How Even Good-Hearted Allyship Can Be Harmful to Your Disabled Friends
The stigma surrounding disability and chronic illness is so deeply rooted in society that it can thrive while still perfectly concealed by its normalization. It is so concealed that when a disabled person dares to bring it up or call it out, they are quickly dismissed and silenced by how certain ableds are that ableism […]
What It’s Like For Me To Fly As a Disabled Person
Illustration created by artist Damaris Contreras. The first day of spring break: I post a picture on my Instagram story out the window of my airplane seat, sharing my VSCO filtered clouds with a sparkle emoji. This picture’s been taken a thousand times before, and in a way, I am simply doing my duty as […]
Disabled People Are Not Your Scholarship Opportunities
A good story always starts with an introduction and a setting: In my senior year of high school, I became an activist for disabled rights. Senior year was a breakthrough for me because I had finally accepted who I was instead of pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Despite finally being proud of myself, I […]
Why Other Pride Events Should Learn From Long Beach Pride
Writer Isaiah Piche pictured on the left, with friends Jamie (center) and Kristie Norton (far right). I kept a keen eye on my weather app. I set the location for Long Beach and tracked the clouds for about a week. I was looking specifically at May 20, 2019 – It landed on a Sunday […]
What Does it Mean To ‘Come Out’ As Gay and Disabled?
I hid from my first date for a good hour before agreeing to finally meet with him. I met Rory on MySpace, back when I first started talking to boys online. My profile mentioned nothing about Cerebral Palsy; let alone I use a power wheelchair when I know long distance travel is involved – but […]
Is Social Media Really Activism? Yes it is, and Here’s Why That Thought is a Little Ableist
I spend a lot of time on my phone. This is common in my generation, much to the dismay of our parents and various older relatives who, “back in their day,” spent time outside and actually socialized with people. I understand the disconnect, and realize that it can seem as though scrolling through Twitter or […]
No, NPR, More Pain Is Not The Answer For Teens With Chronic Pain
Far too often, I and many other people with chronic pain have heard that we just need to “push through” the pain and keep going. This is especially prevalent among teenage girls. Our current society holds an image of teenage girls in its mind; lazy, dramatic, and emotional, which makes it harder for us to […]
Microsoft Releases Adaptive Controller for Xbox, Takes “Control” of Disability Market
The Super Bowl provides companies with an opportunity to have their voices heard and their products seen by millions of people in one night. Microsoft took full advantage of this visibility by releasing a commercial for their newest product – the Xbox Adaptive Controller. ID: The Xbox Adaptive Controller. A sleek rectangular controller, white with […]
Thank U, Next, & Mental Illness: How Ariana Grande’s Newest Album Is Relatable to Me and My Mental Health Journey
On February 8th, 2019, pop singer Ariana Grande released her fifth studio album, “Thank U, Next” with 12 songs, including three singles (“thank u, next”, “Imagine”, and “7 Rings”). It’s fair to say this is a memorable one, with each individual song already within Apple Music’s Top 20 charts. As I listened, I noticed the […]
This Week in Disability Representation: Examining Reality TV and Modern Drama
In “This Week in Disability Representation”, writer Brianna Schunk provides a space to examine the small examples of disability representation that pop up in daily life. This includes books, plays, TV shows, movies, and other forms of media. In this week’s edition of “This Week in Representation,” the writer will be examining the play Clybourne […]