December Disability Reading List
It’s time for our quarterly reading list. Below is a curated list of articles about disability and identity.
“We all have an identity. It’s what makes us who we are. Muscular Dystrophy and my wheelchair are part of who I am. So does my disability define me? Yes, it does. Is that a bad thing? Only if I make it one.” Thoughts from blogger Emma Muldoon in My Identity And How My Disability Defines Me.
In I Use a Wheelchair. And Yes, I’m Your Doctor Dr. Cheri Blauwet says, “I cannot completely separate my disability identity from my professional role.”
How does the language we use define us? Writer Andrew Pulrang describes in My Journey with Disability Language and Identity, “The more I thought about it, “identity first” language started to again change how I thought about my disabilities. I stopped worrying about whether or not my disabilities “define” me, and started to embrace the fact that like it or not, I am part of a community, a shared identity. I’m disabled. And I do like it.
How has having a disability shaped (or not shaped) your identity? Let us know at @rickhansenfdn!.
