A Past Accessibility Advisor Makes a Dire Plea for Trauma-Responsive Practices for Survivors
If you have worked in a helping profession over the last couple of decades, you have likely heard someone describe their approach as trauma-informed, but that term was rarely ever embodied, and it is already beyond obsolete!Ā š
This example may resonate more if Black, Indigenous, or racialized, but "trauma-informed" is much like in 2020 when many white folx expressed an interest in racial justice as they informed us of all the anti-racist books they bought, as if them being more informed about our oppression would result in any actual improvements for our communities of colour!Ā š¤”"
Especially if not Black, Indigenous, or racialized, you may not know that many customers did not even bother to go collect their anti-racist books, so IĀ doubt they read them, and further doubt they implemented anti-racist strategies!Ā š„¹
Similarly, I have barely seen trauma-informed approaches practiced by colleagues who claim to use that lensĀ despite 15 years as a registered social worker in such roles as Mental Health Therapist, Accessibility Advisor, etc., because those with privilege often find it easier to assume they know better given how their rewardsĀ without the trauma of oppression often obscures insight,Ā while heightening their perception of professional expertise,Ā but even that "informed" lens is useless if not operationalizing that understanding of trauma impacts by meeting folx where we are at, as bureaucracy and complacency tend to embody complicity with our hauntingly slow deaths as our quality of life decreases like a tickingĀ time bomb."
I am not on authority on the experiences of ALL survivors, but after 15 yearsĀ of professional experience as a registered social worker (during which IĀ supported many traumaĀ survivors, as well as my own personal experiences likeĀ parental betrayals, workplace harassment, gender-based violence, etc.), I unequivocally know those harrowing violations just manage toĀ kill us slowly.
Admittedly, IĀ 1st explored this concept when IĀ titled my anthology essay, "A Slow Death in Academia" in 2020, but since being constructively dismissed from a theoretically permanent fulltime job, IĀ have painstakingly learned that aĀ slow death also awaits me when financially abused for 6.5 years to the tune of $183,364+, especially when navigating Migraine Disorder,Ā PMOS/PCOS, etc.Ā
Especially if you are a fellow survivor with very little quality of life in the midst of debilitating trauma, IĀ can only assume that the last while has been rough with the Cornell 57 fuckery, as those of us who are also navigating housing precarity,Ā foodĀ insecurity, etc., have kept passing the same $10-50 amongst one another as we try to hold space for both ourselves and our loved ones!š
When these decadesĀ have traumatized the fuck out of me whileĀ ripping those rewards the myth ofĀ meritocracy deceitfully offered forĀ an ethical, hard-working existence, my commitment to honouring my access needs will need to be pried from my cold, dead hands, especially by theĀ cunt who insists on a power trip to provide desperately neededĀ financial assistance after repeatedly betraying me, while uninsightfully viewing herself as a loving mother!š„"
? With what could easily be my final newsletter post given how housing precarity limits my ability to affordĀ pain management, which reduces my quality of life, IĀ must highlightĀ that accessible care will require trauma-responsive approaches, so if your firstborn daughter knows herself in the aftermath of your betrayals well enough to grasp that she is unable to call the 1st person to make her feel unsafe, then you would be invested in responding by honouring her access needs since you were the 1st to ever violate her!Ā š„¹
Until being harassed by that white supremacist Executive Director of the family health team, loved ones and IĀ would joke about how those who mistreated me must not know that IĀ survived Ava, as a measure of how IĀ was equipped to overcome any obstacle! In 2016, my toxic "mother" would be replaced with the name of that bigoted boss! ByĀ 2024, that colonizerĀ would be replaced with the name of my abusive ex! Unfortunately, with each traumatic experience, my ability to keep going is depleted. As IĀ get increasingly closer to losingĀ my home since 2018 after 3 missed housing payments, which has reduced my migraine-free hours to only a handful a week, part of me hopes these are indicative of some acute condition that would extinguish my life swiftly!š¤š¾"
Access Needs Jamboard?
If able to contribute to my survival following my ex's financial abuse of at least $183,364, which further disabled me, alongside white supremacist workplace trauma, e-transfers within "Canada" may be sent to krystaljagoo@gmail.com and funds may be sent via PayPal below, so please support me if able, as I am desperately close to being unhoused!šš¾
BTW, on the off chance that you are looking for a gifted equity practitioner and educator for virtual services like writing, facilitation, and consulting, you are welcome to peruse my CV below, and explore paid services here.
Please consider sharing this newsletter to amplify the reach of my work!šš¾
Post a comment