The DBBU, Disabled Bed Bugs Union, are currently protesting outside of Ikea’s Headquarters, demanding a simple request: bed frames must be removed from all beds in existence.
Though small, they are mighty AND effective… even though they spend most of their time hiding in dark crevices. The DBBU has been the driving force in creating an accessible world for disabled bugs. Famously, their fight for identity-first language is the reason we now call these creatures “Bed Bugs” instead of “Bugs in the Bed”. Now, they are taking on a new challenge to an equitable workplace: easy access to beds.
“The bedframes put the mattresses too high off the ground,” says current DBBU President Roachelle Johnson, “so most bugfolx can’t get to the office. We want to change that.”
The DDBU is no stranger to bold asks. Their humble beginnings involved the creation of the IDA (Insects with Disabilities Act), which allows disabled bed bugs extra time to feed on blood, and requires diabetic humans to disclose their condition before going to sleep so diabetic bed bugs don’t drink sweet blood, and only being assigned apartments with automatic doors and elevators. Most recently, braille grips were added to the bottom of shoes so those who needed alternative translations were covered.
“When you’re being stepped on by a shoe, you should be able to know what’s happening. The braille reads ‘You’re being stepped on by a shoe and you’re going to die.’ Nice and straightforward. We haven’t been able to ask anyone for feedback on the text because, well… the shoe gets them pretty fast,” Johnson adds.
After a week of protest, the Ikea CEO’s bug bites were starting to itch, so he told the DBBU he would attempt to find out how to get rid of bedframes without losing money. In the meantime, the company paid to move the DBBU to New York, where every fresh college graduate doesn’t have a bedframe because they can’t afford it. Score!