but just managing? Throw in a loose unexpected bit of cardboard in already risky task.
I don’t have to worry about this for my kid as all fluids and 99% food via tube. If my kid ever graduated, and others already at that sage of drinking through a straw well… err… hmm.. think of the environment. Maybe buy a lol pop, smash the candy off and use that single use hollow single use plastic tube as a rather short and narrow straw?
Crazy to learn the origins of the creation of the humble plastic disposable straw. Just perfect portrayal of how policies are created with absolutely terrible understanding.
@LabeledBPD a short and narrow straw wouldn't work. A lot of Disabled people need the flexbiity of the plastic straws.
@Disneywoman
i understand, i wasn’t being serious. I was pointing out the hypocrisy in the ban.
cant have a disposable plastic straw that aid people’s ability to drink, yet can have a disposable plastic straw like bits of plastic for kids lolly’s.
How about disposable BIC pens?
I’d have thought those single use plastics would be banned first, if not at the same time, as buying a metal pen or lolly with a cardboard stick mandatory would be inline with the save the planet mantra.
or do they not because the disabled effected by the straw ban don’t carry as much weight and problems for the government as if they banned the others. Maybe also people don’t put the spotlight enough on the hypocrisy or simply don’t even think about it
@LabeledBP
Disabled people have always been an after-thought. I mean Sims been out since 2000s and Sims series is only now just gotten comestic items like hearing aids and gluocose monitors.
And Barbie two years ago released fashionta Barbies and Kens who were disabled. There is around somewhere in this caterory.
@Disneywoman
i understand. I wanted to highlight how the disabled individuals are an afterthought in decisions at times.
I wasn’t being serious about my alternative, it was a sarcastic comment intended to highlight the afterthought point i just mentioned.
what exactly did the government of the uk think when placing a blanket ban on disposable straws in relation to the disabled? Probably didn’t think or if they did, didn’t care.
Unless you ask individuals relying on such straws about their needs, have a family member or close friend or are someone who needs and relays on such straws, you are unlikely to fully understand and appreciate.
It upsets me it appears that regardless if the English government understood or didn’t care, potentially a combination, those who already struggle don’t need governments to make the struggle more difficult
@LabeledBPD you should see my other thread about overall inaccessbilties. I'm currently rewriting all of them and 2 others I haven't discussed yet for a blog post
this thead: https://www.7cups.com/forum/disabilities/General_2442/Otherinaccessibilityissuesfordisabledpeople_329948/
@Disneywoman I've changed the text to a working link for you.
@MistyMagic thanks!
I learnt a lot of new things from this post. Where I'm from, there is a ban on single-use straws officially but it isn't implemented very well. It is scary how so many things that people take for granted can have a serious effect on others.
Thanks for sharing!
@LoneWolf91 check out the other thread!