My Excuse is Not Invalid, My Experiences as a Disabled Person in Athletics

I recently wrote a general post about the insidious undertones of inspiration porn. In it I explain why even using noteworthy accomplishments by disabled people as easy inspiration is problematic. I talk about how difficult and expensive it can be for disabled people to even participate in athletic endeavours. To give some further context, I … Continue reading My Excuse is Not Invalid, My Experiences as a Disabled Person in Athletics

Inspiration Porn is Not Progress, It’s a New Kind of Oppression

We've all seen the images. Those pictures of disabled people succeeding. They tend to fall into two general categories. Disabled people particularly children doing everyday activities. This is often accompanied by quotes like "the only disability in life is a bad attitude" The other uses images of disabled people doing something noteworthy like reaching a … Continue reading Inspiration Porn is Not Progress, It’s a New Kind of Oppression

Don’t Use Being Nice to Disabled People to Redirect Attention Away From Police Violence

Did you know that all the backlash against police misconduct that is currently happening in the United States is actually just people needlessly abusing poor kind police officers? You didn't? You probably think it has something to do with the spate of unnecessary deaths of black people at the hands of  police. Police officers who … Continue reading Don’t Use Being Nice to Disabled People to Redirect Attention Away From Police Violence

Can We Please Stop Calling Able-Bodied People TABs

Physical access for people with disabilities is crucially important for an inclusive society. We currently fall far short of being fully accessible. This is true pretty much everywhere, though some places are worse than others. It can be difficult to get people who do not face barriers to public access to take those barriers seriously … Continue reading Can We Please Stop Calling Able-Bodied People TABs

Hey DC Comics and The Flash, Diversity Covers Disability Too!

The following post contains spoilers for the CW show The Flash Television shows based on DC Comics generally do pretty well in representing women and people of colour. In fact cast members and the creative team of The Flash recently patted themselves on the back for this. But the Flash has a problem with disability … Continue reading Hey DC Comics and The Flash, Diversity Covers Disability Too!

When is Language Ableist or Offensive

Comedian and disability rights activist Maysoon Zayid was recently featured in a Think Big video where she advocates for disabled people being given opportunities to be cast in film and television roles where the character is disabled. Currently the most common casting decision is to give those roles to nondisabled actors. The video is well … Continue reading When is Language Ableist or Offensive