The Power of Creativity and the Disabled Writing Community
Activism and Advocacy / Anxiety / chronic fatigue / chronic pain / cons / Fibromyalgia / internalized ableism / Living fully

The Power of Creativity and the Disabled Writing Community

I spent 2014 in an acute state of fear. Yeah, I know that seems hyperbolic, but I was quite terrified. The chronic pain I had been experiencing from the neuropathy of fibromyalgia had levelled up to a state where it felt like someone had injected several areas of my body with burning hot, vibrating curling … 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

Internalised Ableism, Week 8: Ableist in My Mind
chronic pain / internalized ableism / mental health / Spoonie Challenges

Internalised Ableism, Week 8: Ableist in My Mind

So, today, I decided enough was enough—I was doing the dishes. We have a dishwasher, so you would think it would be a breeze. Unfortunately, my particular injury makes bending painful, especially that halfway bend to load something above floor level. Then, in my infinite wisdom, I decided not to stop part-way through for a … 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

Internalised Ableism, Week 6: One Habit of a Highly Defective Person Who Isn’t Defective
Autism / body celebration / internalized ableism

Internalised Ableism, Week 6: One Habit of a Highly Defective Person Who Isn’t Defective

One of the more insidious forms of internalized ableism is when we look at others and beat ourselves up for not being able to do what they are doing. What makes it particularly insidious is that it is easy to miss that we are engaging in internalized ableism. What makes it so insidious is that … 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