On Not Being “Pretty”
My friend Cara wrote this awesome article about being "ugly"
My friend Cara wrote this awesome article about being "ugly"
For over ten years Martin Pistorius was trapped in his own body, fully cognizant, but unable to speak or move. He was surrounded by people who believed he was incapable of thinking and tried desperately to get just one person to notice. His story serves as a wake-up call for all of us to drastically change our assumptions about speech and intellectual capacity as well as the need to radically reform expectations and treatment of people with complex communication needs.
Awareness campaigns of disabilities are only effective if they are planned and run primarily by the groups that are the subjects of the campaign. This is because such campaigns are not “awareness”, but “acceptance” campaigns. We welcome support, with focus on respect, equality and access. We don’t need “awareness” of deficits and tragic rhetoric.
Being disabled and in hospitals is always scary because our lives is not valued as the lives of non-disabled. I was, in a way, lucky but the policies still need a lot of improvement.
A Fun Alternative to Children's Mobility Devices
“People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world and we are the most under-represented in entertainment.” Maysoon Zayid
As a little girl, I had a doll collection that
A trip to the mall bombards me with unattainable ideals
"Polite society often tells us that we need to take the 'dis' out of disability, but maybe... just maybe, we should spend some time putting it back in. Take the "dis" out of disability and you remove the core of what has shaped my life. Disability puts the "D" in diversity, but in order to make that a real difference we've got to own that spot. It took me 35 years to respect and honor that truth. Others shouldn't have to wait that long..." Lawrence Carter-Long
"So let us remember that when we teach, when we educate, we make policy, we make decisions that we do it with a conscience and that we remember that we are leaving fingerprints on forever." Keith Jones
"No one affects a child's day, dreams and future like a mother. Of course we are never perfect, but perfect is never the goal." Tonya Whitlock
Ryan McGraw is a 30-year-old yoga teacher who has cerebral palsy. He doesn't fit the mold, which is fine, because he's molding yoga routines to fit his needs.
No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools.
"Acceptance. I wanted everyone to treat him with respect and dignity, just like any other child". Jenny Long
Certain Proof: A Question of Worth is a feature documentary about three children living with significant communication and physical disabilities, who struggle against the public schools in an emotional battle to prove their worth.