A group of people sitting around a table having a meeting, including a white female-presenting wheelchair user.

To Meet Disability Employment Goals, Disabled People Must First Have Access to Care

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so let’s talk numbers: In 2020, 17.9% of people with disabilities were employed in contrast to the employment rate of 61.8% for people without disabilities. Although there have been shifts in employment…
A big blue sign that says "Iowa Democratic Party"

We Need to Fix Inaccessibility at Caucusing and Campaign Events

One of the things I miss most about living permanently in Iowa is the constant flurry of activity around the political process. Iowa is the first state to nominate a candidate during primary elections, regardless of party, meaning presidential candidates…
A profile of a person in a surrealist, rainbow-colored painting

Embracing My Queer, Disabled Identity

I realized I am not straight my junior year of college. I had a massive crush on my friend, a girl. I still liked guys, though, so I figured I was bisexual, or pansexual, or whatever you want to use…
Photo of Stephen Hawking looking directly at camera. He is in a jacket and scarf and his assistive communication device is in front of him.

Hear Me Out: Being Inspired By Disabled People Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

When I was a student at the University of Iowa, a friend of a friend did her final project for a journalism class about the unique friendship between myself and a helper. I was happy with how this story turned…
Two silhouettes of heads connected back to back. Each has a speech bubble coming out.

I Needed My Caregiver to Keep Me Alive. She Exploited That Power.

Content note: this post discusses the concept of caregiver abuse. I have a fear of becoming a statistic. I made it through four years of college without being 1 in 3 disabled women sexually assaulted on college campuses, a number…