Co-founder Billion Strong | Empowering Young Innovators with Disabilities | Curator, "Green Disability" | Exploring Conscious AI for Social Change | Advaita Vedanta | SDGs 10 & 17 |
A Wake-Up Call for the Disability Community: When Deception Hurts Our Cause Imagine finding out that someone you admired, someone who fought alongside you for a cause that deeply matters, never actually existed. This is not the plot of a movie; it's the unsettling reality we now face in the gaming accessibility community. In 2019, many of us were heartbroken by the news of Susan Banks' passing. Susan was known as a fierce advocate for accessibility in gaming, especially for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. She was someone who, we believed, had worked tirelessly with game developers to create a more inclusive environment. Her death was a reminder of the fragility of life and the ongoing battle for equity. But today, we're confronted with the shocking revelation that Susan Banks might have been nothing more than a fabrication. It’s hard to digest, isn’t it? That someone could exploit the trust of a community built on the shared experiences of those who know too well the sting of exclusion. This deception goes beyond the mere creation of a false identity; it strikes at the core of what we stand for. Our fight for disability rights is grounded in truth—truth about the barriers we face, the lives we lead, and the changes we demand. When someone manipulates that truth for personal gain, it doesn’t just hurt our feelings; it undermines the very essence of our movement. But here’s the thing—this is not just a story of betrayal. It’s a call to action. It’s a reminder that our community, which has always thrived on authenticity and solidarity, must be vigilant. We must ensure that those who claim to speak for us are genuine because the stakes are too high to allow anyone to play games with our cause. Let’s take this moment to reflect on what we value most: honesty, trust, and the unwavering commitment to making the world a more inclusive place. We need to double down on these values, supporting real advocates who are doing the work, and calling out deceit when we see it. I urge you to share this message, not out of anger, but out of a desire to protect the integrity of our movement. Let’s remind each other that while our trust may have been shaken, our resolve remains unbroken. Let’s not allow this to divide us, but instead, let it strengthen our determination to fight for a future where everyone is included, and no one feels the need to fabricate a story to be heard. Let’s keep pushing forward, together. Thanks Jasmin for bringing this to my attention. ID: The image you uploaded is a screenshot of a headline from IGN that reads: "A Prominent Accessibility Advocate Worked With Studios and Inspired Change. But She Never Actually Existed." The subtext states: "In 2019, the games accessibility community mourned the death of Susan Banks. Now, evidence suggests she may have never existed to begin with." #DisabilityRights #Accessibility #Equity #DisabilityAdvocacy #SDGs #DisabilityActivism #WeAreBillionStrong #AXSChat
The betrayal here feels personal because it undermines all the progress we've made. But instead of letting it demoralize us, we should let it fuel our commitment to transparency and ethical advocacy.
This situation is a clear example of why ethics and transparency are non-negotiable in activism. Our community is strong enough to overcome this, but only if we learn from it and hold ourselves to higher standards.
Wow! This is an incredible headline and story. Thank you for bringing my attention to it. Do you have links to the stories you can share?
What's really disappointing is that there are plenty of actual disabled people who deserve to be uplifted, and instead the public uplifts grifters like Craven.
Scary but always good and safe to separate the grain from the chaff
It is very much shocking. The lengths people will go to get attention....
Trevor Leahy (Lee Hee)🪬🧿🧿 #trustgap
Multipotentialite | Oppressed Communities Led | Speaker | Change Maker | ND
2moThere are so many layers of damage here it's devastating. Not only has this deception taken up space which should have been any number of the genuine and willing members of our community ready to contribute to work like this. But among many other damaging outcomes, this perpetuates the myth of 'the faker'. This breaks my heart. We fight *so* hard to be heard. Harder still to be believed. Our voices, experiences, opinions and insights so often minimised, ignored or questioned because of who we are. So often the validity of who we are called into question because the toxicity of the lies about us continue, and people believe we are all exaggerating or straight up lying about our conditions or lived experiences. Stories like this feed that narrative and deeply harm our cause. Sowing seeds of doubt even within our own community, having us questioning each other. It's terrible. So while we hold the pain of this together, let's not forget that part of the power being taken from us here is in sowing division. Let's not give them that. 🫂