Reclaiming Lazy
Activism and Advocacy / Getting support / Invisible disabilities / mental health / neurodiversity / Spoonie Challenges

Reclaiming Lazy

Among those of us who are neurodivergent (ND) and/or who manage mental illness, the word lazy has been stamped on our foreheads, like a much unwanted label, by people who just don’t understand our experience. Many of my friends who have ADHD, for example, have had their executive dysfunction completely gaslit by family members, teachers, … Continue reading

Welcome to Disability (a House with Infinite Rooms)
Activism and Advocacy / Connecting / Getting support / Spoonie Challenges

Welcome to Disability (a House with Infinite Rooms)

Hi there. You’re new here. You and maybe one hundred forty-one million, five hundred thousand others. That’s a guess. An imperfect one, because the data is young and ever-changing and because lots of folks lived in this house before a brand-new Goldilocks broke in and started judging our food and lodgings. Too metaphorical? Probably. Let … Continue reading

Internalised Ableism, Week 9: The Little Boy Who Internalised Ableism
chronic pain / Getting support / internalized ableism

Internalised Ableism, Week 9: The Little Boy Who Internalised Ableism

Editor’s note: This is K.W. Ramsey’s debut post with the Spoonie Authors Network. Welcome to the family! Until a couple years ago, I’d never heard the word ableism, never mind examining how I might have internalized it in myself. You see, I was born in the ’70s, when the idea of being disabled was anathema, … Continue reading

Internalized Ableism, Week 7: I’m Not Disabled
chronic pain / Getting support / internalized ableism / mental health / Spoonie Challenges

Internalized Ableism, Week 7: I’m Not Disabled

Most of my health problems have been with me since childhood. I was diagnosed with a learning disability at eight years old. I acquired insomnia, anxiety, depression, and PTSD in my prepubescent years. I developed a repetitive strain injury at fifteen. Yet it was not until last year that I really felt comfortable claiming the … Continue reading

Internalized Ableism, Week 4: Solution to Being a Terrible Patient, or, How I Learned It’s Okay to Need Help
Getting support / internalized ableism / Spoonie Challenges

Internalized Ableism, Week 4: Solution to Being a Terrible Patient, or, How I Learned It’s Okay to Need Help

I had surgery recently on my foot to remove a bone chip and arthritis bone spurs. The pain in my foot wasn’t terrible but it had changed my gait, adding to the workload in my lower spine and making one hip pop out of joint daily. I have arthritis and degenerative disc disease, so I … Continue reading