Invisible Disabilities
Disability Isn’t a Halloween Costume
Last year, a friend who hadn’t seen me in a few years asked whether my bright, sparkly purple cane was part of my sense of style. I dress whimsically in colorful outfits with a lot of patterns and he’d never …
Picture This: a Disability Community That’s Truly Inclusive of All
Close your eyes and picture a disabled person. At work, one of my jobs is finding images to pair with our weekly newsletter articles. Since we are a non-profit that advocates for people with disabilities, I often find myself combing…
We Need to Break Through the Silence on Abuses of Institutionalized Children
Content note: this post discusses psychiatric hospitalization and sexual abuse. When I was thirteen years old, I was sexually abused by a staff member in a psychiatric hospital. The first time she abused me, she took me into the examination…
It’s Time for LGBQTIA+ Communities to Celebrate Disabled People
LGBQTIA+ spaces are supposed to be environments where we can be our true, authentic selves without stress. Where we can revel in being surrounded by our people, feeling safe and at home; places of queer joy, shared rage and frustration,…
If Your LGBTQIA+ Pride Event Isn’t Accessible to Disabled People, You’re Missing Out.
Like many other disabled people, one of the first questions I ask when I’m making plans is, “Will this be accessible?” And as much as I love going to celebrate at Pride events, the answer is often, “No, or pretty …
I’m Tired of Being Accused of “Faking” My Need for a Service Animal
This blog post was re-published on HuffPost. Recently, while on a date, the subject of service animals came up. My date spoke of a female coworker of theirs who would occasionally bring a service dog to work. They expressed…
My Fight for Independence is a Fight for Disability Rights
For the first two decades of my life, I was never alone. Growing up with vocal cord paralysis, I was always accompanied by either my nurses, my parents, or another adult who was trained to work with kids who wear…
VIDEO: People With Mental Health Disabilities Shut Down Dangerous Ideas About Gun Violence
The assertion that severe mental illnesses cause gun violence, specifically mass shootings, is not helpful and not accurate, but it is harmful. It is a dangerous idea. And we hear it from the media and our leaders all the time.…