Category: disability
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“I don’t even think of you as disabled”
“That’s because I’ve spent the last thirty years doing everything I can to pretend it doesn’t exist, to the detriment of my own sense of identity and wellbeing.” At least, that’s what I want to say. Instead, I laugh bashfully, and respond with what I think they want to hear, “Oh, that’s such a compliment […]
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Talking wheelchairs with my son
When should I come out to my friends? When should I have “the talk” with my kids? When should I explain to my son why I use a wheelchair? I guess there isn’t the ‘perfect’ time to have any of these conversations. So in the car this afternoon, after a rainy Sunday trip to Sylvia […]
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When focus groups go bad
“This could be a complete waste of my time,” I pondered aloud before I left the house. “Why?” my wife asked. “Haven’t you ever been to a disability focus group before?” I laughed. “I’ll snapchat you a picture of the snacks. They’ll be awful.” They were. But so was everything else. The writing was on […]
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A new journey of discovery
After posting my previous article on Facebook (gotta get those clicks somehow, am I right?), Robyn Hunt offered a fascinating insight into why us disabled people feel this compulsion to be ‘the first to _____________’. “We don’t know our history” – Robyn Hunt Of course! We’re not taught disability history at school, we’re not born into […]
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The fragile ego of disability
When civil rights movements are in their infancy, the temptation to smash glass ceilings is irresistible. I mean, there are just so many of them. The disability world is no different, and unlike previous civil rights movements, we still have so many ceilings left intact. Like, so so many. This has given rise to an […]
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Revisiting inspiration [2014 blog]
![Revisiting inspiration [2014 blog]](https://rednicholsonnz.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/fb14398420c8546d6b1c12a764add30fdd3b343e.jpeg?w=1024)
With all this recent talk of inspiration porn, I feel it’s important we put away the able-bodied pitchforks and take stock of the situation. The brutal reality is, some people find me inspiring. Some probably find you inspiring, too. And you know what? That’s just fine. I didn’t always feel that way, mind you, but […]
Red Nicholson 