Twitter Didn’t Have A Place To Report Abusive Tweets About People With Disabilities, Until A Cornelius Mom Got Involved

CORNELIUS, NC.–  A Cornelius mother is fighting back against Twitter trolls. They made fun of her daughter, who has a rare neurological disease and facial deformities. Twitter didn’t have a place to report abusive tweets about people with disabilities until this mom got involved.

Sophia Weaver is a sassy and silly nine -year- old who loves crafts, music and her family. Sophia has a rare neurological disorder called Rett Syndrome. She can’t walk or talk, has seizures and breathing problems.

“We face it and deal with it and do what we have to do to keep her happy, healthy and thriving,” says Sophia’s mother and activist Natalie Weaver.

Natalie Weaver has been in the public eye, fighting for her daughter’s healthcare, but Twitter trolls quickly attacked her. They were saying hateful things about her daughter.

“They tell me that Sophia should die, I should’ve killed her. They talk about her looks and call her a monster.”

Natalie tried to report the abuse to Twitter, but the social media site only listed race, religion, gender, or orientation, but not disability as categories for harmful or abusive tweets. Natalie knew she had to change that.

“We are living in a time where people feel empowered to speak on their hate. Which is why I will not back down, I will not stop fighting. This is not a time to get scared and stay silent.”

After campaigning on social media for months , Twitter reached out to Natalie saying it was adding “disability” to the violation reporting tool.