disABILITYaware

"To be in a disabled body is to navigate complex feelings about the way it interacts with the world; still, to nurture the spirit within is an act of tender care that means everything to both the spirit and its vessel." - Esmé Weijun Wang

I wanna see feisty disabled people change the world. - Judy Heumann

“Feminism must address the systemic inequalities and injustices that disabled women and gender-diverse folks face, so we have the same rights, opportunities, access and protections that feminism offers those who are non-disabled. It’s crucial that we’re not leaving anybody behind—and unfortunately, the reality is that we currently are and historically have.” - Jenna Barnable, a disability inclusion advocate and educator, on the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Alright, Now What? podcast

Let's take the example of body terrorism in the form of ableism. One structural manifestation of ableism is access. If you rented a space for an event and never considered whether that space had ramps, elevators, or disability restrooms, you would individually be upholding the system of ableism by not ensuring that a person with a disability could access your event. No, you didn't build the inaccessible building, but you did rent it, never considering its accessibility for all bodies, thus furthering the erasure of people with physical disabilities and their needs. The architects, investors, and builders who failed to include accessible accommodations for the building project participated in upholding the structural system of ableism by creating a barrier to access for people with disabilities in public life. Each of us is responsible for a sphere of influence. We are lawyers, salesclerks, teachers, loan officers, physicians, customer service representatives, counselors, judges, law enforcement agents - an inexhaustible list of humans whose jobs impact the lives of other humans every single day. As a human in a body sharing this planet with other humans in bodies, I have a responsibility to interrupt body terrorism, as do you. - "The Body is not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love" by Sonya Renee Taylor