I’m back! I took a bit of a longer absence than I thought I would, but I’ve had a lot going on and just not enough hours in the day. I’ll be posting more about what I’ve been up to in future posts, but today is an exciting day that I didn’t want to let pass by.

Image by Micah Bazant

I’ve talked a lot about social media, and how it’s been incredibly helpful to connecting me to other disability advocates – both locally, and across the US. And one of those advocates is Alice Wong. Alice actually has SMA, also, and I’ve loved following along with her on social media. She is incredibly in tune with everything going on in the world right now, and even had an op-ed published earlier this year in The New York Times.

Today is noteworthy because the book of essays the Alice edited, Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People is being released, and you can buy it here from Amazon. Since it’s a collection of essays, it’s not a long or difficult read, but it is a really interesting one. There’s a great variety of people and topics, sharing a vast array of experiences and opinions.

I was lucky enough to be able to read an advance copy. One of my favorite essays in the collection, by Mari Kurisato, focuses on resisting while staying hopeful, and how to do both at the same time. It’s something that’s so important, but not often considered – how do you keep working towards something without burning out? What keeps pushing you forward?

It’s so easy today to get stuck in our bubbles – we read things that reinforce our beliefs, we associate with people who are like us and share our values. But this collection is a really valuable look at the lives of people whose voices have historically not been heard. And I think now, more than ever, it’s important to share those voices widely and loudly.