Ableism: The Ribbed Variety (Pleasing 6)

For the past 2+ years Pleasing has announced a multitude of different products. And every time I am immediately pessimistic. I immediately get anxious, angry, and annoyed. I immediately assume this release won’t include any wheelchair users.

The newest one is apparel entitled “Ribbed” (released January 22, 2024).

As always, Pleasing posted - and continues to post - photos and videos on their social medias and website to advertise Ribbed.

That means, Pleasing continues to pass up multiple opportunities to include wheelchair users.

Take this photo for example.

(This photo is currently on Pleasing’s website and has been since before Ribbed was released.)

There’s plenty of opportunity in this one photograph to include wheelchair users. Here are some options I personally came up with: one of the people in the front could’ve been a wheelchair user, one or more persons in the back could’ve been a wheelchair user, one of the chairs not being used by a human being could’ve been replaced by a [human being] wheelchair user, someone could’ve sat in one of the empty chairs with their wheelchair right next to them.

Another thing that really gets me is, as I mentioned above, Ribbed is apparel. It’s clothes.

I’ve said this before but apparently it needs to be said again: wheelchair users wear clothes. People in public aren’t staring at us because we’re naked - trust me.

There is literally no acceptable excuse to exclude us [wheelchair users]. It will never be okay.

Over the past 2+ years, Pleasing has announced many products. And every time, I’m, unfortunately, proven correct. Wheelchair users are still excluded. We’re still ignored and left out of conversations.

Just once I wish I was wrong.