Sunday 15 January 2017

#DisabilityDiaries2017 | Nerd Church - No Shame, No Stigma

Yours truly is currently involved in #DisabilityDiaries2017 - an awesome event which I urge you all to support.

(The lovely Ely @ Tea and Titles came up with the idea of Disability Diaries - a week long event running from 14th-21st Jan 2017, discussing disability, books, and disability in books. 

Ely, myself, Angel @ Angel Reads, Dina @ Dinasoaur, Jolien @ The Fictional Reader, and Lara @ Another Teen Reader are running it.)



Barbie dolls inc. one in a wheelchair





And I think there's a heffalump* in the room that needs addressing: too often, disabled people are made to feel stigma and shame. And f**k that!

*I say heffalump instead of elephant. You can blame the combined forces of my mother and Winnie-the-Pooh.





It's difficult as all hell to even explain to people that you have an illness, disability, or other health condition. AND IT SHOULDN'T BE.





So, with no shame on my part, here are my (current) disabilities and health conditions:


  • depression and anxiety
  • skin allergies/contact dermatitis
  • suspected dyscalculia
  • episodic migraines with constant associated photosensitivity
  • slight physical birth defect


No shame. No stigma. Health conditions are a part of life.

I hope you can join us on Twitter and on our blogs throughout this week - it's gonna be awesome!







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8 comments:

  1. YES. YES. YES. YES. YESSSSSSSS.

    *clears throat* Yes, I whole-heartedly agree.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hm, I'm not sure whether you support me or not here Ely, you're sending out mixed messages XD LOL.

      It seriously was a lot harder to write this post than it should've been - I nearly deleted some of my health problems, for Chrissakes! And I can only put that down to the way attitudes make us feel ashamed for things that there should be no shame for - like we're making too much fuss out of nothing. And f**k that.

      Delete
  2. Totally agree that it is so important to not be afraid to share your health conditions with the world! Be proud of them, they make you who you are!

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  3. I too felt the shame when writing the introductory post for Disability Diaries. In fact, I feel it very often, but, you're right. We need to share our stories rather than hide them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree! There should be no shame and no stigma. A lot of people are worried about shaming me when they ask why my little sister is in a wheelchair. Little do they know I feel 0% shame, 100% proud of her all the time.

    ReplyDelete

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