Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People With Disabilities Are Sharing All Of Their Weird And Cringe-Worthy Encounters With 'Ableds'

People With Disabilities Are Sharing All Of Their Weird And Cringe-Worthy Encounters With 'Ableds'
PeopleImages/Getty Images, @OuchMouse8/Twitter
Make us preferred on Google

From the odd, to the inappropriate, to the downright unprofessional, people with disabilities are sharing stories about their strange encounters of the abled-kind with the hashtag #AbledsAreWeird.


Out in public, despite plenty of stares from the able-bodied, the lived experiences of the disabled still remain invisible.

So along with navigating the challenges of daily life, they are often also saddled with managing the misguided assumptions and ableist behavior of those around them.

Imani Barbarin is hoping to change all that by giving voice to those invisible experiences.

Barbarin, who has cerebral palsy, is a writer and an advocate for the "representation, inclusion, and empowerment of disabled people." However, one of the many challenges the disabled face has nothing to do with their disabilities.

"When it comes to disability, ableds tend to lose all sense of common sense and instead act in ways that are completely strange and at times dangerous," Barbarin said speaking with Romper. "This isn't the behavior that they would [display] around other abled people, so why would they do it with us?"

Those bizarre experiences with the abled-bodied led Barbarin to Twitter on Friday where she created shared one her own encounters using the hashtag #AbledsAreWeird.


Barbarin of course wasn't the only one who had to deal with such experiences.

Others were inspired to share their own weird and cringe-worthy encounters using the now viral hashtag.







Unfortunately, bizarre, cringe-inducing behavior isn't the only type of ableism.

"Many of the stories shared were about consent of disabled bodies either being outright violated or not asked for in the first place," Barbarin told Romper. "Following someone into the bathroom or grabbing them without their permission, even if you're justification is to 'help' us, is in violation of our right to dictate what we want for ourselves."






Shockingly some of the worst offenders were medical professionals whom one might assume would be a bit more understanding. Nope.




While some of these #AbledsAreWeird stories can seem funny in their absurdity, one poster points it isn't a joke, but a bracing look at how social barriers are often more of a handicap for those living with disability.

More from Trending

SONY PlayStation showcases its fun scenes in home consumption at AWE2026 in Shanghai, China.
CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Gamers Are Furiously Sounding Off After PlayStation Announces End To Physical Discs

Physical media fans just got hit with a game-over screen.

Sony announced Wednesday that it will discontinue physical PlayStation game discs starting in January 2028, a move that has already sparked backlash from gamers who aren't exactly thrilled about handing over the last remnants of ownership to digital storefronts.

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael Che and Colin Jost
ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Michael Che Just Wished Colin Jost Happy Birthday With A Hilariously Brutal Post—And 'SNL' Fans Are Cackling

Perhaps no two celebrities are better at trolling each other than SNL's Michael Che and Colin Jost.

And for Jost's recent birthday, Che decided it was the perfect time to show his friend who's actually the best troll out there.

Keep ReadingShow less
Danny Glover
Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty Images

Fans Rally Around Danny Glover After He Reveals That He's Living With Alzheimer's Disease In Poignant New Interviews

In an appearance filmed for the TODAY show that aired on Tuesday, actor and activist Danny Glover revealed he, like over 7 million other Americans, is living with Alzheimer's disease. The progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease causes memory loss and cognitive decline.

The veteran actor has 200 film and TV credits to his name going back almost 50 years. His theatre credits extend even further. Glover has also received several prestigious awards for his decades of humanitarian work and political activism, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Marsha Blackburn from elevator video
NewsChannel 5

MAGA Senator Tries To Dodge Reporter's Questions Only To Get Thwarted By Elevator In Super Cringey Viral Video

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn was called out after attempting to dodge questions from journalist Ben Hall of NewsChannel 5, the CBS affiliate in Nashville, only to be thwarted by an uncooperative elevator.

Blackburn is the frontrunner in the Republican primary for Tennessee governor; early voting is less than three weeks away and Blackburn has kept a very low profile. That was true even after she just spoken to the Greater Nashville Technology Council for an event members of different media outlets had been invited to attend.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of JD Vance; Joe Biden
@atrupar/X; Scott Olson/Getty Images

JD Vance Just Tried To Make A Pitiful Joke About Biden To U.S. Troops—And It Fell Awkwardly Flat

Vice President JD Vance had people groaning after a joke he made about former President Joe Biden falling on the stairs was met with silence from those who attended an event meant to honor "American military excellence."

Vance was speaking to troops at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at one of many different events designed to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less