Asylum or Ableism? Halloween’s Glamorization of Mental Illness
During the 1960s, people with mental illness were reintegrated into society, following mass deinstitutionalization efforts of the United States government, rendering state-funded mental hospitals outdated. Many of these buildings were repurposed as “haunted houses”, with heart-stopping tours and actors dressed in hospital gowns smeared with blood. Hundreds of people flock to these attractions every fall, […]
Sneakers for Wheelers: A Lack of Representation with Designer Sneakers and Disabled Models
It all started with one pair of shoes. Something as simple as that had a profound symbolic meaning in my life. I’ve worn shoes every day, however I’ve never taken a step in them. The shoes I wear shouldn’t matter because, to be honest, I’m not using them right? However, every part of what we […]
The Real Trick in Trick-or-Treat is the Lack of Access for Disabled People
By: Emeily Flyr The time has come, spooky season! October has finally made it’s long anticipated arrival with all it has to offer. Air is crisp, leaves are changing colors by the minute, pumpkin flavored everything, and finally, the long awaited day, Halloween. Halloween for me has always looked different than the “average” abled-bodied spooky […]
Smile for the Camera: Unraveling Misconceptions Within the Fashion World
We feel normal until someone decides that we must know their version of the truth. It is incredibly hard to gain self-esteem when the world decides that you cannot possibly be comfortable in yourself. In the disabled community, scars are not new, rare, or shocking by any means but that doesn’t stop able bodied people […]
Finding the Beauty Within my Own Flesh and Bones
Like so many in our generation, I have dealt with my fair share of body positivity issues. Frankly, it sucks. But that doesn’t stop anyone from inadvertently aiding and embedding impossible ideals of beauty. Most often my insecurity lies within the scars on my legs. Little lines that I have never seen myself without. […]
My Eating Disorder Isn’t About Being a Certain Size or Shape, Here’s What It’s Really About:
Unbeknownst to the majority, eating disorders aren’t really about food, weight and shape. Here’s what my ED is really about. When I tell someone I have anorexia nervosa their initial response often consists of them reassuring me that I am not fat, that I shouldn’t worry about how I look and that I should just […]
My Scars are Trauma, Not Inspiration
Image illustrated by Staff Artist, Damaris Contreras. CW: medical trauma, graphic descriptions of injury The crack of the plaster fills the tiny doctor’s room, snapping open and ripping apart the cast I have spent the past six weeks picking at. One side, then the other, and my arm breathes for the first time in what […]
5 of the Best Adaptable Clothing Brands You Should Shop In 2020
As a young adult, finding your style is hard enough, and adding a disability to accommodate often makes it even more challenging. There is a limited number of fashionable clothing lines for disabled people, and what is available, is hard to find. Slowly, adaptable clothing companies are appearing, and here are a few we think […]
Divergent: A Poem
Divergent Counting sheep to fall asleep, In dismay, unable to slip away. Thoughts upon gestures of The sheep keep clambering At slumbers bay. The bleating echo’s lay Ephemeral, yet they stay. Dreamless sleep in waking day. The inner voice ‘Not I!’, I pray.
I Am Tired of Carrying These Cups: Social Model Theory of Disability
Let’s start with a hypothetical scenario: You live in a world where for one reason or another you can only drink from red cups. Maybe this rule is from birth or maybe you have acquired it recently, but it is now permanent. Now in your house, this isn’t too bad, you just buy red cups. […]