It is a truth universally acknowledged that a nondisabled person in the company of a disabled stranger wants to know "What is wrong with you?" This tweet was shared in response to someone who had just explained not only that they did not want to answer people's random questions about their disability but also that … Continue reading Okay, So I Educated 1 Nondisabled Person, Only 6 Billion to go.
I think one of the clearest examples that I experience regularly that disability is not an accepted experience is that I can't casually reference the experience of being disabled without being met with either pity or inappropriate questions. Sometimes it is both. For me disability is a huge part of how I experience the world. … Continue reading Mentioning Disability is not an Invitation for Commentary or an Inquisition
First off lets define what I mean by passive oppression. I am referring to those instances of bigotry that people unaffected by the oppression don't see as problematic. These actions are usually brushed off with a "oh I didn't mean it that way" or "It was Just a joke, lighten up". The thing that makes … Continue reading Please Stop Simultaneously Bringing Attention to and Minimizing Examples of Passive Oppression
Outlander is returning to the Starz Network today. It is a popular series based on the novels of Diana Gabaldon. I admit I like the show. I read the books first so of course I cringe where the show deviates from the original. The show is well made and truly entertaining. It has also been … Continue reading While Outlander is a Real Winner for Women it Totally Fails Disabled People
As I have written about before, language usage is important when considering how disabled people are viewed and portrayed in society. While I personally prefer to not use person first language, there is one situation where the person should always come first. This is when an actual diagnosis is being discussed. I will demonstrate: Person … Continue reading Hey People: Diagnoses are Nouns not Adjectives
In the last couple of decades the language surrounding disability has become very fluid, less specific and just generally vague because "disability" is seen as a dirty word whose associations have negative affects on the people to whom it's applied. In a move that fools exactly no one supposedly positive euphemisms have been introduced to … Continue reading Proof that “Positive” Euphemisms for Disability Just Don’t Work
I have hemiplegic cerebral palsy and am on the autism spectrum. I wasn't diagnosed with the latter until I was eighteen and had already graduated high school. In some ways the total lack of knowledge my parents had about cerebral palsy contributed to this lack of diagnosis. My extreme sensitivity to touch and textures was … Continue reading When Your Disability isn’t Considered in Grade School
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