[CHRONIC]LES

Coming Out (x2): Being Bisexual and Invisibly Ill

This past October, I had the opportunity to lead a workshop at The Reformation Project‘s annual conference titled Access Denied: The Erasure of LGBTQ, Disabled People in Christian Spaces. Preparing for this workshop, I learned that my own experiences as a bisexual, disabled women were so far from rare. I could have guessed this would be my finding, but the sheer number of raw, painful blog posts,…

Writing from Within a Flare

Writing from within a flare. Originally, I intended to title this post using the word “during.” That phrasing didn’t sit well with me and it was a challenge to parse out why. I realized that “during” didn’t fully capture the depth of what I mean. A flare isn’t something to solely be experienced. It engulfs you, causes both your mind and body to feel trapped. These past two days have been a blur…

Celebrating “We” Today

When my physician told me 2 years ago that I was going to start a new medication, I felt excited at the prospect of reduced pain. Then he followed up with “there is a strong chance that this medication will make you feel suicidal.” My heart sank– I was finally in a good place with my mental health. I was learning to value myself in the midst of my illness. I didn’t want to sink back into a dark…

Response to the New York Times

Over the past week or so, I have repeatedly encountered an article published by the New York Times called “Who is Able-Bodied, Anyway?”  In one of my courses, a professor praised this article’s analysis of Medicaid. I knew the article well– having had it sent to me several times and having read it again each time. While I agree with the overall point being made in this article, this article falls…

“Oh, I understand,” she said as she sensed our growing frustration. She claimed to understand, because she had once been a part of a legal clinic that dealt with the ADA. She understood what legally had to be provided for disabled people. On December 14th, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a group of disabled student activists sat down with two members of UIC’s administration to present a petition.…

Today is UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities (or Disabled Persons!). What a kick-ass way to start the week. In just an hour I’ll be offering a prayer to a community I value deeply about focusing today on celebrating disability identity and culture and condemning ableism and harmful stereotypes, structures, and systems. Today is also the anniversary of the day I woke up with my house…

Here Goes Nothin’

The past few weeks for me have been a whirlwind. Graduate school and work have felt like utter chaos. Life plans are changing in big ways. My body is yelling at me to slow down just as often as I’m yelling at it to cooperate with the unreasonable demands I’m placing on it. And, I’m preparing to lead a workshop at The Reformation Project 2017 right here in Chicago on the experiences of disabled…