Article in Teen Vogue titled Starbucks’ Elimination of Plastic Straws Is Bad for Disabled People. Subhead reads “Imagine wanting to go on a date and having to ask the person you are with to help you with every sip you take.” Note above the article reads In this op-ed, Madison Lawson explains why, though Starbucks' recent announcement about phasing out straws could be a win for the environment, it will negatively impact the lives of many disabled people. Article reads I don’t know about you, but I am not the same person before I have had my morning caffeine. The closest coffee shop for me is Starbucks and I go there probably about seven times a week. But that may soon change after Starbucks announced last week that it plans to eliminate plastic straws from its stores by 2020, in an effort to eliminate material waste. This sounds like a good thing, making the world a little eco-friendlier, one less straw at a time. To most people, a straw is a small convenience that they can do without. But what I don’t think the company realizes is how much a move like this could change the experience for thousands of customers who, like me, have disabilities that make straws a vital tool for drinking independently. I have a rare neuromuscular disease that makes my muscles weak and progressively weaker with time. My disease has taken away many abilities over the years. I am unable to do most tasks unassisted including breathing so I have to be on oxygen all day long and I use a power wheelchair to get around. My friends jokingly call me Hazel Grace, to which I reply, “It’s a look.” I always joke that there are five things I can do on my own. Those things include doing my makeup, serving looks, writing, being annoying, and loving with my entire heart and soul. Although five things is a bit of an under exaggeration and there are so many things I can do, I still need help with a lot of tasks. I can’t get in and out of bed on my own, I can’t do my own hair, cut my own food, take a shower on my own, or even go to the bathroom without assistance, a daily ritual me and all my friends call “pee parties.” Although this all sounds like a lot to be upset about, I don’t have time to focus on the things I can’t do. I always say, “Some people can’t walk, but others can’t do a winged liner on their own, who’s really disabled here?” Having this condition makes it excessively difficult to lift cups to my mouth to take a drink. When I drink things, the weight of the cup can be very difficult for me to manage without getting exhausted. Although yes, I can pick up the drink a few times, it becomes difficult, and my arms are tired and weak the rest of the day when I drink things without straws. Also, the muscles in my neck are affected by the disease and have a hard time keeping my head up when I tip it back to take a drink. With the tipping motion, my weak muscles put me at risk of swallowing liquid down the wrong pipe which is risky for my weak lungs. Most of the time when restaurants don’t have straws, I will just have the person I am with help me take a drink or I just end up not drinking. I have accepted my disability, but I also like to give the illusion of independence. There are so many things in a day that I need help with, that if something as simple as a straw can give me some independence it’s obviously going to be something I will fight to keep.