Posts Tagged: disability
7 Ways to Make Your Activism More Inclusive of Activists with Disabilities
In April, I broke my ankle which severely limited my normal activity and opened my eyes to how ableist the world is. That includes activist spaces. Yes—even yours. It was a temporary disability, but I also was diagnosed with a long term (invisible) disability two years ago. I’ve also had a chronic disease since childhood that sometimes makes activists and social spaces inaccessible to me. I am a chapter leader for URGE ATL, the Atlanta City Activist Network for URGE and participate in reproductive justice work with other organizations in Atlanta. This means I have experienced what people have done right by disabled people and what they can improve on. So, here is a list of ways folks can make their activist spaces more inclusive of disabled activists. 1. Recognize that… Read more »
Comic Books Are No Longer ‘Boys Only’
Over the years, the major comic book publishing company, Marvel, has slowly been making progress towards a more inclusive universe. The company is beginning to make changes to their work by adapting to the ever-changing audiences and the world around them. Comic books are no longer only for the “boys club,” nor are they entirely white-washed, able-bodied, straight and cis-gendered. I’d like to say “gone are days of female representation that extends no further than arm candy, love interests or background” but I know that is only wishful thinking for the time being. However, the first part of this previously mentioned path towards progress that this company is taking, involves the current push for female protagonists. In 2014 Marvel announced that they were creating Thor Girl, a young alien-teen who… Read more »
Learning New Things: Recognize Your Privilege
Life is full of coincidences, so it was no surprise to me that the assigned reading for one of my classes explored a topic that I’m familiar with in my personal life: abortion. For a moment reading the book, “Choosing Naia,” I forgot it was an assignment for my Magazine and Feature Writing course. It discussed reproductive options and intersectionality in such a way that I figured it had to be for one of my sexuality courses. Here’s the premise of the book: A married couple gets pregnant with their first child. Everything looks fine in the scans and appointments but one ultrasound during the trimester shows that the baby has a heart defect. Further tests showed that the baby had Down Syndrome. Greg and Tierney Fairchild, the couple in… Read more »
