Great Disability Blog Posts of 2016 (Part 2)

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Great Disability Blog Posts of 2016: Part 1

Time for Part 2 of Great Disability Blog Posts.  I really enjoyed sharing yesterday's - if you missed it, click the link above.  Today, we have more from Fox and Vilissa plus a powerful post by mother and daughter, Jeneil and Rhema, an important post by Kathleen, and one by Mary Evelyn that I come back to time and time again:

Feelings Hard To Control by Fox at Fox Talks With Letters

Fox shares about feeling sad and afraid about racism after the 2016 presidential election in the US.  He's not the first child to feel this way.  Fox does a great job explaining the difference between the kind of fear he likes (SCARY HALLOWEEN AND SCARY ROLLERCOASTERS) and his fear of racism which, he spells, FEELS DIFFERENT and TOO HARD TO UNDERSTAND.

[Image is: a mother and daughter both in white tops and black skirts, in honor of fabulous mother and daughter blogging team, Jeneil and Rhema.  Read their post below.]

Hard Conversation by Jeneil and Rhema at Rhemashope

I UNDERSTAND THAT I AM LOVED BY YOU BUT SOMETIMES I FEEL SO MAD AT YOU BECAUSE YOU BELITTLE ME - Rhema

A powerful conversation between mother and daughter that I have thought of many times, since I read this post in August.  If you would like to learn about presuming competence.  About how ableism hurts.  About how to apologize for it and go forward with your child and make different choices than the ones that hurt her, read this post.  It's so, so important.

How “Lemonade” Empowered Me As A Black Disabled Woman by Vilissa at Ramp Your Voice!

I was shocked to see model Winnie Harlow make a cameo appearance in “Lemonade” as one of the many young women featured in the “Hope” chapter.  Winnie has Vitiligo, and her scenes were close ups of her face, which displayed her beauty and innate strength.  Black disabled women are rarely featured in musical performances, and to see one of us look so elegant and portrayed in an empowering regard made my heart swell with pride.  Winnie represented a form of Blackness that is ignored in our community – the Black disabled body.  Seeing Winnie’s appearance made me believe that I too have the “freedom” Beyoncé sung about, and to know that my version of Blackness and Black womanhood mattered immensely. - Vilissa

I Can't, In Fact, "Do Anything I Set My Mind To" (And That's OK) by Kathleen at The Squeaky Wheelchair

The word “can’t” is important. The word “can’t” has power. The word “can’t” belongs to you. As a disabled person, this realization has not left me defeated, but instead, free to focus on that which I can do. Free to shape my life and my goals according to my needs. Free to accept that it is not necessary to be able “to do anything” so long as I am proud of the “something” I can do. Rejecting the notion that “I can do anything” has not irreparably damaged my self –esteem or trapped me in a pit of self-loathing. It has given me the tools to lead a happier life. - Kathleen

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT HEALING. by Mary Evelyn at What Do You Do Dear?

A powerfully resonant and respectful take on what it's like to be the mom of a disabled child in church on Sunday when the subject of healing comes up.  Mary Evelyn's post, in a way, inspired me to explore my own journey of faith as a disabled woman (which you can find in my series, Let's Talk About Faith.)  Mary Evelyn opened up such a necessary conversation with this post, and I know I'm super grateful for it, and for her.

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Which one of these posts resonated with you the most, and why?  Share in the comments!  (And don't forget to comment to Fox, Jeneil and Rhema, Vilissa, Kathleen and Mary Evelyn if you liked their posts, too!)

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