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 […]
Words Are Power: Poems About Youth & Disability
Truths In judgment, dare you call me incomplete? In spite, do you dare call me useless? In ignorance, do you dare call me deceitful? In hatred, do you dare call me unlovable? For, dearest stranger, the contrary is so: In love, I dare believe I am beautiful In awareness, I dare believe […]
Inaccessibility at Movie Theaters, Community Activism, and More with Ace Ratcliff
Image Description: An illustration of an empty movie theatre. The screen is projecting the symbol for Closed Captioning. People with disabilities are constantly facing accessibility issues. Whether that’s building access with wheelchair ramps, hearing accessibility and captions, audio translation for those with sight loss, these options are difficult to find. Ace Ratcliff, a writer and […]
The World on Wheels: Traveling with a Disability
Image Description: A photo of a subway train, and blurry subjects moving towards and from the subway. So I’m off to America for three weeks – starting in New York, then working my way down to New Orleans via Washington, Memphis, and Jackson. I’ll be honest with you, I’m a real food lover and impulse-booked […]
6 Ways Colleges Could Accommodate People With Chronic Illness Better
This article was originally published on The Mighty. After having to take time off to get a diagnosis for and to treat a chronic illness, part of me feels scared to back to university, especially because I am transferring to a new school where I know nobody. Frankly, I am someone who is naturally an anxious […]
James Charles’ Tasteless Tweet Exposes Mainstream Ableist Microaggressions
Image Description: James Charles’ face centered in the photo, and he’s seen staring into the camera with a face full of makeup. Recently last week, popular media influencer and makeup artist James Charles showed a side of himself that is less than ideal to the disabled community. Charles made a tweet commenting on the inconvenience […]
Gaten Materazzo, CCD Smiles Launches First Convention for People with Cleidocranial Dysplasia
Image description: A photo of four people with cleidocranial dysplasia wearing matching blue convention t-shirts. From left to right: Dr. Kelly Wosnik, Brayson Deano, Actor Gaten Materazzo, Actor/Comedian Emmett Furrow. Sometimes, I like to say that I’m one in a million. This is due to the fact that I have cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). CCD is […]
My First Partner Left Me Because of My Disability
This is about how abled people can be flakes, and my ex-boyfriend is a jerk, yes, but also how my reality is considered a worst-case scenario for some people. It’s a terrifying what-if, a possibility so terrible and with such frightening ramifications that my ex partner had to run to save himself. The surprising thing: […]
How Pride Events Still Exclude Me and My Disabled Peers
Rainbow flags swirled all over West Hollywood as festival goers poured into the already crowded sidewalks. Gay people shouted “Happy Pride,” high-fiving and hugging and validating one another. The final day of Los Angeles Pride 2010 festival crescendoed with Kelly Rowland performing her final song and smash single, “When Love Takes Over.” The air was […]
What Non-Autistics Don’t Understand About Autism
I hung out with two autistic children today (Jane, 5 and Harry, 7) and realized a few things. I spent an hour or so playing Minecraft with Harry and talking with Jane about how excited she is to be having a baby sister come this weekend. I told their mom (my godmother) that I simply […]