Exclusive: Behind the Scenes With Paralympians! Part 2

A picture of pink cherry blossoms in the foreground with a white spire tower in the background against a clear blue sky. This is in Sumida City, Japan

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

The cover title for Elsa Sjunneson's memoir "Being Seen: One Deafbliund Woman's Fight to End Ableism" written in all capitalized white and grey letters. The cover has a black background with "I" in shining a light and illuminating the right side of the cover.

[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

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.

[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

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.

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

Young people using masks

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

A fair-skinned woiman with brown hair with mascara and eye liner. Her face is glistening and her make up is running slightly. She has a pearl earring in her left ear. She is looking up.

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

Woman in a black dress has a her hands pressed together in prayer

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

Person sits with their back to a chair beside a brick wall

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 […]

The Ultimate Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Guide

Two disabled cyclists racing each other on the street. They are using handbicycles.

Embed from Getty Images   Now that the hype of the Olympics has passed and the chatter has toned down, it isn’t yet time to forget about international sports. The Paralympics are right around the corner and they run from August 24 to September 5. If you’re not sure where to begin and want more […]