Had an amazing time at the @runwayofdreams x @dateabilityapp fashion show. Reminder that disabled people deserve to be represented and find love like everyone else (if that’s what they want). Too often disabled people are sidelined in conversations about fashion, love, and really anything that isn’t medical. We need more spaces where disabled people can just be people.
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[image description: a picture of me with my hair and makeup done wearing a pink dress and black blazer, a picture of me with the hairstylist, a picture of me on the runway].
For the past year, I got to work on a little film called Wish. And now I can finally talk about it. It was incredible to help create the disability representation I needed when I was a kid. I hope disabled kids can see themselves in Dahlia. I hope this is the first of many disabled characters. As the song goes: “So I make this wish to have something more for us than this.” Thanks to the RespectAbility and Disney teams for making this possible. Thanks to Jennifer Kumiyama for bringing Dahlia to life. And no, I don’t know Chris Pine.
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[image descriptions: a picture of me with my crutch wearing a sparkly green gown, a picture of the RespectAbility Wish team in formal attire in front of the Wish movie poster, a picture of me wearing a Dahlia t-shirt standing in front of the El Capitan box office, a picture of Dahlia, a young woman who uses a crutch with short black hair and glasses.]
Diet culture can be harder to spot within the disabled community.
As today’s blog guest, Erica Mones (@ericamones ), explains, it sometimes disguises itself behind “practical” suggestions meant to improve the person’s life or those of their caretakers. But in reality, this can lead to deeper body anxiety, shame, and disordered behaviors.
Head to theprojectheal.org/blog to read today’s blog post and learn more about how diet culture and disability intersect.
#disabilityawareness #disabilitywellness #mentalhealthawarenessmonth
Happy birthday to my sweet boy, Atticus. I love you my little April Fool
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[image description: pictures of me and my cat Atticus, a white cat with blue eyes]
I love you, Alex, and I always will. Thank you for being the kindest, weirdest, most accepting friend anyone could ever ask for. I will never forget you.
Live Laugh Life Straws
I just got back from the most exhausting (because of biting flies) and rewarding week in the Adirondacks. I am so excited to mentor a young disabled woman again and see what this year brings.
For those who don’t know, @disabilityempowhernetwork camp is a yearlong program where disabled people mentor young disabled people completing a project surrounding disability and emergency preparedness. Next year, we go to DC where the young leaders present their projects and talk to their senators about issues related to their topic. More than that, Disability EmpowHer Network is a group of disabled folks uplifting each other.
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[picture of me and my friends, a picture of me and Jo Jo, a picture of me and Lily, a picture of me wrapped in an emergency blanket, a picture of me and Abby, a picture of me and Liz, a picture of me and my mentee Red, a picture of me drinking out of a Life Straw.]
27 was one of the hardest years of my life. I moved halfway across the country to a little town that I knew next to nothing about besides a horrific hate crime that occurred there in the late 90s. I suffered losses three months in a row. I struggled with my mental health. And lastly, I took a break from pursuing my dream of being a TV writer after a series of rejections.
Despite all of the heartbreak and frustration, I’ve found so much joy. Back in October, I gave a presentation on disability and sexuality at the Shepherd Symposium. In August, I got to watch my mentee present about active shooter drills to lawmakers. I adopted my first cat this month. I wrote for the love of it— for myself and not necessarily others. I hope 28 breaks my heart less, but either way, I’ll keep doing my thing. I choose defiant jazz.
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[image descriptions: a series of selfies and pictures of Atticus, a picture of me, CC, and Lily.]
![Had an amazing time at the @runwayofdreams x @dateabilityapp fashion show. Reminder that disabled people deserve to be represented and find love like everyone else (if that’s what they want). Too often disabled people are sidelined in conversations about fashion, love, and really anything that isn’t medical. We need more spaces where disabled people can just be people.---[image description: a picture of me with my hair and makeup done wearing a pink dress and black blazer, a picture of me with the hairstylist, a picture of me on the runway].](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6826356644407062474817_0_a0fd9479c792d6f89b2dd02d73e49549.jpg?o=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&h=cef0f5469dbd370fcc1798e3ceba9ca0)
![For the past year, I got to work on a little film called Wish. And now I can finally talk about it. It was incredible to help create the disability representation I needed when I was a kid. I hope disabled kids can see themselves in Dahlia. I hope this is the first of many disabled characters. As the song goes: “So I make this wish to have something more for us than this.” Thanks to the RespectAbility and Disney teams for making this possible. Thanks to Jennifer Kumiyama for bringing Dahlia to life. And no, I don’t know Chris Pine.---[image descriptions: a picture of me with my crutch wearing a sparkly green gown, a picture of the RespectAbility Wish team in formal attire in front of the Wish movie poster, a picture of me wearing a Dahlia t-shirt standing in front of the El Capitan box office, a picture of Dahlia, a young woman who uses a crutch with short black hair and glasses.]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6844612972323062543952_0_c9814e35558e2bda9de5bc853c66ff8e.jpg?o=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&h=b2068ce49b63aa45fb37e4c63b2986be)
![Happy birthday to my sweet boy, Atticus. I love you my little April Fool---[image description: pictures of me and my cat Atticus, a white cat with blue eyes]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6747155462693767476544_0_b8d42cc82314eff2d61b7386a53c2b9b.jpg?o=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&h=23f42db880f45d73c1344ff610a3e3fb)
![My best friend[image description: selfie of me and my cat Atticus, a picture of Atticus, a white cat with blue eyes]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6722665035522552542010_0_20bcf40f0a55d1e851039d04e96ca781.jpg?o=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&h=4a7bc03ce1899c1cd3274a20604d28d5)
![Live Laugh Life StrawsI just got back from the most exhausting (because of biting flies) and rewarding week in the Adirondacks. I am so excited to mentor a young disabled woman again and see what this year brings.For those who don’t know, @disabilityempowhernetwork camp is a yearlong program where disabled people mentor young disabled people completing a project surrounding disability and emergency preparedness. Next year, we go to DC where the young leaders present their projects and talk to their senators about issues related to their topic. More than that, Disability EmpowHer Network is a group of disabled folks uplifting each other.---[picture of me and my friends, a picture of me and Jo Jo, a picture of me and Lily, a picture of me wrapped in an emergency blanket, a picture of me and Abby, a picture of me and Liz, a picture of me and my mentee Red, a picture of me drinking out of a Life Straw.]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6722682832614652725123_0_057bd5b48b703369bf7cc1d2b223248b.jpg?o=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&h=4f2e769e4e97530dc9a115fd9a1b7e38)
![27 was one of the hardest years of my life. I moved halfway across the country to a little town that I knew next to nothing about besides a horrific hate crime that occurred there in the late 90s. I suffered losses three months in a row. I struggled with my mental health. And lastly, I took a break from pursuing my dream of being a TV writer after a series of rejections.Despite all of the heartbreak and frustration, I’ve found so much joy. Back in October, I gave a presentation on disability and sexuality at the Shepherd Symposium. In August, I got to watch my mentee present about active shooter drills to lawmakers. I adopted my first cat this month. I wrote for the love of it— for myself and not necessarily others. I hope 28 breaks my heart less, but either way, I’ll keep doing my thing. I choose defiant jazz.--[image descriptions: a series of selfies and pictures of Atticus, a picture of me, CC, and Lily.]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6724705031325462705034_0_6e6e57d101cd217a4470110d3992b1f5.jpg?o=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&h=de9ff629b395f9a1119fec805bf24411)
![Aunt Erica---[image description: a picture of me and my baby nephew]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6724405546351824503624_0_6cac4e7b09bd6a63caf803d8c0e4a8e3.jpg?o=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&h=2149434f6e1158577c54c8a2fd1fff14)
![On Thursday, I officially adopted this guy[image descriptions: pictures of me and Atticus, a white cat with blue eyes.]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6724587114114924362373_0_24d55af571740d902c4b0833755e6f2a.jpg?o=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&h=51fb12aa8122cd40c34221804d188222)
![If there’s an afterlife, I promise I’ll come find you, my angel.---[image description: pictures of me and my cat Bambi.]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6757691053702057712612_0_b458170b9215b3ff3e2e4deae8422f87.jpg?o=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&h=384a014ed45a943661cbab1118fdaa22)
