When Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, a local Spectrum reporter reached out to me and asked me to share my thoughts about the broader women’s rights movement. Over the years, I have connected widely with the local media through my advocacy work, so news platforms often reach out to me and ask for my thoughts on community events. I responded by telling the reporter: “I don’t think a lot about being a woman and women’s rights issues because I have spent all my time in the community telling people that I am a human being, and they should treat me like one.”
As a woman with a disability, I have found that most people focus on the chair instead of the person in the chair. People treat me like a statue in a museum or pat me on the head like a dog. These situations always catch me off guard, and I am never sure how to respond. During another interview that I did for a Women of Color March and Rally, a local news reporter asked me why I do disability advocacy work. I told the reporter: “I do this work because even today, I must tell people that it is not okay to put your feet, your hands, and your belongings on my wheelchair”. I frequently encounter people that find it acceptable to stand on the back of my chair, or to lean on it as if I were a leaning post. If I call them out on these actions, I am often made to feel like I am in the wrong. In these moments, I take a breath and go about my day, but it usually doesn’t take long before I encounter ableism again.
As a disability advocate, I still must go out in the community and initiate conversations with people about ableism. Even when I have gone to human rights rallies where we are supposed to be advocating for the inclusion of all, I have noticed that everyone’s version of inclusion seems to exclude someone. I enjoy what I do professionally as an advocate, but it can get a bit tiring having to educate non-disabled people wherever I go. Doing it in professional training is one thing. Educating people becomes a different experience when I need to do it out in public, while I am trying to enjoy my day and live my life. Most days, I have no problem talking to people, no matter where I am or what I am doing. I take issue with the people that act as if I owe them something, or as if I need to conform to their desire to turn me into their good deed for the day.