Caregiving

We Cannot Ignore the Connection Between Disability and Intimate Partner Abuse

This blog post is part of a series in partnership with the Disability Visibility Project® to bring attention to the omission of disability from larger conversations taking place within the #MeToo Movement. Trigger warning: this post discusses abuse, violence, and…

How My Cancer Diagnosis Has Led Me to Redefine Disability

After decades of looking at Multiple Sclerosis as a disability rather than a disease, my experiences are forcing me to reexamine my perspective on illness and to redefine disability. I, like many people with disabilities of my generation, rejected the…

VIDEO: The Threatened Legacy of Independent Living with Alex Ghenis

At Berkeley, there is a fight to save the Disabled Students Residence Program (DSRP) that was founded by Ed Roberts.  Berkeley is viewed as the home of the modern Independent Living movement, but students are protesting to retain the programs…

Dear United, What If David Dao Had Been Disabled?

Dear United, Earlier this month, David Dao was dragged off a flight from Chicago to Louisville. He suffered a concussion, a broken nose, sinus damage, and several lost teeth. While I’m empathetic toward Dao and his family, this is not …

Disability Day of Mourning: We Are Not Burdens

Trigger warning: this post discusses violence against and murder of disabled people. His name was Marcus Fiesel. He was a smiling three-year-old boy who loved bubbles, flowers, and Bob the Builder.  Like all children, he deserved to be protected from…

Acceptance and Accommodations: Bridges to Workplace Inclusion

“You don’t look disabled,” a well-meaning colleague said. How do you respond to that? Say “thank you,” as if somehow you hit the jackpot that your disability was not immediately apparent? I opted not to extend false gratitude. Smiling, I…