All things disability and accessibility related, and advocacy for making those things better.
See also this community's sister subs Feminism, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, and POC.
This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
I get asked about my mask a bunch on the street. Honestly I've default to pointing to the trees and saying "allergic" which is true (MCAS, so allergic to everything under the sun including the sun) but not the only reason I wear a mask
So if anyone wants an excuse, feel free to use that, even if you're not allergic. People should keep their noses out of your mask, so I think giving a short answer is the best, even if its not true. They are not owed any reason just because they ask
[points at tree] "Allergic"
"What? It's winter, that tree has not a single leaf left"
"Oh, sorry, I meant" [points at them] "allergic..."
BTW, it's nice to live in a not-completely-insane country, just went today to the doctor, and half the people were wearing masks.
That sounds nice. The last time I saw more than half people in masks was when I was waiting in line to get the booster. I kind of contributed to that by pointing anyone who entered after me towards the box with masks. It was a quite refreshing and completely out of the norm experience here. In this country I get asked by maskless doctors, who are aware that a lot of new patients come to them with long covid, and agree with my opinion that i have long covid, ask me why I wear it.
Optional strategies
I live in a place that is still about 40% mask wearers. I carry extra masks. When someone is coughing on the train I just silently offer them a mask and stare at them with a slightly indulgent head shrug, so far it's worked every time.
I think the key is people read into your body language and confidence and respond to that far more then the mask.
Before masks got normalized I used to get a cough every time I flied so I started wearing a mask while flying. Had one steward ask me, in a friendly way, why I was wearing it... Just told her... Oh my throat dries out on these flights and the masks helps.
I mask up too! Strength in numbers, I guess? Socially distant fist bump
I mask up in public too and try to encourage other to do the same, when it's possible. It can be discouraging to see how few people are willing to do some of us are still out here, trying to minimize the risk to those around us. I like to think of my mask as a small show of solidarity for others who still choose to wear one.
I have to admit, I feel way too awkward to wear a mask now, I already had social anxiety before bloody covid.
I also had social anxiety, i was even hospitalized for it. Seeing maskless people nowadays is borderline triggering to me. Which means I do not go out unless i I need to. Anyway, i will take feeling awkward over getting more disabled anyday.
IF more people wore masks, you would not need to feel that way about it. Some people might feel the same as you and not say it. Wearing them can empower others to do the same.