People with ADHD work harder than anyone else I know — often depleting themselves to tackle tasks that a neurotypical person can do with ease. I remember what it felt like to finally have my “dream job.” I called my mom first (as usual), excited to prove to her that my so-called “useless” liberal arts...
Category: Ableism
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5 Ways the Body Positive Movement Is Failing People Who Need it Most
The body positive movement has made great strides in the past 15 years, but it’s still leaving lots of us behind. A few years ago, body positivity hit the world like a tidal wave of good vibes. More and more people from all walks of life started talking about the power of self-love. Even elementary...
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5 Ways to Make Protests Accessible and Truly Include Disabled Folks
There are tons of things organizers can do to make protests more accessible for those with different needs. Here are 6 ideas. “Take A Stand.” “Join The March.” “Step up.” These three common phrases are often used as an attempt to mobilize groups in a fight for their rights. But what about those who are...
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#EndTheStigma Is Raising Awareness for Mental Illness
Unstable. Moody. Too Much. Extra. Messy. Folks with mental health issues or mental illnesses often hear these words, either directly or indirectly. The stigma against mental illness isolates and kills countless people every year, and leads to coping behaviors including drug use, unsafe/risky sex and, sadly, often suicide. Finding purpose in pain. #chronicillness #mentalhealth #mhealth #awareness...
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Carrie Fisher Taught Us About Living with Bipolar Disorder
When I told my mother and fiancee that Carrie Fisher had suffered a massive heart attack, I choked back tears. I got the news as we were driving back from seeing the incredibly feminist Star Wars: Rogue One. I felt fiercely protective of her; she was one of my childhood favorites, and it always seemed as though...
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Why I — A Gay, Disabled Man — Am Excited For Superfest
Superfest needs to happen because people with disabilities have so few organic spaces to get together and unabashedly be themselves. By Alex Locust I proudly took the selfie below for Pride earlier this year and was elated to tout my long overdue, blossoming love of my disabled identity in my trademark tongue-in-cheek fashion. And yet,...
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Why We Need to Stop Calling Trump Mentally Ill
It goes without saying that this election cycle has been a circus. It’s been picked apart bit by bit, and with good reason. However, with this comes an extremely ableist rhetoric directed at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. There’s no denying that Trump is a terrible person. He’s violently racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic, misogynistic and, with...
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3 Ways We Can Make Facebook More Accessible
Facebook is one of the most popular social media sites, with one billion users. You’d think Facebook would be an extremely accessible site for people with disabilities, but that’s not exactly the case. Thankfully, there are a few ways we can collectively make Facebook more accessible for users of all abilities. Here are three simple ways we...
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In Defense of Trigger Warnings: A Trauma Survivor’s Perspective
by Kristance Harlow Another day, another university embarrassing itself by making light of trauma. A professor from Loyola University in Maryland, John McIntyre, recently released a video in which he jokes about victimhood and insults all of his former students. The white haired, bow-tie wearing McIntyre could easily be played by Steve Martin in a...
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These Characters Have Chronic Pain — But They Refuse to Be Defined By It
There are so many film and television characters who have illnesses, terminal diseases, or some other condition, that these programs should have their own genre. Most of the time, disappointingly, these characters are defined by their illnesses. They become vehicles for the story of their poor health, rather than being full-fledged characters who happen to be...