For the third post in my SMA Awareness Month series (see the first here, and the second here), I wanted to share some other SMA advocates for you to follow! Obviously, there are (many) others, but these are a few people that I follow and learn from.

Honestly, one of the best parts about social media, for me, has been connecting me to the SMA community. I was lucky that I always had my sister to talk with and share experiences (and you can follow her here), but it has been SO incredible to connect with other people with SMA, too. To talk about shared experiences, to commiserate, and also to learn clever tricks to navigate a world that’s not always very accessible.

Here are some of my favorite SMA follows…

Image via Instagram

Shane Burcaw and Hannah Aylward (Squirmy and Grubs)
It’s possible that you already know about Shane and Hannah from their YouTube channel Squirmy & Grubs, but if you don’t follow them yet, you absolutely should. They share openly about their lives – about the relationship, about Shane’s SMA, and about their adorable dog Chloe. I love how real they are, but how fun they are, too!

Image via Instagram

Alice Wong
Alice is such an incredible advocate for all things disability, and she is so purposefully intersectional in her work. She has edited two books (Resistance and Hope and Disability Visibility), is a podcast host, and was recently recognized as an activist by British Vogue! Her website is here if you want to learn more about all of the incredible things she has done. She’s someone I definitely look up to and strive to emulate in my advocacy work.

Image via Instagram

Alyssa Silva
Alyssa and I share a love of coffee, so we quickly became friends on social media. She shares so beautifully about what her life is like with SMA, and has run a non-profit that raises money for SMA research for years and years (Working on Walking). They actually have a virtual trivia event coming up on Monday evening that I’m super excited for – join us here!