Me, Autism, and the Efforts to Cure Us
I lived for 15 years without having a clue about my autism. It was only after a series of life-threatening mental health crises- and my parents writing down pages upon pages of possible autism symptoms of mine—that anyone was willing to screen me for it. Even after all signs pointed towards autism, I still had […]
James Ian Creates the First-Ever Song for the Disability Community
Image description: A man’s silhouette is seen on a stage, with only his figure seen due to a bright white light shining on him. The man seems to be holding a guitar, and beside him are words that say, ‘James Ian’, ‘Spaces’. “I just started thinking about the spaces people with disabilities take up even […]
Exclusive: Behind the Scenes With Paralympians! Part 2
As a continuation of the two-part series of behind the scenes at the Paralympics, this article focuses on the medals that the athlete’s won, as well as their impressions of the Games after having competed. The four athletes previously interviewed, Sabrina Duchesne, Mikaela Jenkins, Ahalya Lettenberger, and Tully Kearney continued their stories in this section. […]
being seen book review
[Image Description: The cover title for Elsa Sjunneson’s memoir “Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism” written in all capitalized white and grey letters. The cover has a black background with the “I” in “Being” shining a light and illuminating the right side of the cover.] Set to be released on October […]
Waiting For My Disney Princess
[Image Description: Author Jillian Curwin is wearing a stunning yellow dress and holding a red rose. She is dressed up as Belle and looking straight at the viewer. They are holding the skirt of their dress in their right hand with a stoic expression.] Ask most little girls what she wants to be when […]
Exclusive: Behind the Scenes With Paralympians! Part 1
Image Description: A paralympic pool with lanes. One lane divider is blue with orange ends and another is yellow with orange ends. There is a yellow diving board in the foreground of the image with the number 6 on it and handles. Watching the Paralympics on television only gave you a glimpse into […]
I’m Not Ready to Take Off My Mask, And Why You Shouldn’t Be Either
Disabled, immunocompromised and those at high-risk for complications from COVID-19 have felt an unshakeable weight over the past 18 months. Watching our government fail, loudly and repeatedly concluding that we weren’t worth protecting has been a heartbreaking awakening. Society’s ableism has never been more clear to me than seeing it be explicitly debated whether people […]
Ready to Rage – Disabled People Don’t Owe You Strength
For about the past 10 to 20 years, we’ve seen an uptick in the “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” mentality. The idea of building a “thick skin” is desired, and even required in a lot of careers, schools, and even environments that are supposed to be deemed as “safe”. The problem this can […]
Don’t Pray for Me: Disabilities and the Christian Church
I will always remember the first time someone prayed for my disability to go away. It was like a slap in the face. After all, I’d made myself vulnerable by telling a complete stranger something so personal to me, only for them to tell me to just try harder. At the time I hadn’t received […]
Invisible Pain, Invisible Walls: Chronic Illness and Isolation
It’s an early summer evening, and it’s warm out. We’re waiting to be seated, and someone says, “Let’s sit out here. It’s beautiful this evening.” My friend turns to me. “Will that be ok?” I can feel everyone’s eyes on me as I quickly scan my options. Outside, there are long, high tables with backless […]