Are You Aware? Five Things You Can Do Right Now to Fight Ableism
This is part V in our Awareness Wednesday series on disability. Read the other posts in the series here.
1. Learn about the history of disability.
In order to understand current experiences of disability, we need some information about how disability has been experienced. Because disability history is not covered in schools, most people have very little (if any) exposure to it, leaving it up to disabled people to do much of the educating on this topic.
Given that disabled people have been around just as long as anybody else, it’s impossible for me to recommend resources that cover all of disability history. But I’ll recommend three resources that I believe provide a reasonable background on the history of disability in the United States.
- Book: “A Disability History of the United States” by Kim E. Nielsen. This book is an incredibly interesting overview of the history of disability in the United States from pre-1492 to the present.
- Film: “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.” This documentary shows the story of how a summer camp for disabled teenagers in the 1970s served as the catalyst for the disability rights movement. (Note: Rated R.)
- Book: “Being Heumann: an Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist” by Judith Heumann. This is the autobiography of one of the most influential disability rights activists in United States history. (Note: This book covers many of the same events that are shown and discussed in “Crip Camp.”)
2. Actively look for and listen to modern disabled perspectives about disability.
One of the common themes you’ll see in the resources I’ve recommended about disability history is that disabled people have historically been spoken for rather than listened to. Just like members of many other groups, disabled people have been historically silenced in favor of voices that are presumed to be experts about their experience. In the case of disability, this continues to mean the experiences of caregivers and family members of disabled people are amplified far more frequently than the experiences of disabled themselves. This is the reason that one of the most prominent mottos of the disability community is, “Nothing about us without us!” Again, there is no way for me to recommend all the best resources about modern perspectives on disability, so I’ve selected three more resources that I think are an excellent starting point for learning about disability today.
- Website: The Autistic Self Advocacy Network Resource Library. ASAN has put together a fantastic library of resources about both autism and disability more broadly. All of their resources have been put together by people with disabilities and are all available free of charge. While many of these resources are specifically designed to help people with disabilities, I recommend the following three articles for everybody: 1) Make Real Change on Gun Violence: Stop Scapegoating People with Mental Health Disabilities, 2) Holding Inclusive Events: A Guide to Accessible Event Planning and 3) Anti-Filicide Toolkit (CW: Contains specific discussions about filicide and other forms of abuse experienced by disabled people.)
- Film: “Unrest.” “Jennifer Brea’s Sundance award-winning documentary, ‘Unrest,’ is a personal journey from patient to advocate to storyteller. Jennifer is twenty-eight years-old, working on her PhD at Harvard, and months away from marrying the love of her life when a mysterious fever leaves her bedridden. When doctors tell her it’s ‘all in her head,’ she picks up her camera as an act of defiance and brings us into a hidden world of millions that medicine abandoned.” (Note: Rated MA.)
- Book: “Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People” by Alice Wong. This anthology features 16 essays by 17 disabled writers, activists, and artists about their experiences with disability.
- Bonus Book: “Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century” Edited by Alice Wong. Alice Wong’s second anthology is available for pre-order and will be released June 30.
3. Understand what inspiration porn is — and avoid it.
Inspiration porn is a concept that many people haven’t even heard of, but it is critical to understand when it comes to navigating discussions about disability. Simply put, inspiration porn is the portrayal of disabled people as inspirational because of their disability. Coined by disability activist Stella Young, this term is used to identify situations where a disabled person is being exploited to make others feel better about their disability.
While the exploitation of people with disabilities has a long history, social media particularly lends itself to this type of manipulation. As Stella Young said in her TEDTalk, “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much”:
I am here to tell you that we have been lied to about disability. Yeah, we’ve been sold the lie that disability is a Bad Thing, capital B, capital T. It’s a bad thing, and to live with a disability makes you exceptional. It’s not a bad thing, and it doesn’t make you exceptional.
And in the past few years, we’ve been able to propagate this lie even further via social media. You may have seen images like this one: “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Or this one: “Your excuse is invalid.” Indeed. Or this one: “Before you quit, try!” These are just a couple of examples, but there are a lot of these images out there. You know, you might have seen the one, the little girl with no hands drawing a picture with a pencil held in her mouth. You might have seen a child running on carbon fiber prosthetic legs. And these images, there are lots of them out there, they are what we call inspiration porn. And I use the term porn deliberately, because they objectify one group of people for the benefit of another group of people. So in this case, we’re objectifying disabled people for the benefit of nondisabled people. The purpose of these images is to inspire you, to motivate you, so that we can look at them and think, “Well, however bad my life is, it could be worse. I could be that person.”
4. Only support disability organizations that are run by disabled people for disabled people.
This one is short but important. Many organizations that claim to be helping people with disabilities instead profit off disabled people without listening to their preferences or needs. Whether well-meaning or malicious in their intent, organizations that don’t include disabled people in their decision-making process and on their staff are generally considered harmful by the disability community. Remember: “Nothing about us without us!”
While I can’t give you a list of which disability organizations you should and should not support, I can share the rule of thumb I use when I make that judgment for myself: If the organization is run by and employs people with disabilities and they do not use inspiration porn or other exploitation of disabled people in their marketing or other materials, they are an organization I would likely support. If any of those conditions are not met, they are doing more harm than good and should not receive my support.
5. Make listening to and raising up the voices of disabled people a part of your everyday life.
Finally, I want to encourage you to incorporate learning about disability into your everyday life. So far I’ve focused on things that I think are some of the best and most important resources available for an introductory education about disability. I stand behind these resources, and I sincerely encourage you to take the time to read/watch/listen to what I’ve shared. But I want to be abundantly clear that what I’ve had the chance to share here is not representative of the ideas and work of disabled people as a whole. There are so many important areas of disability activism and history that I haven’t even had a chance to touch on here because the disability community is incredibly diverse and is full of voices that I want you to hear.
I want to challenge you to actively incorporate listening to and raising up disabled voices into your everyday life by intentionally seeking out and following disabled people on social media. The disability community is full of phenomenal people who are already working hard to share their experiences and knowledge online. To get you started, I’ve included a list of 30 (one for each day in June) disabled folks I recommend that you follow. These people range from full-time disability activists to fashion bloggers and comedians to a Tony Award winner. All of them are disabled.
Before you jump in, I want to acclimate you a bit. The disability community is an incredibly diverse space, with people from all backgrounds and many other identities taking part. This is because disability is an identity that crosses lines with all other identities. There is no group of people or type of person that is disabled, which means that disability as an identity generally exists in an intersectional space.
You’ll likely notice that right now many members of our community are focused on supporting the Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky (among others) at the hands of police officers. The disability community’s support of this is not only because we stand in solidarity with those experiencing oppression, but because the history and future of disability civil rights are intrinsically tied to other civil rights movements.
You will also likely find that some of us are angry about things that you don’t understand or have never heard about. Please remember when you find this overwhelming or confusing, that the disability community is full of people who have been a part of a largely ignored civil rights movement for over 50 years. We’re working hard to make sure our rights are preserved in a world where they aren’t prioritized. Understand that our anger isn’t misplaced, it’s there because this is important and we want you to recognize its importance.
Finally, please remember that if you are an abled person visiting these disabled spaces, your number one priority should be listening. Disabled people have worked tirelessly to build platforms from which we can be heard, and while we want you to hear us, it doesn’t help if you talk over us. Your priority here should always be to make sure that there is “nothing about us without us.”
30 Disabled Folks to Follow in June
1. Alexander Hardy: “Writer/teacher/mental health advocate.”
Twitter: @chrisalexander_
Instagram: @coloredboy
Website: thealexanderhardy.com
2. Ali Stroker: “singer. actress. dancer. wild child. happiness isn’t a destination it’s a way of life.”
Facebook: Ali Stroker
Twitter: @ALISTROKER
Instagram: @alistroker
3. Alice Wong: “Alice Wong is a disability activist, media maker, and consultant. She is the Founder and Director of the Disability Visibility Project® (DVP).”
Twitter: @SFdirewolf
Instagram: @disability_visibility
4. Annie Segarra: “My name is Annie, I am a chronically ill, disabled, queer, Latinx, woman of color.”
Facebook: Annie Segarra
Twitter: @annieelainey
Instagram: @annieelainey
YouTube: Annie Elainey
5. Chelsie Hill: “Community Leader, Trailblazer, Entrepreneur and Founder of the Rollettes Dance Team.”
Facebook: Chelsie Hill
Twitter: @ChelsieHill
Instagram: @chelsiehill
YouTube: Chelsie Hill
6. Dominick Evans: “Director, Consultant, & Writer. Twitch Streamer. Ławniczak. Epic: TheCripCrusader. Diversity in Media. Disabled/HoH. #FilmDis.”
Facebook: Dominick M. Evans
Twitter: @dominickevans
Instagram: @dominickevans
7. Drew Lynch: “Drew Lynch is an objectively funny comedian.”
Facebook: Drew Lynch
Twitter: @TheDrewLynch
Instagram: @thedrewlynch
YouTube: Drew Lynch
8. Emily Ladau: “I live life on wheels & write about it. Leslie Knope = my alter ego. Cohost @AccessibleStall.”
Facebook: Words I Wheel By
Twitter: @emily_ladau
Podcast: The Accessible Stall
Website: wordsiwheelby.com
9. Gem Hubbard: “Disabled vlogger, making disability lifestyle videos, disability hacks and vlogs.”
Facebook: WheelsNoHeels
Twitter: @wheelsnoheels
Instagram: @wheelsnoheels_
YouTube: WheelsNoHeels
10. Haben Girma: “The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities.”
Facebook: Haben Girma
Twitter: @HabenGirma
Instagram: @habengirma
11. Imani Barbarin: “A graduate of Eastern Univerity with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in French from the Sorbonne, Imani Barbarin writes from the perspective of a black woman with Cerebral Palsy.”
Facebook: Crutches and Spice by Imani Barbarin
Twitter: @Imani_Barbarin
Instagram: @crutches_and_spice
Website: crutchesandspice.com
12. James LeBrecht: “Sound Designer/Mixer for docs and indie films. Filmmaker and Disabled Civil Rights activist. Directing the documentary Crip Camp with @NicoleNewnham.”
Twitter: @JimLeBrecht
Instagram: @jimlebrecht
13. Jennifer Brea: “Health activist, filmmaker, Unrest director, #MEAction co-founder, TED Talker.”
Facebook: Jennifer Brea
Twitter: @jenbrea
Instagram: @jen.brea
Website: jenniferbrea.com
14. Jessica Kellgren-Fozard: “Adding vintage fabulousness to a life with disabilities and chronic illnesses, aided by my beautiful wife Claudia and our adorable pups.”
Facebook: Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
Twitter: @JessicaOOTC
Instagram: @jessicaoutofthecloset
Youtube: Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
15. Jessica McCabe: “YouTuber building a toolbox of techniques for tackling ADHD. Learn to work with your brain, not against it.”
Facebook: How to ADHD
Twitter: @HowtoADHD
Instagram: @howtoadhd
YouTube: How to ADHD
16. Josh Sundquist: “Motivational speaker. Author. Comedian. Halloween enthusiast.”
Facebook: Josh Sundquist
Twitter: @JoshSundquist
Instagram: @joshsundquist
YouTube: Josh Sundquist
17. Judith Heumann: “Life Long Disability Rights Activist. Wife. Mentor. Former Senior Fellow @FordFoundation & Special Advisor for International Disability Rights @obamawhitehouse.”
Facebook: The Heumann Perspective with Judith Heumann
Twitter: @judithheumann
Instagram: @theheumannperspective
18. Julia Bascom: “Executive Director, @autselfadvocacy. She/her. Taller than you. Congress has a secret train and it should belong to the people.”
Twitter: @JustStimming
Blog: Just Stimming
19. Lydia X. Z. Brown: “advocate, organizer, strategist, educator, attorney • disability justice, collective liberation, active love • be fierce, kind, tender, unapologetic, and loud”
Facebook: Lydia X. Z. Brown – Autistic Hoya
Twitter: @autistichoya
Website: autistichoya.net
20. Mary & Peter Frey: “We are daily vloggers on Youtube sharing this crazy journey called life with all of you. Laugh with us. Cry with us. See the world with us. Get a glimpse of life with Cystic Fibrosis.”
Facebook: The Frey Life
Twitter: @TheFreyLife
Instagram: @freyliving & @peterfreylife
YouTube: The Frey Life & Peter Frey
21. Maysoon Zayid: “Comedian, Actress, Disability Advocate & Tap Dancer”
Facebook: Maysoon Zayid
Twitter: @maysoonzayid
Instagram: @maysoonzayid
22. Mia Ives-Rublee: “Advocate interested in working with underpriviledged/at-risk populations to help them gain access to community resources.”
Twitter: @SeeMiaRoll
Instagram: @seemiaroll
23. Molly Burke: “YouTuber & Motivational Speaker! I also happen to be super blind.”
Facebook: Molly Burke
Twitter: @MollyBOfficial
Instagram: @mollyburkeofficial
YouTube: Molly Burke
24. Nyle DiMarco: “Deaf Actor • Seen on Switched at Birth, Difficult People, This Close, STATION 19 • Activist for 466m Deaf worldwide”
Facebook: Nyle DiMarco
Twitter: @NyleDiMarco
Instagram: @nyledimarco
YouTube: Nyle DiMarco
25. Rebecca Cokley: “Director for @CAPDisability at @amprog, 2nd gen civil rights activist, WH44, networkweaver, proud mom. YNWA. She/her/hers. BLM. Chief of the LittlePeople Police.”
Twitter: @RebeccaCokley
Medium: Rebecca Cokley
26. René Brooks: “René Brooks has taken a late-life diagnosis and used it to uplift others. She is the founder of Black Girl, Lost Keys, a blog that empowers black women with ADHD and shows them how to live well with the disorder.”
Facebook: Black Girl, Lost Keys.
Twitter: @blkgirllostkeys
Website: blackgirllostkeys.com
27. Rikki Poynter: “Rikki Poynter is a YouTuber, writer, streamer, and public speaker.”
Facebook: Rikki Poynter
Twitter: @rikkipoynter
Instagram: @rikkipoynter
YouTube: Rikki Poynter
28. s.e. smith: “You found me. Writer. Editor. Agitator. Occasionally acerbic.”
Twitter: @sesmith
Instagram: @realsesmith
Website: realsesmith.com
29. Shannon Dingle: “disabled • writer • sex trafficking survivor • widow • M.A.Ed. ~ known for living brave through both trauma and joy ~ Living Brave coming 2021.”
Twitter: @ShannonDingle
Instagram: @shannondingle
Website: shannondingle.com
30. Vilissa Thompson: “#DisabilityTooWhite Creator • Founder of @RampYourVoice! • Disability_Rights#Consultant • Social Worker • #Writer”
Twitter: @VilissaThompson
Instagram: @vilissathompson
Website: rampyourvoice.com
Mandi Eatough is a disabled PhD student at the University of Michigan, where she studies disability politics in the United States with a specific focus on disability as a political identity. For more information about her research, disability history, politics, and disability in academia (as well as occasional tangents about musical theatre), you can follow her on Twitter at @mandieatough.
