Cultivating Connection One Word at a Time
I once shared a post that included a story from someone who identified as a "person with autism." To respect their choice of words, I used the same term in…
S8 E9 | How to Talk About Disability with Carrie Hahn
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Is disability a tragedy? Are disabled people “inspiring”? The language we use often reveals our assumptions about disability. Carrie Hahn, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and mother,…
The Problem with Calling Kamala Harris “Mentally Disabled”
Former president Donald Trump recently insulted President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris by calling them “mentally impaired” and then “mentally disabled.” (more from CNN here and FOX NEWS Radio…
Ableism at the County Fair
Last week, I received an email from Amber, who has three kids, including Cal*, her son with a rare genetic difference. Amber is also my unbelievably talented and faithful social…
Are People With Disabilities “Less Than” in Leviticus?
I recently opened my Instagram inbox and found a DM from one of you. I love receiving your questions about all sorts of things—parenting, disability, faith. This is one I…
What Casual Discrimination Looks Like
Chris Hinds, a Denver city councilman who uses a wheelchair, was asked to hoist himself onto a debate stage last week because the stage was inaccessible to him. When I…
What Is a Disabled Life Worth?
What is a disabled life worth? Every so often, people accidentally say the thing out loud. In this case, it was the Democratic Committee Chair for a city in Massachusetts.…
Is John 5 Ableist?
I'm grateful for questions from readers, and here's a question asking how to teach John 5 in a way that isn't ableist: Question: Is John 5 ableist? How do I…
False Message: Disability is an inspiration.
Disability is NOT an inspiration. FALSE MESSAGE: Disability is an inspiration to make other people feel good. WHERE THIS FALSE MESSAGE SHOWS UP: Books. Magazines. TV shows. Advertisements. In the…
False Message: Disability is a joke to be laughed at.
Images, words, and attitudes all shape our implicit impressions of people with disabilities, and many of those words and images create false understandings. We’ve looked at two of these false…
