When I started blogging (in 2017!), I did so because I wanted to be able to talk about my disability along with all the other things that make up my life, and be able to talk about how they intersect. So for my last Disability Pride Month-specific post, it's only fitting that I talk about one of my favorite intersections - disability and beauty. I'm sharing five beauty products that I love because they are especially accessible for me!
When I shared one of my posts about Disability Pride Month earlier, a friend asked for suggestions of places she could donate to. And I realized that while I've shared about ways you can be a better ally and advocate before, I've never shared directly about places that could use your financial support. But honestly, donating is one of the best ways you can help support disability justice - especially right now, when so many funding sources are being decimated. This is far from an exhaustive list, but it's a variety of local and national, specific and broad places that could use your support.
I spent the end of last week in Cedar Point, an amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. My dad spent a summer when he was in college working there are really loved it, so in my childhood we used to go back every summer. We took a break for about 10 years, but have started going back every year again since 2021. I always enjoy my time there, but I think a really valid question is "what do you do there?" Because for the most part, I don't ride the rides anymore! But here is what I can do at an amusement park.
One of my favorite things about sharing my disability experiences here and on Instagram is when people comment and let me know that I've made them think about or notice something new. Sometimes advocating can be exhausting - it takes a lot of work for a little bit of progress - so the reminder that people are recognizing the inaccessibility of the world gives me hope for change. So I thought that today, I'd share some of the most common accessibility things I look for and notice when I'm out! And maybe you'll start looking for and noticing them, too, and little by little, ramp by ramp, change will happen.
This week, I wanted to share some recommendations for good disability representation on screen. When I say good representation, I mean that the stories told aren't cliche stories of disabled people as burdens, or as someone to be pitied, AND that the actors playing these characters are disabled themselves. This list isn't exhaustive, but the full version of that list wouldn't be that long, either. We still have a looong way to go until disabled people really feel represented on screen.
I talk a lot about accessibility out in the community, and it society - inaccessibility in the places I go the most, and the things I like to spend my time doing. But I've realized I've shared very little about accessibility in medical situations. I think that because people think of disability as a medical issue (rather than a societal one), they assume that healthcare must be accessible. I'm here to tell you that mostly... it's not.
I think I've share a little bit about my care needs before, but I don't think I've ever written a full post about it exclusively. It's on the top of my mind right now because my PCA (personal care attendant) was out on vacation last week, so my life was a little more chaotic than usual. I typically use the term PCA when I'm referring to someone who is paid to help me with my needs. Some people might use the word caregiver, some people might use the word aide - there are lots of different terms that get used, but they all mean roughly the same thing. Just wanted to get the language out of the way upfront! Personally, I have a mix of PCAs (well, right now, I have one PCA - more on that in a bit) and unpaid caregivers… aka my parents.
I'm so excited to write this post! It's something that I've wanted to write for a while, but honestly never quite got around to it - and then I realized that Disability Pride Month was the perfect time. Today I'm sharing books with disabled or chronically ill characters, or written by disabled or chronically ill authors (or both!). It's hard to put into words how important it is for disabled people to be represented in books - to feel seen in the things you're reading. And for non-disabled people, reading about disabled characters, or reading about disability, can help broaden your understanding. It's so important and honestly, something that's still really lacking.
This has been a highly requested post! I get it - knowing the best way to talk to kids about disability is tough. I know that I don't have kids, but I've had so many interactions out in public with kids and their parents - some good, some not so great. So I'm going to share a few tips and the best things you can do to talk with kids about disabilities without making it awkward for anyone.
Traveling with a disability, for me, is pretty complicated. This is not going to be an exhaustive post - there is just so much that goes into traveling that there's no way I can fit it all into one post. But I'm going to cover some of the basics, and add in details where I can. My hope is that for other disabled people, you either learn some tips and tricks or feel seen, and for non-disabled people, that you realize how inaccessible so much of travel can be, and give disabled travelers a little grace.
