When my daughter with Down syndrome was first born I feared there would be a gap between us because of Down syndrome. I read a book which pointed that those of us with children with disabilities different from the ones we might possess were separate from us. I imagined in those early days gaps and fissures that I might never bridge. She would see the world different from me, … [Read more...]
7 Reasons I Haven’t Used Assistive Devices and Why Those Reasons are Bullshit
My feet are aching, my back hurts, and I am so exhausted I can barely function. Each step feels like a marathon as I try to find somewhere to sit. “Why do I do this to myself?”, I think as I sit down. I am at the amusement park with my kids to celebrate my oldest’s 14th birthday. After briefly considering renting a scooter, I decided against it (for many of the … [Read more...]
Poet Activist Andrea Gibson Gets Real About Lyme Disease
Andrea Gibson’s essay was submitted as part of The Body is Not An Apology’s #WhenWeSayYES Campaign, raising money to build the world’s most powerful radical self-love website. [Image description: The photograph is of artist and activist Andrea Gibson in a bent over squatting position. Their hands are crisscrossed and cupping below their knees. They are wearing brown, … [Read more...]
Ableism at the Gym: Changing Our Lens on Disability in Fitness Culture
I’ve never really cared for following or participating in actual sports, but for the better part of the last decade, one of my favorite hobbies has been lifting weights along with various forms of calisthenics, yoga, and running. My social media feeds are a mishmash of politics, my pop culture obsessions, and fitness. I have an opinion on Crossfit. My hands are … [Read more...]
Pro-Choice Parents of Kids with Down’s Syndrome
In March of 2013, North Dakota signed into law the illegality of abortion based solely on a prenatal diagnosis of Down's syndrome. As the warring factions of “pro-life” versus “pro-choice” exploded on the internet, I sat holding my four month baby who just happened to have Down syndrome. At the time, I felt conflicted as I think many parents did at the abstractions of these … [Read more...]
Most Popular Posts of 2015: Interlude
Before we arrive at our #1 most popular post in 2015, we would like to review some vital posts that we had the pleasure of publishing. They may not have made the top eleven posts, but we think that they were vital to creating a world of unapologetic radical self-love. Your Child Should Never Be Forced to Hug Anyone (Yes, Including a Relative) – Here Are 7 Reasons … [Read more...]
Explaining Inspiration Porn to Non-Disabled People
Author's note: This piece was inspired by Explaining Rape Culture to Men (Hilariously). It is set up in Q and A format, with a non-disabled person as the questioner and a disabled person as the answerer/explainer. [Image description: I'm a fairly short white girl dressed in maroon graduation robes and a maroon graduation cap. Around my neck are blue and yellow honor … [Read more...]
Five Things Non-Disabled People Forget
As someone who was born with cerebral palsy – and who has acquired several other disability diagnoses over the years – I’m used to throwing a monkey wrench into everyone else’s plans. That isn’t meant to sound self-pitying. It’s just the way it is. Sometimes, even the most well-meaning of my friends will forget that my disabilities actually have an impact on my daily life. On … [Read more...]
This Is Disability Justice
[Image description: The photograph shows black disabled activist and artist Leroy Moore. He has short cropped hair, a mustache and a beard. He is standing bare-chested, with his hands together out in front of him. The text above him reads: “All bodies are unique and essential. All bodies are whole. All bodies have strengths and needs that must be met. We are powerful not … [Read more...]
Superpowers and Suicide: The Spectrum of Disabilities in Popular Culture
Back in the early 2000s, Nickelodeon debuted a show called Pelswick. The series followed a teenage boy named Pelswick Eggert going through the eighth grade and using a wheelchair. Created by irreverent cartoonist (and quadriplegic) John Callahan, the show depicted life from Pelswick’s perspective, with the lens never all the way on or all the way off his disability. The … [Read more...]
Dark Night of the Body: Surviving PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury
Have you ever lived in a mind that wasn’t yours? Not in a science-fiction kind of way, but in a hall-of-mirrors, not-very-funhouse kind of way? In a where’s-the-Google-map-to-my-brain kind of way? In 2004, when I read in The New York Times that writer and performance artist Spalding Gray’s body had been found in the East River, it was clear to me that he had been living … [Read more...]
Sensory Issues: Differences, Disorder, or Disability?
Picture a scenario: One evening, I’m sitting with a group of friends at the table of a busy restaurant. It's clear that I'm somewhat distracted already; the waiter and busboys are perpetually flanking us on all sides, all too quick to snatch our plates away or refill our glasses. At the table next to us, a set of parents tries to corral their toddlers as they scream, drop … [Read more...]
I am Disabled: On Identity-First Versus People-First Language
In the United States, a linguistic movement has taken hold. People-first language is considered by many to be the most respectful and appropriate way to refer to those who were once called disabled, handicapped, or even crippled. Instead of disabled person, we are urged to say person with a disability. Instead of autistic person, we should say person with autism. And so on and … [Read more...]
An Open Letter to All Newly Diagnosed Adults with Sensory Processing Disorder
[Image description: The photograph shows the author, a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes. She is looking into the camera and smiling slightly, with a friendly but serious expression. She is wearing a taupe-colored blouse and a necklace with gold, red, pink, and white.] Dear Friend, I see you at the edge of a swivel chair, frantically taking notes … [Read more...]
Everyday Ableism and How We Can Avoid It
Ableism is “the oppression you’ve never heard of.” While most people can agree that racism, sexism, and homophobia/heterosexism are legitimate social concerns, many people don’t even know that ableism exists. Because discrimination (both subtle and overt) against disabled people is so widely accepted and integrated into our society, many well-meaning people are ableist without … [Read more...]
Why I No Longer Apologize For My Crutches
[Text descriptions for all photos appear at the end of the piece.] Denise Jolly figured it out within the first few frames of our photo shoot: I don’t like to smile. Or, more accurately, I have a fake smile. The one that has haunted me for years. The one that shows my bucked teeth. Those imperfect teeth are a metaphor for my childhood. Every year, my mother would buy … [Read more...]
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