Always Disabled: Navigating Grief over a Lost Childhood
“I feel like I’ve lost my childhood to my disability.” I’ve read this haunting sentence multiple times on social media. I’ve also heard it from the mouths of disabled people in real life. So many of us relate to the feeling of never having experienced a normal childhood. Some have spent the majority of their formative […]
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 […]
The Bruises on Your Legs Shouldn’t Matter: How Disability and Body Image Intertwine
You know that trend going around on TikTok with Folding Chair by Regina Spektor as the background music? “I’ve got a perfect body, but sometimes I forget,” has been ringing in my ears for the past two weeks. I love the song. Regina has been one of my go-to artists since Freshman year of high […]
Do We Look Tragic to You?: Media Influences and Systemic Ableism
[Image Description: A group of disabled queer Black folks talk and laugh at a sleepover, relaxing across two large beds. Everyone is dressed in colorful t-shirts and wearing a variety of sleep scarves, bonnets, and durags. On the left, two friends sit on one bed and paint each other’s nails. On the right, four people […]
Sia’s New Film Is Anything But a ‘Loveletter’ to the Disability Community
Back in November, we covered the trailer of Sia’s upcoming movie, Music, following its explosive controversy. Then, the artist’s main response to criticism was telling audiences, “you can’t criticize me until you watch the movie.” So we watched it. Two weeks earlier, however, the Golden Globes announced that they nominated the film for two awards. […]
What Does Joe Biden’s Win Mean For Young Disabled People?
It was August 19th of 2020— in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and election year. The constant crackling of the television in the living room with news of COVID echoed throughout my head. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone to open Twitter. As normal, an influx of politics stole […]
Accessible Adventures in TTRPGs with Sara Thompson
Movies. TV shows. Holiday commercials, even. For the first time in history, the integration of disabled bodies in popular culture is more pronounced than ever. And what better place to add in disabled representation than in fantasy TTRPGs, where anything can happen? This is what designer Sara Thompson (she/they) sought to do with their design of […]
Thoughts on Biden’s Stutter From a Stutterer
Watching a presidential candidate open up about stuttering has made me think of my own speech dysfluency and how I feel about it. Even though I am a disability advocate, I seldom discuss my stutter. My stutter doesn’t feel like other aspects of my disability. Stuttering and communication disorders feel taboo even in disability spaces. […]
The Cripped-Up Horror of Halloween Movies
What do Split, Phantom of the Opera, A Quiet Place, and Bird Box have in common? All four movies utilize disability as a means to create thrill and horror. But do they all do disability justice? CW: This article contains descriptions of murder, gore, trauma, and suicide within dramatic film. Split (2016) is a horror movie featuring a villain […]
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, […]