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Helen Rottier

@helenrottier

PhD in Disability Studies. Disabled Dis-Epistemologies and Knowledge Production. Opinions are my own. she/her

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Latest posts by Helen Rottier @helenrottier

All the wrong people have imposter syndrome.

07.03.2026 03:01 πŸ‘ 1557 πŸ” 307 πŸ’¬ 24 πŸ“Œ 32

this is like

the thesis statement of our times

07.03.2026 03:12 πŸ‘ 3000 πŸ” 702 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

I say it a lot but TBH the entire history of human technology is about accessibility. It's a lot easier and more effective to stick a post in the ground with a hammer than it is with a fist. It's easier to carry water in a jar than in cupped hands.

07.03.2026 00:25 πŸ‘ 57 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Disability accommodations are a rare thing that actually trickles down. You like curb cutouts? Auto-opening doors? Jar openers? Ramps? Hand rails? YOU’RE WELCOME

Even as an abled person you use disability accommodations every single day.

Supporting accommodations actually helps everyone.

07.03.2026 00:13 πŸ‘ 1220 πŸ” 386 πŸ’¬ 19 πŸ“Œ 14
Preview
US Postal Service expects to run out of cash in a year without help from Congress, postmaster says The U.S. Postal Service will run out of cash within a year unless Congress lifts a decades-old cap and allows the agency to borrow more money.

I can't help but to feel they sabotaged the USPS on purpose

wlox.com/app/2026/03/...

06.03.2026 00:12 πŸ‘ 538 πŸ” 159 πŸ’¬ 59 πŸ“Œ 80

They did that long ago when they made the USPS the ONLY government agency that had to pre-fund benefits for 75 years back in the early 2000s. I've never forgotten about that, and I think they only recently repealed that crap.

06.03.2026 00:53 πŸ‘ 83 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

a public utility does not need to turn a profit. this is intentional.

06.03.2026 01:20 πŸ‘ 1048 πŸ” 377 πŸ’¬ 10 πŸ“Œ 4
Post image
05.03.2026 02:58 πŸ‘ 30 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 3

Forklift driver in a grocery warehouse. He loves talking to my husband who just finished forklift certification at his grocery store job.

Computer programmer (in the 1970s with punched cards) for the state government. He taught us all hexadecimal as kids.

05.03.2026 03:09 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
I’m Pepsi, and I’m Actually Okay Before you ask, yesβ€”I’m actually okay. I can feel you hesitating, the way people do when they lower their expectations out of politeness. You ask t...

"I’ve unpacked my rivalry with Coke. I’ve looked at where it started, how it was reinforced, and why I kept measuring myself against a version of myself I was never meant to be. Coke, for the most part, represents nostalgia, but I am not responsible for your nostalgia."

05.03.2026 03:00 πŸ‘ 32 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

The process is transformative. I remember feeling like a true expert during my defense. That doesn't happen by accident or through shortcuts. Doing the work changes you. It was hard and took time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

04.03.2026 16:16 πŸ‘ 100 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Yup. Same here for putting together the reading lists etc etc. Damn, we worked HARD to be scholars! (Not even including the dissertation…) πŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺ

04.03.2026 14:21 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Mine were:
1. Bridging Neurodiversity & Disability Studies
2. Methods: Program Evaluation
3. Academic Ableism

And writing them was both incredibly challenging *and* incredibly rewarding. I can’t fathom letting an algorithm do my favorite part of my job - the reading and writing!

05.03.2026 03:05 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

okay, Ill bite.
What do you think the point of reading for and writing a literature review is? The process of reading and writing is crucial for THINKING. Your ideas are shaped by all of this, offloading it to gAI, no matter how "good" you think gAI is at it defeats the purpose entirely.

03.03.2026 19:01 πŸ‘ 1362 πŸ” 287 πŸ’¬ 52 πŸ“Œ 32

Yes!

04.03.2026 16:17 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

There was a moment during my oral exams where I started "arguing" with one of my committee members on a certain historiographical point. They told me later that was *the* moment I passed. It proved I was enough of an expert to disagree with a bigger expert in the field and back it up with evidence.

04.03.2026 16:19 πŸ‘ 441 πŸ” 51 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 8

When someone says β€žScientists do not want you to knowβ€œ you can dismiss everything from there on. Scientists want you to know. They are desperate that you know. They can’t shut up about what they found out and want you to know.

03.03.2026 12:10 πŸ‘ 9441 πŸ” 4104 πŸ’¬ 77 πŸ“Œ 164

My PhD program required we prep for quals by compiling a list of fifty relevant texts. (It was literally called the β€œFifty-Item List.”) It took months if not years but ultimately served as the basis for the bibliography of my dissertation *because I read all fifty of them*

04.03.2026 15:13 πŸ‘ 36 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0

THE STRUGGLE IS THE POINT. Not struggling for struggle sake, but for learning's sake. Comps are not just about reading, but locating and deciding what to read and why.

04.03.2026 11:50 πŸ‘ 58 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

It also put me in charge of my research at the very beginning of the process. Gaining that independence and skill set is vital for being able to complete the dissertation. I know a few people who didn't finish because they had trouble with that part.

04.03.2026 11:41 πŸ‘ 85 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

This reminds me of when I was a PhD candidate during comps (prelims). I was surprised that *I* had to put together all 3 of my reading lists instead of my committee. But then I realized that the act of compiling was an important learning experience.

04.03.2026 11:39 πŸ‘ 401 πŸ” 55 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 11

It was also...fun? I think that's something we don't talk about enough. The process of discovery is very cool.

04.03.2026 12:06 πŸ‘ 95 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 0

This is exactly what I thought would happen and it’s just like what the fuck are we even here for then

05.03.2026 02:55 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The fact that Talarico explicitly invokes his Christianity in the context of values like solidarity with the oppressed and resistance to tyranny/empire but it codes as moderate crossover appeal depresses me as a Christian socialist because it really speaks to the ground we've given up

04.03.2026 15:19 πŸ‘ 54 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The whole war is peace toolkit just gets ever more useful.

But I don't think it'll sway the Nobel Peace Prize committee.

04.03.2026 15:24 πŸ‘ 127 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

We have always been at war with Eastasia.

04.03.2026 15:23 πŸ‘ 986 πŸ” 147 πŸ’¬ 50 πŸ“Œ 5

The world is horrific, and I am also so grateful for meaningful work, community, and care. πŸ’–

04.03.2026 15:03 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Last week of my 20s! πŸŽ‰ I will be living the ✨ dream all week - work retreat in Atlanta with our amazing women & early career-led lab, then celebrating with my husband, friends, and family over the weekend. #ATL #GirlsJustWannaDoScience #DisabledInSTEM

04.03.2026 15:02 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

If we're not in academia to create safe spaces, Black graduate students get pushed out. If they, by some miracle, finish their PhDs despite the hurdles, it's accompanied by trauma and health issues.

04.03.2026 04:46 πŸ‘ 257 πŸ” 56 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 5

kind of crazy that if you have enough money and don't like what you see in the media, you can just buy up every film studio, news station, and social media app and change it

04.03.2026 02:51 πŸ‘ 16504 πŸ” 2659 πŸ’¬ 266 πŸ“Œ 135