The response that I’ve gotten to this post has been overwhelming (yes, 28 comments on a blog that typically gets 0-5 is overwhelming). Most of it is praise. Heck, I’ve even got an e-mail or two thanking me for writing the post.
If I said I wasn’t happy to get the praise, I’d be lying. But it also makes me uncomfortable, because I feel like I’m getting a cookie for reiterating what feminists with disabilities have been saying forever. I am happy that my post has reached people. I hope that it helps to cause a change for the better in the more mainstream movement. But I was just doing my duty as an ally and calling out others in my group.
What I did wasn’t revolutionary. It wasn’t exceptional. Heck, what I did wasn’t even particularly brave. As an able-bodied person, the risk I was taking was that of being dismissed or called names. Not fun, but also not something I don’t have experience dealing with. It was what every person who believes that people with disabilities deserve equal treatment should do. If anyone deserves praise, it should be all those disability activists out there who write, blog, and otherwise speak out against ableism. They’re the ones who are doing the real work.
And, while we’re on the subject of cookies, guess what group is not on my sidebar? Yup. That would be Feminist blogs that focus on disability activism. I intend to rectify that oversight ASAP, but I need to think of a name for the link category. It needs to be short, so right now I’m thinking, “Disability Activist Feminists”, but if y’all can suggest something shorter that doesn’t sound as awkward I would be much obliged.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 am
Sadly, I can’t think of anything short and not-awkward, but do you have a list of blogs yet? How many are you looking for?
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Darn. Maybe I’ll get inspired (yeah right) ._.
As for a list of blogs. I have a few in mind and more that I need to look into (there are a lot of posts on the Feministe response thread that need looking into), but I would also welcome suggestions. I don’t have a set limit on how many can be linked.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hoyden About Town has a lot on accessibility.
Screw Bronze, Wheelchair Dancer, Miss CripChick, and Diary of a Goldfish are all good.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I don’t know what you’d call the section, but a link to Able Gamers would be peachy keen.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Anna: Awesome, thanks so much. Hopefully reading through those blogs will help me get more connected with the disability activist feminist blogsphere.
Godless Heathen: Added!
July 9th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
What about “Ability Feminists”? Maybe leaving off the “dis-” invokes the wrong idea, but to my thinking, it’s all about different individuals having different abilities, and how we need to realize it’s in society’s best interest to empower and encourage people to use their abilities.