I’m starting a newsletter!
I'm so excited to send out the first edition of the Seated Perspectives newsletter — and I'm thrilled that you're here to receive it.
In this inaugural edition, you'll get a little bit of the why behind the newsletter as well as a short essay on disabled joy and what it means to me.
Enjoy the read!
Why a newsletter — and why now?
As many of you know, I started the @seated.perspectives page on Instagram just over a year ago. The goal was simple: I was going to use the writing and storytelling skills I had honed over the years to share my perspective as a wheelchair user and disabled woman.
The journey from when I first launched the account til now has been fascinating, fun, and joyful. I've tapped into the disability community in a way I hadn't before, and I've opened the door to parts of myself that I used to keep closed off. This has had an (unexpected) impact on how I see myself, in my relationships, and in how I show up in various places.
Now, I'm taking the next step into newsletter land for a couple of reasons. A) I love writing long-form — I always have. I'm excited for the challenge that comes with filling a long page with insights and perspectives on disability. B) Some of the topics I cover on Instagram are complex and detailed, and that doesn't lend itself to the short-and-sweet nature of the platform. The newsletter gives me a chance to fill in the gaps with more context.
I can't wait to spend more time here!
A note on disabled joy
I thought that choosing the topic for this first newsletter would be a tough task, but as I scrolled through everything I've published on @seated.perspectives so far, I realized I had to start with disabled joy.
When people think about disability or disabled individuals, these are the themes that tend to come up:
Disability as hardship
Disability as tragedy
Disability as something to overcome
Disability as a burden
Even stories that frame disabled individuals as “inspirational” because of what they have accomplished exist on the premise that being disabled is a sad existence that needs to be overcome.
It's so rare to come across narratives that put the spotlight on how mundane everyday life with a disability can be, let alone ones that celebrate disabled joy — and that makes me angry and sad.
I don't want my existence to be defined through a lens of sadness or disappointment. And I don't want to be seen as inspirational simply because I choose to exist in contradiction to these stereotypes.
So, I choose joy. Every chance I get, I use my platform to share moments of disabled joy, whether they're mine or someone else's. I want to change the narrative so that we can equate disability to joy (while still acknowledging that there's a ridiculous amount of stuff that still needs to be done to make life more equitable and accessible for disabled individuals).
I learned about both/and thinking recently, and disabled joy fits right into that mindset. The disabled experience can be both difficult AND joyful. And we have to speak about both.
Disabled joy is an act of rebellion. It's unexpected and revolutionary. So, let's continue to celebrate and feature disabled joy anywhere we can. (That's my challenge to you, btw.)
That wraps up this first edition of the Seated Perspectives Newsletter.
