Outdoors, day. A red and white bus in motion in traffic. The buildings and other vehicles around it are a blur.

Going Our Own Way: Public Transit Accessibility for Neurodivergent People

One day, while I was crossing the road, a driver blocked the crosswalk with his car. He laughed at me and mocked my body movements as I was forced into traffic. He was breaking state law on camera, but I…
A red, spiral notebook and white pen against a light blue background. A white, torn off post-it note is taped to the notebook. It reads: "It's okay to not be okay."

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay – Until It’s Not

CONTENT NOTE: mental health disabilities, brief mention of suicide and suicidal ideation       Even before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, the United States was facing a growing mental health emergency. This rapidly-growing crisis has led to mental health becoming
Outdoors, blue sky day. A person dressed in gray denim jeans stands in front of the U.S. Capitol building, holding up a sign that covers their face. It reads: "Disability matters."

Raising the Bar: Engaging Disabled People in Politics

Stacey Abrams did not become governor of Georgia. Our incredible team worked tirelessly for a year to reach Georgians in every corner of our state, building a powerful coalition of voters. We ultimately came up short, but our team made
A comfortable-looking black office chair pulled up to a white desk with a black phone, black desktop keyboard, and a pair of glasses on it. A note attached to the chair has black text on white background that reads "out of office."

Navigating The Workforce as a Chronically Ill Person

CONTENT NOTE: brief mention of medicalized diet culture, brief mention of menstruation, ableist workplace discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   I was diagnosed with hypertensive heart disease the year
Close up of a ripe, juicy mango that is peeled and sliced to the seed but still attached.

Slippery Mango, Tart Tangerine: Compassion for Gastrointestinal Disabilities

CONTENT NOTE: brief mention of unintentional weight loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   You are at a holiday party and the crowd is tossing back eggnog…
Indoors. A plastic Starbucks container of iced green tea and a dented, silver reusable Klean Kanteen brand water bottle sit on a dark wood grain table. To the left of them, two brown Starbucks napkins are soaked with liquid and ice. Other customers in the background.

The “Imperative of Efficiency” and The Importance of Interdependence

“The experience of illness is one of dependency, and the social mores of our day regard dependency as weakness.” — New York Times review of Megan O’Rourke’s The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness   The Starbucks iced green tea and
Artwork. A gold plaque has the following written on it in black text: "This institution has failed to provide disabled individuals with an accessible evacuation plan. In the case of an emergency, this is where my people will die. Please remember us. Please remember me."

In the Stairwell, We Will Die

During my sophomore year of college, I wrote my will. That year was filled with trauma. I’d noticed a constant ache in my lower back that soon trickled down my legs and into my feet. They started to look like
Daytime, an aerial view of Islamabad, Pakistan. It's mostly green tree tops with buildings and roads. Large mountains in the background.

The Many Challenges of Working Disabled Women in Pakistan

In Pakistan, disability has been overlooked and ignored in all aspects of life, including administrative, financial, and legal spheres. As a result, people with disabilities are the most disadvantaged since we are unseen, unheard, and miscounted in the country.  …
A blue, orange and red graphic with solid black text and illustrations. The text in the blue portion reads: "ADA Americans with Disabilities Act." Below that, in the orange and red sections, are solid black illustrations that are meant to symbolize or represent various types of disabilities. Listed in order: signing hands, two arrows pointing to an ear with a device in it, a pair of black glasses, an eye with a line crossed through it, representation of braille text with the word underneath, the traditional wheelchair user symbol, an amputee using a cane, a service dog, a person with a white cane, and a person's head with the brain visible.

Busting Barriers: ADHD and ADA Accommodations at Work

When I speak to other ADHDers who were diagnosed as adults, they share a common refrain: “Why didn’t anybody tell me sooner?” No, it’s not supposed to be hard to sustain friendships or clean the house. In fact, there are…