Growing up, my world was heavily shaped by severe health struggles. Dealing with epilepsy and chronic migraines every second or third day meant I was sleeping up to 18 hours a day just to cope. Mornings were an intense race against time: trying to get showered, dressed, and brush my teeth as fast as humanly possible without vomiting, terrified of missing the school bus and forcing my mom into a stressful 45-minute drive that would make her late for work. All the while, I'd keep my head pressed against the car window just to fight off the nausea.Once at school, my routine often meant heading straight to the school nurse's bed to sleep until 3:00 PM, then sleeping against the bus window all the way home just to crash in my bed for the rest of the day.When I actually had stretches without migraines, school should have been a place to catch up, but reality fell completely apart. In Grade 2, the situation became completely neglected my teacher was constantly away at teacher's conventions, leaving us to watch TV all day. When exam time came around, I was expected to pass despite having no actual instruction for a year and a half. My parents eventually stepped in when they realized I wasn't learning anything at all because there simply were no teachers. During those years, the open internet and early tech platforms became my real educators. I learned how to read and spell using early South African apps like MXit, transitioning later through BBM and WhatsApp, which honestly taught me spelling better than any teacher ever did. Alongside that, classic PC games like Reader Rabbit and The ClueFinders kept me grounded, educated, and connected when the traditional school system completely failed to provide.That is why protecting an open, accessible internet matters so much. For kids dealing with isolation, illness, or broken school systems, the digital world isn't just entertainment it's a lifeline for learning, survival, and connection. Child-focused laws are increasingly affecting all adults.
Disabled face additional barriers to accessing games and online services.
Accessibility and equal rights should be considered before new restrictions are introduced. One-size-fits-all policies can unintentionally disadvantage disabled.
Equal access should not be reduced by measures aimed at children.
Safety and accessibility should go hand in hand.  Disabled deserve the same digital rights as everyone else.
Accessibility should never be an afterthought.
Laws should protect children without creating unnecessary barriers for adults. Parents are responsible for supervising their own children.
Developers should not be expected to replace parental responsibility.
Disabled adults should not lose equal access because of child-focused policies. We are not asking for money or damages.
We are not pursuing legal action.
We are asking for equal rights, accessibility, and fair treatment.
We want policymakers to consider the impact of laws on disabled alongside other affected groups. We are not seeking compensation or lawsuits. We are asking for equal rights, equal access, and equal consideration in policy decisions. This petition does not seek money, compensation, or legal action against anyone. Its sole purpose is to advocate for equal rights, accessibility, and fair treatment for disabled adults in digital spaces. This petition seeks equal rights, accessibility, and fair treatment for disabled. It does not seek financial compensation, legal damages, or legal action against any individual or organization. Disabled should be treated as equal citizens, not as an afterthought.
Equality means considering the needs of disabled when creating digital policies.
Accessibility, privacy, and independence should be protected alongside child safety.
Rights should be balanced so that protecting one group does not unnecessarily burden another. Consult disability organizations before introducing new digital restrictions.
Carry out accessibility and disability impact assessments for new policies.
Ensure any measures are proportionate and use the least restrictive approach possible.
Provide accessible alternatives where verification or other requirements are necessary.
Review policies regularly to ensure they do not create unnecessary barriers for disabled. We support protecting children online.
We also support equal rights and accessibility for disabled.
We believe child safety and disability rights can coexist.
We ask for dialogue, fairness, and evidence based policymaking. We call for the removal of mandatory age verification and broad chat-control measures because we believe they place unnecessary burdens on adults, including disabled adults. Child safety is important, but parents not online platforms or game developers have the primary responsibility for supervising their children. Laws should protect children while respecting the rights, accessibility, privacy, and independence of disabled adults and all other adults. Many disabled adults rely on family members or caregivers for financial support. As game prices continue to rise, access to gaming becomes more difficult for people on limited or fixed incomes. We support efforts to keep games affordable so that disabled gamers are not excluded by high prices. Many disabled adults live on limited incomes or rely on family support. We believe games should remain affordable, and we support efforts to keep standard game prices closer to $60 rather than increasing to $100, helping ensure gaming remains accessible to more people. Why Gaming Matters to Many Disabled
For many disabled, gaming is far more than entertainment. It provides a way to socialize, reduce isolation, build friendships, and participate in communities that may be difficult to access in everyday life. For people with limited mobility, chronic conditions, or other disabilities, online gaming can be one of the few activities that allows equal participation with others. Many disabled people rely on gaming to stay connected with friends and family, especially when travelling or attending social events is difficult or impossible. Gaming supports independence, confidence, mental stimulation, teamwork, and a sense of belonging. We believe mandatory age verification and broad chat-control measures can create unnecessary barriers for disabled adults. If these systems are difficult to use, limit communication, or make access more complicated, they may disproportionately affect people who already face challenges in everyday life. We support protecting children online. However, we believe child safety should be achieved through proportionate, evidence-based measures and active parental supervision, while respecting the rights, accessibility, privacy, and independence of disabled adults. Disabled deserve equal access to. Why This Matters for Some Disabled
Many people assume that every disabled adult can make their own decisions online, but this is not always the case. Some disabled adults live with parents, family members, or caregivers who are very protective and may control their access to technology or personal documents.If mandatory age verification requires government-issued identification or other personal information, some disabled adults may not be able to complete the process because they do not have independent access to those documents or because their parents or caregivers refuse to allow them to use them online.If access to games or online communities depends on completing age verification, these individuals could lose access through no fault of their own. For some disabled adults, online gaming is an important source of friendship, social interaction, and emotional well-being. Losing access could increase isolation and, for some people, contribute to loneliness or depression.We believe policymakers should consider these situations when designing online safety laws. Protecting children is important, but policies should also avoid creating unnecessary barriers that may exclude disabled adults from digital communities. gaming and online communities. Policies should protect children without unnecessarily restricting or excluding adults with disabilities. they want to kids protect but indirect cause a increase of depression of disabilities people, My epilepsy and migraines weren't just random; they were constantly set off by everyday triggers that most people take for granted. Excitement like school trips would trigger them, but so would simple, physical acts like blowing bubbles or blowing out birthday candles on a cake. Sensory exposures were massive triggers too smells like smoke from burning mountains, getting too close to a fire, or even the chemical smell of wet paint would instantly set off an episode, leak of hunger if you ate enough but think you did but didnt or think you slept enough day than you didnt had one also didnt, and leak of sugar this great example  excitement and sugar i one went camp with school had one slept all day but than i woke up i wanted to eat a pack of marshmallow and everyone look at my if i am crazy i was to sick and now i wanna eat candy, I also know what it feels like when your body's internal signals completely break down from exhaustion and illness—like waking up from a severe seizure and sleep crash craving a whole pack of marshmallows because your body is desperately searching for fast energy and comfort after being completely depleted.