Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice, Vol 4, Res 18: The Institute of Student Loan Advisors and Ableist Language You May Be Using
This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!
Hi friends! Quick reminder about Violet Blue’s Pandemic Roundup that has up-to-date pandemic news and information about prevention, vaccines, and testing. Also, happy birthday to Violet!
I took last Friday off work and I had a long list of all the things I wanted to accomplish and I ended up mostly sitting on the couch and finished reading a book. I have been go-go-going and just needed to slow the fuck down for a bit. In the slowing down I did last Friday I was able to pause and think about the structure of our weekend and our list of chores and errands. I realized that there was no reason that we had to spread it all over two days so I looked up some “adventures” in our area (it’s been a while since we’ve been somewhere new-to-us) and on Saturday we ended up going to Filoli.
One of the special things about the gardens at Filoli is they are planted in a way that there is something blooming almost every month of the year. Incredibly well-curated gardens and it was beautiful to just walk around and keep our phones in our bags. I had to repeatedly fight the urge to pull out my phone to take photos of this plant or that flower and while I have no judgments around interacting and engaging with surroundings in that way, I just really didn’t want it for myself on that day.
Two days of rest are by no means sufficient but it has encouraged me to aim to fit rest into my every day in even small ways. To appropriate a phrase I heard from Melissa Dilkes Pateras, author of A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home, “It’s easier to keep up than to catch up.” (Our home is a clutter extravaganza, please don’t think otherwise).
Autumn starts today, Friday September 22 at 11:50pm Pacific in the Northern Hemisphere and it has been my favorite season since childhood. I welcome the creepy season with open arms and I already feel the accompanying silliness entering my body. I leaned into it by switching some pieces on my Lego unicorn and giving it rocket boogers:
It’s a resource week so let’s get to it!
Resource #1: The Institute of Student Loan Advisors (TISLA)
Please do not let someone tell you that you should pay someone for student loan advice. From their site:
“The Institute of Student Loan Advisors Corporation (TISLA) was founded to ensure that all student loan borrowers have access to free, neutral and clear student loan advice and dispute resolution assistance. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit who believes that these borrowers have a right to a trusted resource with industry experience to mentor, educate and advocate for them. Student loan borrowers have a right to such a resource without being charged a fee, barraged with advertisements or forced to provide personal information that may later be sold.
Our goal is to help you help yourself. We are not here to manage your student loans for you, but to give you expert advice and help you to manage them successfully. We will offer fair, neutral advice that outlines what you are eligible for that is in line with current regulation and statute.”
They have a great FAQ and they will also answer your questions via email.
Resource #2: Examples Of Ableist Language You May Not Realize You’re Using via Dictionary.com
Over the past few years I have been putting deliberate effort into paying attention to the language I use and making changes as I learn (both reactively and proactively) ways in which some words, terms, and phrases can cause or perpetuate harm unintentionally. Language is a living, breathing thing and it can change depending on time, context, and location so it’s important that we also update the language we may be using.
The post from Dictionary.com is not exhaustive but it gives some great information and is an excellent springboard into learning more.
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