When Getting Lost Gets Dangerous: The Scary Reality of Being a Directionally Challenged Women

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you probably know that struggling with navigation and directions is one of the most difficult parts of my learning disability. While this used to be a huge source of embarrassment for me, I’ve learned to use my awkward getting-lost-moments as a chance to explain my situation

Our Brains Are Not Your Entertainment: A Critical Look At Female Neurodivergent Representation in Mainstream Television

There’s a fine line between representation and objectification when it comes to the portrayal of neurodivergent traits in women in the media. I was scrolling through social media the other day and saw a tweet that reminded me just how much women are objectified for doing absolutely anything- including existing with neurodivergent minds. The tweet

Ever Driven a Car? I Probably Think You’re a Genius

I was about eleven years old when the people around me started talking about driving. Comments like “Only five more years until you can get your drivers license” or “watch out, she’ll be driving before you know it” quickly became a fact of everyday life. When I was fifteen, being able to drive became a

Neurodivergence Is Not Toxic Masculinity: Calling Out Ability-Centered Feminism

As I am writing this, it’s International Womens’ Day AKA the time of year when women all around the country tend to unintentionally tell one another that our value lies exclusively in the quality of our achievements as determined by an ableist culture. Oh wait… that’s not what International Womens’ Day is supposed to be

In Defense of Social Symbiosis: How Disability is Influenced by What Society Refuses to Accommodate

Imagine for a moment that a child began having a difficult time in school because of his eyesight. One day he expressed to his teacher that he could not see the board because everything looked blurry and his teacher replied that if he was having trouble seeing, he should try harder to see. As he

The Matilda Problem: Is It Time to Retire the “Genius Kid” Trope?

Tonight as I was watching the first episode of The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, I began to put words to a particular annoyance that has been living in my mind for many years. This annoyance is one that came up from time to time during my childhood, but I distinctly remember the first time it

Decommodifying Intelligence: How the ACT Score Became the New Thigh Gap

It’s only attainable for a small number of people born with specific traits, it’s often directly tied to privilege, and societal pressure to have one can give teenagers debilitating mental illnesses. Now introducing: The Good Standardized Test Score™.  But what, you might ask, do unrealistic societal beauty standards (like thigh gaps) have to do with

How to Criticize Politicians 101: Now With 100% Less Ableism!

Now that most of the country has breathed a collective sigh of relief after successfully voting out a dangerous bigoted asshole with no moral compass or regard for the lives of other human beings, it’s time to talk about upper-middle-class liberal ableism. What exactly could I be talking about when many liberal/left-wing voters claim to

Wheelchair Ramps Are Only the Bare Minimum: Expanding The Conversation About Accessibility

When we think about accessibility, we usually think about physical adaptations to buildings and other public spaces to allow people with mobility aids to use the facilities. While accommodations for physical disabilities are and should always be a huge part of the conversation about public accessibility, it’s also important to realize that the work of

Embracing The “And” In Disability Advocacy

When nerotypical/able-bodied people do the work of centering and supporting individuals with disabilities (which we love to see!), there are a few common approaches to this work that sometimes aren’t as effective as they could be. First, let’s discuss what disability advocacy on the part of non-disabled people looks like. This could mean: an organization