Metal Straws: Good or Bad for people with disabilities?

Hello, my good friends!  I am just blown away by the support I have received, especially today.  My interview for the Portsmouth Herald came out and my blog has been blowing up with views and comments.  Thank you so much for your wonderful support!  If you haven’t read it yet, Grace Hanley wrote an amazing article about this blog and myself.  I know it may sound biased, but it truly is extremely well written.  When I was at breakfast with my Dad at The Goods downtown Portsmouth (highly recommend by the way), I got a notification on my phone that my blog has had the most views it’s had since I’ve put it online and that was at only 9:30am!!  I am so happy and humbled by the response I have gotten.  I never thought my blog would get this much attention.

While I was at breakfast, there was some talk about metal vs plastic straws.  People in the disability community have been talking about this and putting their opinions about the matter.  I understand that people want to reduce the amount of plastic in the oceans, but they are not effective for people with disabilities.  Some of the reasons are that the metal straws are heavy, adding to the weight of the already heavy drink.  Another is that some disabilities come with sensory issues and metal causes issues for them.  Also, some may bite down on the straw to keep it steady in their mouths and the metal might hurt their teeth and cause more problems for them.  They also taste gross and paper straws are useless because they just dissolve in the liquid.

I totally understand the environmental issues, but there are other, bigger issues that we could work on.  Like reducing the amount of food we throw away or using reusable cups.    Also, they put the metal straws in plastic cups, so it’s not really reducing that much plastic.  Everyone has their opinions, and this is mine.

On that note, I want to thank everyone again so much for your love and support.  Please keep sharing, reading, and commenting!  Thank you for reading and I hope you all stay cool this week!  It’ll be a hot one.

As always, stay beautifully you!