This absolutely fantastic article by Imani at CrutchesandSpice.com is one of the clearest statements I’ve ever seen on the toll that the judgment of strangers takes on people living with disabilities.
“For days I won’t leave my home for fear that I will be ostracized and othered for my body. And, as someone who is a disabled black woman, I often cannot differentiate the many ‘isms’ I am experiencing at the moment. I can only feel I am not welcome, the sense that my presence is a burden or see that someone has already written me off,” Imani writes.
The power in these words is undeniable, and encapsulates an experience that so many people with disabilities share. The psychological and social barriers to participating fully in a variety of everyday activities can be even more devastating than the physical barriers to access, and harder to explain to people who are currently abled.
Crutches and Spice is an amazing resource, and Imani’s writing and advocacy are real gifts to the world. I would love her work to be better known among people living with disability and currently able people alike.
