When I was about 7 or eight years old, I wanted to be a ballerina and actress. Bad. I would spin around our living room on my hands and knees and was constantly writing storylines and plays. I was hungry for it. I constantly begged to be enrolled in a neighborhood dance class that many […]| Crutches and Spice
As the world grapples with quarantines, self-isolation, and COVID-19, it is also dealing with something people have been loath to recognize: ableism. Throughout the last few weeks, those concerned about their health have been gaslit by seemingly “healthy” nondisabled people who don’t want their lives to be inconvenienced by quarantine and public health policies. Within […]| Crutches and Spice
Shock conveys many things. Usually, we use it to describe good surprises and breaks in our mundane lives that are eventually welcome. What often goes unsaid about it is that shocks break up routines and events with expected outcomes. Society rarely questions ableism and the barriers that prohibit disabled people from going after those things […]| Crutches and Spice
This spring, I had the opportunity to sit down and collaborate with three amazing women, Emily Ladau, Maryangel Garcia-Ramos and Hannah Soyer and discuss the ways in which media shapes our understanding and how that affects our daily lives for South by Southwest. Below is our video. I am very proud of our work and […]| Crutches and Spice
There’s a unique invisibility that comes with being black and disabled. Looking to see yourself in the world can feel like standing in a room made of one-way mirrors. Every way you turn in the hope that someone sees you, you realize that they can only see themselves. While more representations of disabled people have […]| Crutches and Spice
I know this is something you likely don’t want to hear about your Breaking Bad fave, but he’s problematic. When I heard that Breaking Bad would be casting RJ Mitte, a disabled actor for the role of…| Crutches and Spice
"I am ashamed to say that I saw Anthony Bourdain as my inspiration. "| Crutches and Spice
Spoilers. OK, so since I’ve written spoilers 3 times now, I’m going to forge ahead. Fans have been waiting years for the newest season of Netflix’s Jessica Jones to be released. While I greatly enjoyed what I was watching, the show hit home with the themes of disability and “other-ness.” Mental illness bloggers have long […]| Crutches and Spice
