Disability, AI, and life post election
Please bear with me—this may be a bit meandering, but I assure you there’s a reason behind it. If you’re reading this, well, I guess I’ve found the words after all. If not, then what the heck have I been doing for the past hour?
Today, I saw a few posts on Bluesky about the experiences of Disabled people, especially in the wake of the election. As I read through the replies, I stumbled across a block list for people who use AI. This got me thinking, and I’d like to touch on that a bit.
I use AI in my writing—not to create content, but to help with readability and flow. Why do I do this?
Well, about a year ago in June, I ended up in the hospital for an extended stay due to high CO2 buildup in my blood. Unrelated to that, I also suffered a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack). Since then, I’ve experienced memory issues, persistent brain fog, and difficulty focusing. Before this, I loved to write and have conversations, especially about politics. But since the TIA, I’ve seen a decline in the readability and coherence of my writing. I tried my best to make coherent posts, but they just didn’t hold up to the standard I once had.
That’s when I started using ChatGPT. I’d write my posts, then ask for help with readability and flow—while making sure my voice stayed intact. Immediately, I saw an improvement. I was given back something I thought I had lost: my ability to write clearly again. To be clear, EVERY post you read here is 100% my words and thoughts. Nothing is generated entirely by AI.
I understand the concerns about AI-generated content, and I share some of those concerns. But for people like me, AI can be a tool for good. It helps restore a level of clarity and coherence that I’ve struggled to maintain since my health issues began. I truly hope, G-d willing, that with rehabilitation and therapy, I can regain some of what I lost and no longer need this tool. But in the meantime, I believe it’s an acceptable way to help me communicate.
But to the skeet that started me down this rabbit hole.
There are a lot of replies that I won’t flood this post with, but I would urge you to read the thread here to get the fullness of the discussion.
This got me thinking about disabled folks like myself—especially other LGBTQ disabled people. Our lives are becoming more precarious, especially with the rise of dangerous policies like Project 2025. Not only does it threaten the rights of LGBTQ people, but it also seeks to gut the social safety nets that many disabled people rely on, like Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. These programs are in the crosshairs.
I know there are many communities facing similar threats, and none are less deserving of protection and support. But I ask our able-bodied comrades to heed Ro’s call: Don’t leave us behind in your revolution. Some of us cannot take to the streets for various reasons, and many of us don’t have the financial means to donate to causes. Even when we can contribute, it’s often on a smaller scale than others. But we are still valid, regardless of what we can or cannot do.
I truly don’t know what the future holds for all of us in this country, nor even the global community. Anyone who says with certainty that they do, run the whole other way from them. But what I can say with certainty is, we have to fight with everything we have to keep this country from descending into a Christo-Fascist hellscape. While things are dire and depending on what your listening to, it can seem hopeless. But we can’t give in to that.
“There is no final victory, as there is no final defeat. There is just the same battle. To be fought, over and over again. So toughen up, bloody toughen up.”-Tony Benn former British Labour Party Politician and Activist.