Visible Disabilities

Chronically Ignored: How Western Medical Practices Harm Chronically Ill People
At 7:47 pm, I had so many wires attached to me. Though I craved my typical end of the day shower, I had to find another way to self-soothe. I did some yoga, avoiding the Superman and cobra poses; they …
Giraffes Say, “Habitats for All!”
Lyla introduces her friend Dave the Giraffe from Woodland Park Zoo, and shares how people and animals of all abilities and disabilities need different types of habitats.
Hawks Say, “Help for All!”
Julian introduces his friend Gunnar the Hawk from Woodland Park Zoo, and shares how people and animals of different abilities and disabilities can do all kinds of things when we get the help we need.
What I Wish People Knew About Being a Young Cane User
Although Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the genetic connective tissue disorder I have, is lifelong, my symptoms have varied throughout my life. I started using a cane in August or September 2016 to help with balance, stability, stamina, and chronic pain. I don’t …
Slowing Down and Embracing Surgical Recovery is Still Living
I am working through one of those once a half-decade-or-so massive health shifts that folks with any chronic condition may find familiar: a rapid shift in function, surgery to implant more metal bits in me that set off alarms whenever…
Using Rideshare Services Isn’t Easy When You Have a Service Animal. That Needs to Change.
“Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, ‘I don’t believe in The …
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 …
Why Archer’s Challenge Misrepresents the Experience of Wheelchair Users
“As you saw, it’s a lot of coordination involved between moving the chair, pointing to maps and of course using the weather clicker,” Chikage Windler, chief meteorologist at CBS Austin, explains about her experience of using a wheelchair on the …