07/05/2025
🎗️ JULY IS DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH
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Take a close look at the image below. I hope you’ll join me in conversation this month — ask questions, share thoughts, or just listen.
THE CHANCES OF YOU JOINING THIS “CLUB” AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE ARE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH. THE MORE EDUCATION YOU HAVE NOW, THE BETTER OFF YOU’LL BE.
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PERSONAL STORY:
For me to go on a short walk (or roll, in my scooter) with David, my scooter gets entirely loaded up — from the pockets on the back of the seat to the basket filled with TETRIS-LIKE PRECISION. Then David carries a small backpack.
That’s just to go on a walk.
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An overnight trip means very careful planning for the days before and after — for preparation and recovery — and the entire car has to be packed with TETRIS-LIKE PRECISION. Once the car is filled, I can’t reach the things I need when I need them, so we constantly have to pull over to dig through it all.
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Many years ago, I flew to see family in Arizona. There was no way I could take everything I needed. I planned carefully: what I needed for the flight, plus the most expensive or unique items. Once I arrived, we had to go straight to a store to buy the rest.
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THIS CAUSES QUITE THE DOMINO EFFECT IN EVERYDAY LIFE. LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE DOMINOES:
1️⃣ GETTING READY TAKES TIME: In situations where you might just walk out the door, I need at least 30 minutes.
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2️⃣ EVERYTHING TAKES MORE ENERGY: Simple things take me more work, and I start with less energy to begin with.
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3️⃣ IT TAKES EXTRA TIME: I already need extra time for necessary care at home, so every task adds up.
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4️⃣ SIMPLE TASKS ARE HARDER: Even a quick drink of water means working through that Tetris pile in my basket — lifting it out, putting it back.
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5️⃣ EXISTING IN AN ABLEIST SOCIETY: From lack of accessibility to details others don’t see, the world isn’t designed for people like me.
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6️⃣ IT IMPACTS CAREGIVERS TOO: If David works even part time, he has next to no free time. He snags a few minutes here and there, often at the cost of something else not getting done. Even at night, he’s up multiple times to care for me. Medicare doesn’t pay him for any of it.
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7️⃣ THE MOST PAINFUL DOMINO: The way our society devalues disabled lives. I’ve lost count of how many times people have said — or implied — that caring for me is a waste of time and money. THIS IS EUGENICS IN ACTION: the idea that some lives are worth less, a mindset that has justified countless atrocities.
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During times like these — when assistance programs lose funding — this gets worse. I’ve spent my life trying to compensate. During the pandemic I made hundreds of paintings with thank-you notes for essential workers. When I lived in Portland, I gave out over 300 handmade gifts each Christmas to veterans and people without housing.
I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE ABLEISM AROUND ME. But I do, because it makes my life easier. And because everything I do takes more time, people often value the products less — seeing it through ableist eyes. A single postcard might take me 20 minutes to create, plus another 20 minutes to recover.
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SO PLEASE, REMEMBER ALL THIS WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE USING A CANE, A WHEELCHAIR, OR SIMPLY BEHAVING DIFFERENTLY.
🙏 IF THEY TAKE TIME OUT OF THEIR LIFE TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOU, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE ENORMOUS COST — AND THE ENORMOUS GIFT — THEY’RE GIVING YOU. 🎁
👨🦼🦯🐕👩🦯👨🦯🐕🦺🦮🧏♀️🚶♂️👩🦽🥄🥱♿️
