Podcasts about demystifying disability

You're listening to Burnt Toast! Today, my guest is Emily Ladau, a disability rights activist, and author of Demystifying Disability. Our conversation today is about the many intersections between anti-fatness and ableism. This is such an important conversation, even if you feel like you're new to both of these worlds. We investigate who is considered a “worthy” disabled person or a Good Fatty — and how these stereotypes so often pit two marginalization experiences against each other. Today's episode is free but if you value this conversation, please consider supporting our work with a paid subscription. Burnt Toast is 100% reader- and listener-supported. We literally can't do this without you!PS. You can take 10 percent off Demystifying Disability, or any book we talk about on the podcast, if you order it from the Burnt Toast Bookshop, along with a copy of Fat Talk! (This also applies if you've previously bought Fat Talk from them. Just use the code FATTALK at checkout.)Episode 213 TranscriptEmilyI am a disability rights activist. I am a wheelchair user. I'm the author of a book called Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally. It's a bit of a mouthful, but all of that is really just to say that I am very passionate about educating people about the disability experience, and doing it through a lens that recognizes that we're all at a different point on the journey of thinking about disability and talking about disability. I really want to welcome people into what I know can be a sometimes overwhelming and uncomfortable conversation.VirginiaYou have been a disability rights activist since you appeared on Sesame Street as a 10 year old. I saw the clip. It's just adorable, little baby Emily. I mean, first tell us about that if you want! Or if you're sick of talking about it, I get it. But I would also love to know: When did your disability rights work morph into fat liberation work? And how do you see these two spheres intersecting?EmilyOn the Sesame Street note, my family likes to joke that I am totally milking that, because it happened when I was 10. But that was the first moment that I really understood that disabled people do have a place in the media. Prior to that, I had not seen almost anyone who looked like me, with the exception of two books that I read over and over again. And one other little girl who was also on Sesame Street who used a wheelchair.VirginiaWow.EmilyAnd I'm sure maybe somewhere else out there, there were other things. But I was an early 90s kid, and the media had just not caught up to showing me that I belonged. So having that experience is something that I really don't take for granted.I like to joke that in many ways, I am the “typical” disabled person. If you look up a stock photo of someone with a disability, it's probably a white woman using a wheelchair. Oddly enough, she's probably also on a beach, holding her arms out. You know? VirginiaAs soon as you said it, I have a visual. I've seen that picture. Obviously, she's on a beach.EmilyYes, so I am sort of the cliche version. But at the same time, I'm not. Because there's sort of an “acceptable” disabled person, and she is the thin, pretty, white woman who is sitting in a wheelchair. I meet, I suppose, some of those traits, but I am someone who, in later years so far, has come to identify as fat and no longer sees that as the derogatory term that it was always leveraged towards me as.Any relationship that I have to fat liberation work has been sort of an evolutionary process for me. It's newer to me. I didn't understand when I was younger how that fit into disability rights work. But I see now that we can't have those conversations separately. First of all, every issue is a disability issue. So every issue impacts disabled people. And second of all, the disability community encompasses every identity, every body type, every experience. There are more than a billion disabled people around the world. So you absolutely have every single possible body type within the disability community. And if we are not talking about fat liberation, if we are not talking about LGBTQIA+ rights, if we are not talking about ensuring that our work is meaningfully intersectional, then it's not actually disability rights work.VirginiaBut it is tricky to figure out how all those things intersect and fit together for sure.EmilyI feel like I'm constantly playing a game of Tetris with that. And I don't mean that to say, oh, woe is me. But more so, how do we get society to recognize how those pieces interlock with one another?VirginiaDo you mind sharing a little bit about how anti-fatness shows up in your own experiences? Sometimes it's helpful to name those moments, because some people listening might think, oh, I've had that too, and I didn't know to name it as anti-fatness, or, oh, I've been on the wrong side of that. And it's helpful to hear why that was not helpful.EmilyThere is no clear direction to take this answer, because it's impacted me in two diametrically opposed ways.The first is that I have been judged incredibly harshly as being lazy, as being unhealthy, as being someone who maybe doesn't take care of myself in the way that I should. And the wheelchair is seen as the cause of that.On the flip side, I have also been treated as though disability is the only cause of anything going on in my body, and therefore I should be given a free pass if I am considered, as doctors would say, “overweight.”VirginiaIt's like, Oh, it's okay. You're in a wheelchair. What can we do? We can't expect you to go for a run.EmilyExactly. So you see what I mean. It's either one or the other. I'm either bad and lazy or it's like, oh, poor you. You can't get up and exercise.VirginiaBoth of those are such judgmental, patronizing ways to talk about you and your body.EmilyThey're super frustrating. I think that both of those are anti-fatness in their own right. But for me, it sends conflicting messages, because I'm trying to seek medical support for certain issues. And some doctors are like, “Lose weight!” And other doctors are like, “Well, we can't do anything because you're in a wheelchair.” And so both of those are very unhelpful responses.VirginiaOh man, it really speaks to the lack of intersectional care in medicine, that people don't know how to hold these two facts together and also give you comprehensive medical care at the same time.EmilyI wish that we could just have disabled people speaking with medical students as a requirement in every single medical school program. But instead, I feel like we're either completely relegated to the sidelines of conversations in medical school, or maybe we're brought up in very clinical and dehumanizing ways, and we don't stop to think holistically about a person.It's interesting, because my mom has often said—and I should note, she has the same disability that I do. So she's a wheelchair user as well. But she feels very strongly that a lot of other medical issues that I am dealing with now were overlooked when I was younger, because everybody was so hung up on my disability that nobody was offering me the support that I needed for other things that could have, in turn, prevented some of what I'm now navigating.So it seems like healthcare can't hold multiple truths at once.They can't think about your body and think about everything going on. It's either you're fat or you're disabled.VirginiaGod forbid you have a health condition that is not weight linked and not linked to your disability. That's going to throw them completely for a loop.EmilyYeah, it's very much a binary. I think that it's led to a lot of confusion among healthcare providers. Certainly, I know there have been delayed diagnoses on many, many things. I've also had it leveraged against me in terms of what I would consider chronic illness, because I would get sick pretty regularly when I was a child, and every time I would throw up, it would be thrown in my face: “Well you're eating poorly. You're not taking care of yourself.” And nobody thought to do anything to check what was actually going on. They just thought that I was not taking care of myself. Turns out I had gallstones and needed my gallbladder removed. But when people see the wheelchair, they don't take me seriously.VirginiaNo, and let's be clear: Gallstones is not a condition you can treat by eating salad. Like, that's not something you can nutrition your way out of.EmilyI could not lettuce my way out of that one.VirginiaAre there any strategies you've figured out that helps you get a doctor to cut through some of those biases, or cut through some of that noise and actually focus on what you need them to focus on?EmilyI have to rehearse what I want to say in a doctor's appointment. And I don't think I'm unique in that. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who put together their notes and think through very carefully what they want to say before they go. As much as doctors tend to be frustrated when the patient comes in and it's clear that they were reading WebMD, I've found I need to point them in the right direction, because at least it gets them started down the path that I'm hoping to explore.And I'm not saying that I think that I have years of medical school worth of expertise, but when I was little, I used to always complain to my parents, “You're not in my body. You don't know how I'm feeling.”VirginiaSo wise.EmilyAnd I think that that remains relevant. I'm not trying to be a difficult patient. But I have very strong awareness of what is happening internally and externally. And so if I come in and I seem like I have it together and I'm prepared, I feel like doctors take me more seriously. And I have a lot of privilege here, because I am a white woman. I communicate verbally. English is my first language. So in a lot of ways, I can prepare in this way. But I don't think I should have to, to get the medical care that I need.VirginiaDoctors should be meeting us where we are. We shouldn't be expected to do hours of homework in preparation in order to be treated with basic respect and dignity. And yet, it is helpful, I think, to hear okay, this labor can be beneficial, But it's a lot of extra labor, for sure.EmilyIt is, and I've broken up with doctors over it. And I've also had doctors who I think have broken up with me, for lack of a better way to put it.I have had multiple doctors who have just kind of said, “We don't know how to deal with you, therefore we are not going to deal with you.” And in seeking the care that I need, I have run into walls because of it, whether it's a literal, physical wall in the sense that I tried to seek care, because I was having GI distress. I tried to go see the doctor, and the doctor's office was not wheelchair accessible, and they told me it was my fault for not asking beforehand.VirginiaI'm sorry, what? They're a doctor's office.EmilyThe one place I actually thought I would be fine and not have to double check beforehand. So that's sort of the physical discrimination. And then getting into the office, I've had doctors who have said, “I'm sorry, I don't know how to help you.” Go see this specialist. I'm sorry, I don't know what I can do for you, and then not return my calls.VirginiaOh, I knew this conversation was going to make me mad, but it's really making me mad.EmilyAnd I say all of this is somebody, again, who has health insurance and access to transportation to get to and from doctors, and a general working knowledge of my own body and the healthcare system. But I mean, if it's this much of a nightmare for me, multiply that by other marginalized identities, and it's just absurd.VirginiaIt really is. You've kind of led us there already just in talking about these experiences, but I think there's also so much ableism embedded in how we talk about weight and health. And I thought we could unpack some of that a little bit. One that you put on my radar is all this fearmongering about how we all sit down too much, and sitting is killing us. And if you have a job that requires you to sit all day, it's taking years off your life. And yet, of course, people who use wheelchairs are sitting down. EmilyI think about this a lot, because I would say at least a few times a year some major publication releases an article that basically says we are sitting ourselves to death. And I saw one I know at least last year in the New York Times, if not this year,VirginiaNew York Times really loves this topic. They're just all over there with their standing desks, on little treadmills all day long.EmilyI actually decided to Google it before we chatted. I typed in, “New York Times, sitting is bad for you.” And just found rows of articles.EmilyThe first time that this ever really came up for me was all the way back in 2014, and I was kind of just starting out in the world of writing and putting myself out there in that way as an activist. And I came across an article that said that the more I sit, the closer I am to death, basically.It's really tough for me, because I'm sure there's a kernel of truth in the sense that if you are not moving your body, you are not taking care of your body in a way that works for you. But the idea that sitting is the devil is deeply ableist, because I need to sit. That does not mean that I cannot move around in my own way, and that does not mean that I cannot function in my own way, but it's just this idea that sitting is bad and sitting is wrong and sitting is lazy. Sitting is necessary.VirginiaSitting is just how a lot of us get things done every day, all day long.EmilyRight, exactly.VirginiaSure, there were benefits to lifestyles that involved people doing manual labor all day long and being more active. Also people died in terrible farming accidents. It's all part of that romanticization of previous generations as somehow healthier—which was objectively not true. EmilyYou make such a good point from a historical perspective. There's this idea that it's only if we're up and moving and training for a 5k that we're really being productive and giving ourselves over to the capitalist machine, but at the same time, doing that causes disability in its own way.VirginiaSure does. Sure does. I know at least two skinny runners in my local social circle dealing with the Achilles tendons ruptures. It takes a toll on your body.EmilyOr doing farm labor, as you were talking about. I mean, an agrarian society is great until you throw your back out. Then what happens?VirginiaThere are a lot of disabled folks living with the consequences of that labor. EmilyAnd I've internalized this messaging. I am not at all above any of this. I mean, I'm so in the thick of it, all the time, no matter how much work I read by fat liberation activists, no matter how much I try to ground myself in understanding that fatness does not equal badness and that sitting does not equal laziness, I am so trapped in the cycle of “I ate something that was highly caloric, and now I better do a seated chair workout video for my arm cycle.” And I say this because I'm not ashamed to admit it. I want people to understand that disabled people are like all other people. We have the same thoughts, the same feelings. We are impacted by diet culture.VirginiaGetting all the same messaging.EmilyWe are impacted by fat shaming. And I know that no matter what I would tell another person, I'm still working on it for myself.VirginiaWell, I always say: The great thing about fat liberation is you don't need to be done doing the work to show up here. We are all in a messy space with it, because it's it's hard to live in this world, in a body, period, And you have this added layer of dealing with the ableism that comes up. I mean, even in fat liberation spaces, which should be very body safe, we see ableism showing up a lot. And I'd love you to talk a little bit about how you see that manifesting.EmilyI think that this is a problem across pretty much every social justice movement. I just do Control F or Command F and type in the word “disability” on a website and see if it comes up in the mission statement, the vision, the values, what we care about, our issues. And so often it's not there and you have to go digging.And I don't say this to say that I think disability should be hierarchically more important than any other form of marginalization. I'm saying disability should be included among the list of marginalizations that we are focusing on, because it coexists with all other identities. And yet in a lot of fat liberation spaces, I still feel like I am not represented. I don't see myself. It's still a certain type of body, and that body is usually non-disabled or not disclosing that they have a non-apparent disability.I have a few people that I come across who I would say are in the fat liberation, fat activism spaces where they are also apparently disabled, and they are loud and they are proud about that. But for the most part, I still don't see myself. And I think that's where the ableism comes up, is that we are still celebrating only certain types of bodies. It's very interesting when you're in a space where the point is to celebrate all bodies, and yet all bodies are still not celebrated.VirginiaWell, and I want to dig into why that is, because I think it's something really problematic in how fat politics have developed in the last 10-20, years, As the Health at Every Size movement gathered steam and gathered a following, the message that was marketable, that was easy to center and get people interested and excited about, was you can be healthy at every size. And because we have such an ableist definition of what health is, that meant, let's show a fat person running. Let's show a fat person rock climbing. Let's show a fat ballerina. Let's show a fat weight lifter, and then you're automatically going to exclude so many people. So, so many people of other abilities.We had the folks from ASDAH on, who are the keepers of the Health at Every Size principles, and they've done a lot of work in recent years to start to shift this. They recognize that there was a real lack of centering disability, and I am really impressed with that. But in terms of the way the mainstream media talks about these concepts, certainly the way I talked about them in my own work for years, that mainstreaming of Health at Every Size was embedded with a lot of ableism.EmilyAnd I came to Health at Every Size pretty early on in my quest to lean into fatness and stop with the internalized body shame. But instead, I think it led to internalized ableism, because I then thought, well, if I'm not going to go climb Mount Everest, am I really living up to the principles of Health at Every Size?VirginiaThere was an expectation that we all had to be exceptional fat people. And that you had to be a mythbuster. And the reality is that fat people, just like any people, are not a monolith, and we don't all want to rock climb, and we can't all rock climb, and fatness can coexist with disability. It didn't make space for that.EmilyWe say the same thing about the disability community, And in the same way that there is the “good fat person,” there is the “good disabled person.” There's the disabled person who is seen as inspirational for overcoming hardship and overcoming obstacles. And I can't tell you how many times I have been patronized and infantilized and treated as though it's a miracle that I got out of bed in the morning. And I like to say to people, it's not inspiring that I got out of bed in the morning, unless you happen to know me well and know that I'm not a morning person, in which case, yes, it is very inspiring.VirginiaI am a hero today. Thank you for noticing.EmilyI mean, I say that as a joke, but it's true. There's nothing inspiring about the fact that I got out of bed in the morning, but in order to be performing at all times as the good disabled person, you have to show up in a certain way in the world. And I feel like that pressure is on me doubly, as a disabled fat person.Because not only do I have to be the good disabled person who is doing my own grocery shopping, but I need to be mindful about what it is that I'm grocery shopping for.I need to be eating the salad in front of people instead of something with a lot of cheese on it, right? So I feel like, no matter what I do when I'm in public, I'm putting on a performance, or at least I'm expected to. I've started to be able to work through that. Years of therapy and a healthy relationship. But for a very long time, if I wasn't the ideal disabled person and the ideal fat person in every way, then I was doing something wrong, rather than that society was wrong for putting that on me.VirginiaAnd it just feels like that's so much bound up in capitalism, in the way we equate someone's value with their productivity, with their ability to earn and produce and achieve. I haven't lived as a disabled person, but I have a kid with a disability, and in the years when we were navigating much more intensely her medical condition, I definitely felt the pressure to be the A+ medical mom, the mom of the disabled kid. There are a lot of expectations on that, too. I had to know the research better than any doctor in the room. I had to have all these strategies for her social emotional health. And I had to, of course, be managing the nutrition. And I can remember feeling like, when do I get to just exist? Like, when do we get to just exist as mother and daughter? When do I get to just be a person? Because there was so much piled on there. So I can only imagine lit being your whole life is another level.EmilyI feel like I'm always putting on a show for people. I always need to do my homework. I always need to be informed. And this manifested at such an early age because I internalized this idea that, yes, I'm physically disabled. I can't play sports. So I need to make academics into my sports, and I need to do everything I can to make sure I'm getting As and hundreds on every test. And that was my way of proving my worth.And then, well, I can't be a ballerina, but I can still participate in adaptive dance classes. And I try to get as close as I can to being the quote, unquote, normal kid. And let me say there's, there's nothing wrong with adaptive programs. There's nothing wrong with all of those opportunities. But I think that they're all rooted somewhat in this idea that all disabled children should be as close to normalcy as possible. Some arbitrary definition of it.VirginiaYes, and the definition of normal is again, so filtered through capitalism, productivity, achievement. We need different definitions. We need diversity. We need other ways of being and modeling. EmilyAbsolutely. And what it comes down to is your life is no less worth living because you're sitting down.VirginiaAmazing that you have to say that out loud, but thank you for saying it.EmilyI really wish somebody had said it to me. There's so much pressure on us at all times to be better, to be thinner, to make our bodies as acceptable as possible, in spite of our disabilities, if that makes sense.There are thin and beautiful and blonde, blue-eyed, gorgeous women with disabilities. And I'm not saying that that's my ideal. I'm just saying that's mainstream society's ideal. And that's the disabled woman who will get the role when the media is trying to be inclusive, who will land the cover of the magazine when a company is trying to be inclusive. But I don't feel like I'm part of that equation. And I'm not saying this to insult anybody's body, because everybody's body is valid the way that it is. But what I am saying is that I still don't feel like there's a place for me, no matter how much we talk about disability rights and justice, no matter how much we talk about fat liberation, no matter how much privilege I hold, I still feel like I am somehow wrong.VirginiaIt's so frustrating. And I'm sorry that that that has to be your experience, that that's what you're up against. It sucks.EmilyDo you ever feel like these are just therapy sessions instead of podcasts?VirginiaI mean. It's often therapy for me. So yes.Not to pivot to an even more uplifting topic, but I also wanted to talk about the MAHA of it all a little bit. Everything you're saying has always been true, and this is a particularly scary and vulnerable time to be disabled.We have a Secretary of Health who says something fatphobic and/or ableist every time he opens his mouth, we have vaccine access under siege. I could go on and on. By the time this episode airs, there will be 10 new things he's done that are terrifying. It's a lot right now. How are you doing with that?EmilyIt's really overwhelming, and I know I'm not alone in feeling that. And I'll say literally, two days ago, I went and got my covid booster and my flu vaccine, and I was so happy to get those shots in my arm. I am a big believer in vaccination. And I'm not trying to drum up all the controversy here,VirginiaThis is a pro-vaccine podcast, if anyone listening does not feel that way, I'm sorry, there are other places you can work that out. I want everyone to get their covid and flu shots.EmilyI give that caveat because in the disability community, there's this weird cross section of people who are anti-vaccine and think that it's a disability rights issue that they are anti-vaccine. So it's just a very messy, complicated space to be in. But I make no bones about the fact that I am very, very pro-vaccine.More broadly, it's a really interesting time to be disabled and to be a fat disabled person, because on the one hand, technically, if you're immunocompromised or more vulnerable, you probably have better vaccine access right now.VirginiaBecause you're still in the ever-narrowing category of people who are eligible.EmilySo somehow being disabled is working out in my favor a little bit at the moment, but at the same time, as I say that, RFK is also spreading immense amounts of incorrect information about disability, about fitness, about what bodies can and should be doing. And he's so hung up on finding the causes and then curing autism.VirginiaNobody asked him to do that.EmilyYeah. Like, no one. Or, actually, the problem is a few people said that they wanted it because people are very loud. Also, I saw that he reintroduced the Presidential physical fitness test.VirginiaLike I don't have enough reasons to be mad at this man. I was just like, what are you doing, sir?EmilySo on the one hand, he's sort of inadvertently still protecting disabled people, if you want to call it that, by providing access to vaccines. But mostly he's just making it a lot harder to survive as a disabled person.I am genuinely fearful for what is going to happen the longer he is at the helm of things and continues to dismantle basic access to health care. Because more people are going to become disabled. And I'm not saying that being disabled is a bad thing, but I am saying, if something is completely preventable, what are you doing?VirginiaRight? Right? Yes, if we lose herd immunity, we're going to have more people getting the things we vaccinate against.EmilyMany of the major players in the disability rights movement as it was budding in the 1960s and the 1970s were disabled because of polio. I am very glad that they existed. I am very, very glad that these people fought for our rights. I'm also very, very glad that there's a polio vaccine.VirginiaI guess this is a two part question. Number one, is there anything you want folks to be doing specifically in response to RFK? I mean, call your representatives. But if you have other ideas for advocacy, activism work you'd like to see people engaging in. And two, I'm curious for folks who want to be good disability allies: What do you want us doing more of?EmilyI am a big believer in focusing on things that feel attainable, and that doesn't mean don't call your reps, and that doesn't mean don't get out there and be loud. But sometimes starting where you are can make the most difference. And so if it feels really overwhelming and you're not gonna get up tomorrow and go to Washington, DC and join a protest, that's okay. If you don't feel like you have the capacity to pick up the phone and call your representatives tomorrow, that's okay, too. But if you can impact the perspective of one person in your life, I genuinely believe that has a ripple effect, and I think that we underestimate the power of that. Throw one stone in the ocean. All of those ripples create the wave. And so if you have somebody in your life who is being ableist in some way, whether it is through anti-vax sentiment, whether it is through the language that they use, whether it is through the assumptions that they make about people with disabilities, try to take the time to educate that person. You may not change the whole system. You may not even change that person's mind. But at least give them an opening to have a conversation, offer them the tools and the resources point them in the right direction. And I know that that's really hard and really exhausting, and that sometimes it feels like people are a lost cause, but I have been able to meet people where they are in that way. Where, if I show up with the research, if I show up with the resources, if I say I'm willing to meet you halfway here, I'm not demanding that you change all your views overnight, but will you at least give me a chance to have a conversation? That's genuinely meaningful. So that's my best advice. And I know that it's not going to change everything, but I'm still a believer in the power of conversation.VirginiaThat's really helpful, because I think we do avoid those conversations, but you're right. If you go in with the mindset of, I don't have to totally change this person on everything, but if I can move the needle just a little bit with them, that does something I think that feels a lot more doable and accessible.EmilyAnd I think it also is about honoring your own capacity. If you are a person who is marginalized in multiple ways, and you are tired of having those conversations, it is okay to set that weight down and let somebody else have the conversations.VirginiaThat is a good use of the able-bodied allies in your life. Put us to work tell us to do the thing because it shouldn't be on you all the time.EmilyAnd I'm more than happy to have these conversations and more than happy to educate but it's empowering when we can do it on our own terms, and we're not often given that opportunity, because we have to be activists and advocates for ourselves at every turn. And so sometimes when somebody else picks up that load, that means a lot.ButterEmilyI thought about this a lot.VirginiaEverybody does. It's a high pressure question.EmilyI am in the last stages of wedding planning. So my recommendation is more from a self care perspective. When you are in the throes of something incredibly chaotic, and when you are in the throes of navigating the entire world while also trying to plan something joyful—lean into that joy. My recommendation is to lean into your joy. I know I could recommend like a food or a TV show or something, but I think it's more about like, what is that thing that brings joy to you? I bought these adorable gluten-free pumpkin cookies that have little Jack O'Lantern faces on them. And I'm doing my re-watch of Gilmore Girls, which is a wildly problematic and fatphobic show, and ableist.VirginiaIt sure is. But it's such a good comfort watch too.EmilyIt's making me feel a little cozy right now. I think my recommendation is just lean into your joy. You don't need to solve all the world's problems. And I don't say that without complete and total awareness of everything going on in the world. I'm not setting that aside. But I'm also saying that if we don't take time to take off our activist hats and just be for a few moments, we will burn out and be much less useful to the movements that we're trying to contribute to.So I hope that is taken in the spirit with which it was given, which is not ignoring the world.VirginiaIt's clear you're not ignoring the world. But when you're doing a big, stressful thing, finding the joy in it is so great.Well, my Butter is a more specific, more tangible thing, but it's very much related to that, which is my 12 year old and I are getting really into doing our nails. And my Butter is bad nail art because I'm terrible at it, but it's giving me a lot of joy to, like, try to do little designs. I don't know if you can see on camera.EmilyI've been looking at your nails the whole time, and I love the color. It's my favorite color, but can you describe what's on it?VirginiaSo I've done like, little polka dots, like, so my thumb has all the polka dots in all different colors, and then every finger is like a different color of polka dots. I don't feel like the colors are translating on screen.EmilyAnd by the way, it's a bright teal nail polish.VirginiaIt's a minty green teal color. My 12 year old and I, we watch shows together in the evening after their younger sibling goes to bed. And we just like about once a week, she breaks out her Caboodle, which brings me great joy, as a former 80s and 90s girl, that has all her polishes in it, and we sit there and do our nails. And it's very low stakes. I work from home, it doesn't matter what my nails look like. Last night, I tried to do this thing where you put a star shaped sticker on, and then put the polish over it, and then peel off the sticker to have like a little star stencil. It was an utter fail, like I saw it on Instagram. It looked amazing. It looked like trash on my nails. But it's like, so fun to try something crafty that you can just be bad at and have fun with.EmilyOh, I love that for you. I really miss the days where I would wear like, bright, glittery eyeshadow and stick-on earrings.VirginiaIt is totally bringing me back to my stick on earring years. And I have all these friends who get beautiful nails done, like gels, or they have elaborate home systems. And I'm just, like, showing up to things with, like, a weird cat I painted on my nail that's like, half chipped off.EmilyI think that's the right vibe for the moment.VirginiaIt's super fun and a good bonding activity with tweens who don't always want to talk to their mom. So it's nice when we get there.EmilyYou're reminding me to go hug my mom.VirginiaPlease everyone, go hug your moms, especially if you were once 12 years old! Emily, this was wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Tell folks where we can find you and how we can be supporting your work.EmilyYeah. So I would say the best place to find me is Substack. My Substack is called Words I Wheel By or you can find me on Instagram. But most importantly, I just love connecting and being here to support people wherever they are on their journey. So I hope people will take me up on that.VirginiaThank you, and I always appreciate you in the Burnt Toast comments too. So thanks for being a part of the space with us.The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undies.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Farideh.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

Emily Ladau's award-winning book Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally breaks down terminology, history and allyship around disability.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Sesame Street to the streets of advocacy, Emily Ladau has been using her voice to shift perspectives and spark change since the age of ten. Born with Larsen syndrome and never one to shy away from the spotlight, she's shown the world that disability is not a deficit—it's a story worth telling in full color and full volume. Whether through her editorial leadership, her bestselling book Demystifying Disability, or simply through conversations that crack open compassion, Emily leads with heart, humor, and honesty. In this conversation, we talk Big Bird, big myths, and even bigger truths—one question at a time.Featuring: Emily LadauInterviewed by: Allié McGuireMusic by: Alon PeretzProduced by: AwareNow MediaIn Partnership with: Change For Balance

Check out these links and extra resources Lauren mentioned during the show: https://emilyladau.com/ Emily Ladau's podcast https://www.theaccessiblestall.com/ ASSUME THAT I CAN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92ivgabfdPQ "Our negative assumptions about people with Down syndrome can lead us to treat them in such a way that these assumptions become reality. In sociology, this is called a 'self-fulfilling prophecy.' Why not reverse our perspectives? If we have positive assumptions about people with Down syndrome, they will have opportunities at school, at work, in relationships, and in other activities. And maybe these positive assumptions will become reality." “I'm Guilty”: People Check Their Own Biases Against Down Syndrome After Watching New Ad https://www.boredpanda.com/powerful-new-ad-challenges-stereotypes-about-down-syndrome/ From What If to What Next podcast Episode 63 - What if disability justice, deep inclusion and liberation were centred in healthcare, education and the arts? https://fromwhatiftowhatnext.libsyn.com/63-what-if-disability-justice-deep-inclusion-and-liberation-were-centred-in-healthcare-education-and-the-arts Episode 64 - What if the Black Fantastic reshaped the world? https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/64-what-if-the-black-fantastic-reshaped-the-world/id1538281063?i=1000586919985 Episode 97 - What if there was an alternative to capitalism, after all? https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/97-what-if-there-was-an-alternative-to-capitalism-after-all/id1538281063?i=1000648727593 Imperfect Resources, including a guide to 2SLGBTQ2AI++ inclusion, an inclusive language guide, ableist words and terms to avoid, and more https://www.theimperfect.network/resources --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/booksapplied/support

A theme we often touch upon on this show is how the discourse surrounding neurodivergence and the language used when referring to neurodivergence is ever-evolving. I've observed on social media and in other spaces how conversations about terminology can be confusing, divisive, alienating, and complicated to navigate. Disability is one of those terms that can be uncomfortable for some people, including parents of neurodivergent kids, to embrace, but my hope is that this conversation will help you have a deeper understanding of what it means to be disabled, how ableism shows up and hurts all members of the disability community, including our kids, and how we can be better allies in the disability To talk about this, I invited disability rights activist and writer Emily Ladau onto the show. Emily wrote a wonderful book called Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally, and in today's conversation, we explore some of the core ideas in her book. As always, we covered a lot of ground in this episode, including what it actually means to be disabled, why the euphemism “special needs” is problematic for many people, how ableism is normalized in our society, disability etiquette do's and dont's to keep in mind for future interactions, and so much more.   About Emily Ladau Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. Her writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Vice, and HuffPost and her first book, Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally, was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in September 2021. Emily has spoken before numerous audiences, from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. Central to all of Emily's work is harnessing the power of storytelling to engage people in learning about disability.   Things you'll learn from this episode The difference between models of disability, including the medical, social, and charity model Why it's critical that we recognize and address internalized ableism in order to promote inclusivity What intersectionality is and ways disability intersects with other marginalized identities What should be considered when looking at accommodations and accessibility when meeting the diverse needs of individuals Do's, don't's and best practices when it comes to disability etiquette   Resources mentioned for Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally Emily Ladau's website Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally by Emily Ladau The Accessible Stall (Emily's podcast) Words I Wheel By (Emily's Facebook page) Emily on Instagram Emily on LinkedIn Tyler Fedder (Illustrator) D'Arcee Neal The Platinum Rule   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's episode of Off-Kilter, Rebecca sat back down with Emily Ladau. She's the editor of the Voices of Disability Economic Justice Project and the author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally. She's someone who's done an immense amount throughout her career to shift narratives on disability in the United States and is a master storyteller whose many superpowers also include supporting other people in telling their stories. They had a far-ranging conversation about the Voices of Disability Economic Justice Project as it comes up on its one-year anniversary; why it's so important for people with disabilities to get to tell their own stories; why storytelling is critical to policy and culture change; how she ended up on Sesame Street; why she wrote her book Demystifying Disability; and lots more.  Links from this episode: Check out Emily's book Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally Follow Emily on Twitter/X @emily_ladau  Learn more about the Voices project and how to write for it Here is the Off-Kilter episode feat. Emily with writer Alex Ashley Fox on the harms that come from autistic people being forced to mask at work, and here is Alex's Voices piece

About The Guest(s):Andy Arias: DEIA expert, national policy advisor, instructor at Georgetown University, actor, and producer.Diego Mariscal: Founder, CEO, and Chief Disabled Officer of 2Gether International, an accelerator that supports disabled entrepreneurs.Emily Ladau: Disability rights activist, author of "Demystifying Disability," and board member of Kids Included Together.Summary: In this episode, Torrie Dunlop hosts a panel discussion with Andy Arias, Diego Mariscal, and Emily Liddell to honor the legacy of Judy Heumann, a pioneer and advocate in the disability rights movement. The panelists discuss how Judy's work has inspired their own activism, the most important issues facing the disability community today, and the impact of intersectionality in disability rights. They also share personal stories and reflections on Judy as a person, highlighting her generosity, humor, and commitment to connecting people. The panelists discuss how they plan to continue Judy's legacy in their own work, emphasizing the importance of authentic representation and collaboration in the disability community.Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/_LOEalVNz27i_mdqvHaNnXHQVqQKey Takeaways:Judy Heumann's legacy is characterized by her commitment to collaboration, community building, and intersectionality in the disability rights movement.The most important issues facing the disability community today are interconnected and require a holistic approach to address barriers in healthcare, employment, education, transportation, and more.Judy's impact as a person extended beyond her advocacy work, as she was known for her humor, generosity, and genuine interest in connecting with others.To honor Judy's legacy, it is crucial to prioritize authentic representation and collaboration in all aspects of disability rights work, including storytelling, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship.Kids Included Together: https://www.kit.org/Andy Arias: https://www.instagram.com/andyswheelz/Diego Mariscal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Diego-Mariscal/Emily Ladau: https://emilyladau.com/ Support Think Inclusive by becoming a patron! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Disability Pride Month, Dr. Stephanie Van, a Johns Hopkins rehabilitation physician and founder of YouTube's @‌ThisAbilityClinic, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about her work as a pain management specialist and disability advocate. They discuss how she helps patients with newly acquired disabilities and what she's learned about the disability community in the process, as well as what needs to change from the individuals to industries to make the world a little more inclusive. This episode is also available as a video here: https://youtu.be/T2PUYFOBVYk  Learn more about disability and accessibility with the resources recommended in this episode by Dr. Van: Hashtags to follow on social media: #Disability, #Accessibility, #DisabilityVisibility Read or listen: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau

Like most other parents, my sense of identity forever changed with the arrival of my disabled child. And in many ways, it's helped me to embrace (at least on good days!) a lifestyle I used to resent. But I've noticed a pushback from the disability community in claiming our child's disabilities as part of our own identities. So, of course, we had to examine this controversial and intimate topic with the best of the best. In this conversation with famed disability activist, speaker, and author of Demystifying Disability, Emily Ladau and Amanda Griffith-Atkins guest from Ep. 81 and mom to a disabled teen, we tackle questions like: Is it ok for us as parents to find identity in our children's disabilities? If so, where is the line? IS there a line? How can I respect both my child's lived experience and my own? Can I share those experiences on social media? How can parents and disabled people soften towards each other and put down the proverbial weapons? *This is a rebroadcast of one of my favorite episodes of The Rare Life for you to listen to while we work on production for season 8, coming in August! If you'd like to discuss this episode with other members of The Rare Life community, we'll be holding three different meetings run by our amazing group facilitators every Tuesday at 8pm in PST/CST/EST. Fill out our contact form to get the Zoom link each week!* Links: Sign up to get an invitation for our community discussions every Tuesday during the off-season! Purchase Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau via Penguin House or Amazon. Listen to The Accessible Stall podcast Follow Emily on Instagram. Follow Amanda on Instagram. Follow Madeline on Instagram. Listen to Ep. 81: Health Anxiety w/ Amanda Griffith-Atkins, LMFT Listen to Ep. 54: Disabled Adult Perspective w/ Erica Stearns Listen to Ep. 77: To Those Who Cannot Say, “I Wouldn't Have them Any Other Way” Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. Donate to the podcast via Buy Me a Coffee. Contact me about sponsoring the podcast. Follow the Facebook page. Access the transcript on the website here. And if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app!

**This is the voiceover version. There are two versions of this episode! One where you can hear directly from Hannah, and one where we used an AI voiceover. If you have hearing loss or auditory processing difficulties, or are listening in a noisy car, the voiceover version is here for you to access this awesome conversation! Have you ever given much thought to the terminology we use to describe our medically complex kids (and ourselves)? The words we use might seem inconsequential at first glance, but I'm talking with Kari Harbath (mom to a disabled daughter) and Hannah Setzer (disabled activist), to explain why the terms we use for our kids are really important and set the tone for how disabled children and adults can move about in the world. In this episode, Hannah describes her experience as a disabled child and now a disabled adult and why she prefers the term “disabled” instead of special needs. She and Kari also discuss how they've heard the term “special” used in society and why that just isn't an ideal description for our kids. And I want to add, this conversation isn't about calling out or shaming anyone! We're just here to give you another perspective and offer you an alternative to some very popular (but kind of infantilizing) terms often used in wider society. We're so grateful that you're here and willing to tackle topics like this with us. Links: Watch this episode with subtitles on YouTube. Get a copy of Hannah's book “I'll Pray for You: and Other Outrageous Things Said to Disabled People.” Get a copy of Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau. Listen to Ep 85 with Emily Ladau and Amanda Griffith-Atkins on the identity of parents related to their disabled children. Listen to Ep 121: When Strangers “Just Ask” with disabled author James Catchpole. Listen to Episode 10 and Episode 11 to hear Kari's first episodes on The Rare Life. Follow Hannah on Instagram! Follow Kari (and Sloan) on Instagram! Follow me on Instagram! Donate to the podcast via Buy Me a Coffee. Contact me about sponsoring the podcast.

**This is the original version. A voiceover version is available on this platform. If you have hearing loss or auditory processing difficulties, or are listening in a noisy car, the voiceover version is here for you to access this awesome conversation! Have you ever given much thought to the terminology we use to describe our medically complex kids (and ourselves)? The words we use might seem inconsequential at first glance, but I'm talking with Kari Harbath (mom to a disabled daughter) and Hannah Setzer (disabled activist), to explain why the terms we use for our kids are really important and set the tone for how disabled children and adults can move about in the world. In this episode, Hannah describes her experience as a disabled child and now a disabled adult and why she prefers the term “disabled” instead of special needs. She and Kari also discuss how they've heard the term “special” used in society and why that just isn't an ideal description for our kids. And I want to add, this conversation isn't about calling out or shaming anyone! We're just here to give you another perspective and offer you an alternative to some very popular (but kind of infantilizing) terms often used in wider society. We're so grateful that you're here and willing to tackle topics like this with us.   Links: Watch this episode with subtitles ⁠on YouTube.⁠ Get a copy of Hannah's book “I'll Pray for You: and Other Outrageous Things Said to Disabled People.” Get a copy of Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau. Listen to Ep 85 with Emily Ladau and Amanda Griffith-Atkins on the identity of parents related to their disabled children. Listen to Ep 121: When Strangers “Just Ask” with disabled author James Catchpole. Listen to Episode 10 and Episode 11 to hear Kari's first episodes on The Rare Life. Follow Hannah on Instagram! Follow Kari (and Sloan) on Instagram! Follow me on Instagram! Donate to the podcast via Buy Me a Coffee. Contact me about sponsoring the podcast. Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. Access the transcript on the website here. And if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app!

Author of Demystifying Disability, Emily Ladau, discusses her experiences with ableism and invasive questions on dating apps, and dealing with breakups. Erin and Lily join Emily in sharing their cringiest first dates and how to know when love is real.

Parenting a child with medical complexity or disability often means learning a ton of new skills—and new systems—often in a very short period. Making that process more difficult is the fact that many of the individuals working in those systems, like special education professionals and therapists, aren't actually parents of disabled children if they even have children at all. And because of this, communication between both sides can be... let's just say difficult at times. Here to help bridge the gap is a former Sp. Ed. professional and mom to a disabled son, Tiffany Goodchild.   In today's episode, Tiffany shares all the things she wishes she had known as a Sp. Ed. professional before she had her son. She shares difficult experiences that she's had navigating the Sp. Ed. system, even after having worked in it for years, and it's her goal to help educate other special education professionals to make the special education system better for both professionals and kids.  To this end, we've made digital and printable flyers that you can send to the Sp. Ed. Professionals in your life. We'd love for you to send this episode to anyone who works in special education so we can make the system work better for everyone. Get a copy of the flyers here.  Finally, an extra special thanks to Trexo for sponsoring this episode! Check out their website and Instagram to see their amazing robotic devices in action!  Links:  Visit Trexo's website to get more information about their assistive devices.  Follow Trexo on Instagram to see their products in action.  Send this flyer to your Sp. Ed. professionals! Printable version or digital.   Get a copy of No Such Thing as Normal by Megan DeJarnett.  Get a copy of Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau.   Listen to Ep. 59 about IEPs with Catherine Whitcher, M. Ed.  Listen to Ep. 68: Dipping My Toes into Educational Advocacy.  Check out the Kourageous Karter Foundation.  Follow Tiffany on Instagram!  Follow me on Instagram!  Donate to the podcast via Buy Me a Coffee.   Contact me about sponsoring the podcast.  Follow the Facebook page.   Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions.   Access the transcript on the website here.   And if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app! 

Welcome to Awesome Etiquette, where we explore modern etiquette through the lens of consideration, respect and honesty. On today's show we take your questions on bringing a cocktail to the dinner table, passing by others at a theater, telling a stranger their shirt is inside out, and neighbors letting themselves in. For Awesome Etiquette Sustaining members our question is about calling people Miss, Mrs. or Mr. Plus your most excellent feedback, etiquette salute and a postscript with the second half of our interview with Emily Ladau author of Demystifying Disability, what to know, what to say and how to be an ally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Awesome Etiquette, where we explore modern etiquette through the lens of consideration, respect and honesty. On today's show we take your questions on hiring a makeup artist at a gay wedding, getting ready to go through security at the airport, getting a bonus you don't want, and enjoying what's on the rim of a cocktail. For Awesome Etiquette Sustaining members our question is about paying the bill when having dinner with your partner's mother for the first time. Plus your most excellent feedback, etiquette salute and a postscript on the first half of our interview with Emily Ladau Author of Demystifying Disability, what to know what to say and how to be an ally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome Em Williams, Supervisor for Media Accessibility at AMI. She recommends Demystifying Disability, by Emily Ladau, a welcoming read for anyone new to disability conversation.

Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. Her writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and HuffPost. Her first book, Demystifying Disability, was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in September 2021. Emily has spoken before numerous audiences, from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations. Central to all of her work is a focus on and harnessing the power of storytelling as a tool for people to become engaged in disability and social justice issues. Timeline of the podcast: 00:10 - 01:24 Intro 01:25 - 03:00 Emily Ladau's background 03:05 - 05:02 Emily's definition of disability and concept of ableism 05:03 - 08:00 Language of Disability 08:01 - 10:17 Language of Disability 10:25 - 13:40 Intersectionality as it relates to disability discussion 13:45 - 15:12 Role of parents 15:15 - 16:30 What is infantilization? 16:35 -17:37 Current concerns in the community? 17:40 -18:35 Closing Remarks Emily's call to action: “Disability is not negative or shameful and allyship is action. This podcast was produced by Marsh Naidoo, Makendra Ezell, and Tanya Sierra. Melissa Mittelstaedt provided captioning and transcription at https://www.melissamitt.com/uaccess Link to transcript Related resources on the podcast and blog: https://www.raisingkellan.org/the-models-and-language-of-disability/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marsh-naidoo/message

With the surge in popularity and need for hybrid and virtual events, Lou sits down with Intel's Director of Accessibility, Darryl Adams, to discuss how technology can make in-person and virtual conferences more accessible and inclusive to speakers and audience members with disabilities. He also speaks to how accessible conference design can be improved and fine-tuned for speakers with disabilities, and help those without disabilities feel more comfortable presenting. What kind of accessibility principles and design factors should conference hosts consider for audience members with disabilities and those without disabilities when setting up for in-person and virtual events? How does this technology increase engagement and diversity in attendance? Listen as Darryl and Lou touch on all these topics, and more. Darryl Adams recommends: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau Darryl Adams is the Director of Accessibility at Intel. Darryl leads a team that works at the intersection of technology and human experience helping discover new ways for people with disabilities to work, interact, and thrive. Darryl's mission is to connect his passion for technology innovation with Intel's disability inclusion efforts to help make computing and access to digital information more accessible for everyone and to make Intel an employer of choice for employees with disabilities. For the full transcript: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/announcements/podcast-making-conferences-more-accessible-with-darryl-adams-intels-director-of-accessibility/

On this month's episode we chat with Kendra Winchester of Book Riot and Read Appalachia. We talk about audiobooks and why they DO count as reading, Disability Pride Month, Appalachian writing and literature, podcasting, and more. About this month's guest: Kendra Winchester is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature. She is also the Founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as Executive Director for Reading Women, a podcast that gained an international following over its six-season run. In her off hours, you can find her writing on her Substack, Winchester Ave, and posting photos of her Corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester. Use promo code: LIBROPODCAST when signing up for a Libro.fm memberhsip to get an extra free credit to use on any audiobook. Audiobooks mentioned in this episode: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau Disability Visibility by Alice Wong True Biz by Sara Novic Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

Have you ever had a moment when you just weren't sure what to say or do in relation to someone who has a disability? Perhaps you were nervous that you would say or do the wrong thing and offend someone?  There are lots of good people out there - you are probably one of them - who want to address ableism in themselves but are frankly too nervous to put themselves out there are risk messing up.  This week on the podcast I interviewed Emily Ladau. Emily is the author of Demystifying Disability.  Emily says, “the goal of demystifying disability was not to be the definitive encyclopedia or Bible on disability. It wasn't to speak for every single disabled person. It wasn't to say that I am the authority and the expert on disability because I'm none of those things, right? I'm only one person, but it was just my way of offering an overture, offering a way to bridge the gap for so many people who maybe don't know how to talk about disability, the language to use, maybe don't know about some of the history. Maybe they're not sure about media representation or etiquette. And I wanted to say, Hey, here's a safe place to start.” Emily's book might just be what you are looking for. If you don't need a primer on disability, I'm sure you know someone who does.  Not sure? Listen to the episode here. 

In the latest episode of Edelman Editions and our Powered by GWEN series, Ishtar Schneider, Director of Health at Edelman, caught up with Shani Dhanda, TedX speaker, award-winning disability specialist and advocate. In this episode, Shani shares her thoughts on the definition of disability and ‘ableism', provides tips on how to be a better ally to the disability community and aims to supports listeners to have confident conversations about disability within business and the wider community.

This month Avery read Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau. She goes over the content, main themes, and tone of the book and shares what she learned, critiques, and her honest recommendation on whether to read or skip it.

Like most other parents, my sense of identity forever changed with the arrival of my disabled child. And in many ways, it's helped me to embrace (at least on good days!) a lifestyle I used to resent. But I've noticed a pushback from the disability community in claiming our child's disabilities as part of our own identities. So, of course, we had to examine this controversial and intimate topic with the best of the best. In this conversation with famed disability activist, speaker, and author of Demystifying Disability, Emily Ladau and Amanda Griffith-Atkins guest from Ep. 81 and mom to a disabled teen, we tackle questions like: Is it ok for us as parents to find identity in our children's disabilities? If so, where is the line? IS there a line? How can I respect both my child's lived experience and my own? Can I share those experiences on social media? How can parents and disabled people soften towards each other and put down the proverbial weapons? Links: Check out our sponsor WorthyBrands Eye and Port Patches. Purchase Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau via Penguin House or Amazon. Listen to The Accessible Stall podcast Follow Emily on Instagram. Follow Amanda on Instagram. Follow Madeline on Instagram. Listen to Ep. 81: Health Anxiety w/ Amanda Griffith-Atkins, LMFT Listen to Ep. 54: Disabled Adult Perspective w/ Erica Stearns Listen to Ep. 77: To Those Who Cannot Say, “I Wouldn't Have them Any Other Way”

Guest Emily Ladau, disability rights activist joins to share her personal experiences, as well as insights from her book, Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally. She discusses how we ought to redefine the term disability, the opportunity gaps for people with disabilities and how individuals, companies and lawmakers can help advance professional and financial opportunities for the community. Want more articles and videos by Farnoosh? Check out www.cnet.com/somoney. Subscribe to her weekly So Money newsletter for the latest updates and advice. Catch her weekly money videos on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I talk with Barb Zablotney, who sustained a spinal cord injury when she was just 21-years-old. She spent a decade in a very dark place. Her mother passed away and she lost her relationship with her fiance, but then she became Miss Wheelchair Pennsylvania. This wasn't a beauty pageant, although Barb is certainly beautiful. It was an honor bestowed on her for her ideas, ability to articulate those ideas and her dedication to advocacy for the community she finds herself a part of--the disability community. Barb is a model for Team Torrid, was featured in a commercial for the UPMC Health Plan, lobbied politicians in Harrisburg and D.C. and much more!  In this podcast, Barb reveals her goal of independence and how she wishes people would treat her. She also talked with me about what she wants abled-bodied people to know about the disabilities community. She has written an article on accessible parking http://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/ODN/DailyAmerican/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=SZDA%2F2020%2F09%2F25&entity=Ar02002&sk=5FBA4DE0&mode=text (here) and recommended the book, https://www.amazon.com/Demystifying-Disability-What-Know-Ally/dp/1984858971/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PMJTRE681QAE&keywords=demystifying+disability&qid=1636340907&sprefix=demyst%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1 (Demystifying Disability) by Emily Ladau for people interested in knowing more than we could possibly cover in a 30-minute podcast. If you would like to learn more from Barb, you can follow her on social media: https://www.facebook.com/barbzablotney (Facebook), https://www.instagram.com/therollingrainbow/ (Instagram) and https://www.youtube.com/c/RollingRainbowBarb (YouTube). 

At only 2.5 years old, Ivy has already faced discrimination based on her disability. In this episode, her mom Vanessa McLeod shares what that's been like for her to advocate to give her daughter everything she deserves in life. She talks about the ableism they've encountered, and her blazing confidence that Ivy will live a fulfilled life. She insists again and again that her daughter's disability is not sad at all—it's wonderful. Links: Follow Vanessa on Instagram @venessamcleod_ Follow Madeline on Instagram @the_rare_life Follow The Rare Life on Facebook. Check out our appointment day merch! Support the show and become a Patreon. Vanessa's Recommended Resources: Crimp Camp on Netflix (film) Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau (book) Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig (book) Instagram Accounts: @nina_tame @sitting_pretty @wheelchair_rapunzel @disabled_eliza @thislittlemiggy @emilyladau @theheumannperspective

In Episode 59, Emily Ladau, Disability Rights Activist, Author, and Communications Consultant at Words I Wheel By, introduces the topic of disability through an insightful discussion with Melinda on systemic ableism, disability history, representation, and rights. Emily explains why it's alright to use the term 'disabled', how accommodation and inclusion should be viewed upon, and how we can build allyship within the disability community.About EmilyEmily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10 when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. She serves as the Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog, a platform dedicated to amplifying authentic narratives on the disability experience through an intersectional lens.Find Leading With Empathy & Allyship useful? Subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!For more about Change Catalyst, and to join us for our monthly live event, visit https://ally.cc. There, you'll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.Connect On SocialYouTube: youtube.com/c/changecatalystTwitter: twitter.com/changecatalystsFacebook: facebook.com/changecatalystsInstagram: instagram.com/techinclusionLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/changecatalystsProduction TeamCreator & Host: Melinda Briana EplerProject Manager: Emilie MaasFinance & Operations: Renzo SantosMarketing Communications Coordinator: Christina Swindlehurst ChanCreative Director @ Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo with the Change Catalyst logo and photos of Emily Ladau; a White woman who is wearing glasses and has curly brown hair pulled back halfway, with the rest framing her face. She is wearing a black dress dotted with red flowers and green leaves. She is sitting in a power wheelchair, facing the camera, and smiling. One of her hands is resting in her lap and the other hand is resting on the joystick of her wheelchair, turned so that a tattoo of a peacock feather is visible on her inner arm; and host Melinda Briana Epler; a White woman with red hair, glasses, and orange shirt holding a white mug behind a laptop.]Support the show (http://patreon.com/changecatalysts)

Disability Rights Activist Emily Ladau is discussing her new book “Demystifying Disability” and the importance of allyship for the disability community. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wid-org/support

Emily Ladau Here's a number for you, 1 billion. One billion people is the estimated number of disabled people in the world. One billion. One in 8 people on the planet. That means that each of us knows someone, likely many someones, with a disability whether visible or hidden. Yet disability is a subject that most of us give little or no thought to. Disability activist Emily Ladau joined me on the podcast to talk about Demystifying Disability, which is also the title of her new book. Emily and I talked about how to normalize disability as simply another part of the human experience. We spoke about the impact of intersecting marginalized identities and how diverse the disability community is. At the end of our talk I knew a lot more than I had before and increased my comfort level in how to talk about disability with members of both the disability and non disabled communities.  One billion people. Maybe we should be paying more attention to this than we typically do. For a written transcript of this conversation click here. About Emily: Emily Ladau is an author and disability rights activist whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. Her writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and HuffPost and her first book, Demystifying Disability, was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in September 2021. Emily's Action Items: 1) Listen to, learn from, and amplify the voices of the disabled 2) Know when to pass the mic 3) Take the time to get to know and understand the disability experience Resources: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau Connect with Emily: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Credits: Harmonica music courtesy of a friend  

September 13, 2021 Discussion on the book "Demystifying Disability," Good Intentions by Dr. Farid Holakouee

S6 E63: In this episode, meet Editor-in-Chief of Highlights Magazine Christine French Cully, founder of PrepMatters Ned Johnson, and disability activist, podcast host, and public speaker Emily Ladau. Hear Christine French Cully reflect on the ways Highlights has brought joy and comfort to children (for 75 years and counting!), Ned Johnson on language parents can use to promote motivation and stress tolerance in teens, and Emily Ladau on making the disability experience accessible to everyone. Plus, learn what it was like for these authors to record their audiobooks. Dear Highlights by Christine French Cully: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/704307/dear-highlights/ What Do You Say? by William Stixrud, PhD and Ned Johnson: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/624704/what-do-you-say/ Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/646508/demystifying-disability/

In this episode, I'm joined by Emily Ladau, disability rights activist & author of Demystifying Disability, to chat about her journey to becoming a disability rights activist, making the disability experience accessible to the world, and disability allyship. ---- Show notes & transcript: http://tiffanyyu.com/podcast/039 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/imtiffanyyu/message

Judy is chatting with Emily and Ellen Ladau, who are a mother-daughter duo that have the same physical disability. Emily and Ellen talk to Judy about their evolving relationship, working on Emily's upcoming book and their journey into activism. Transcript: PDF About Emily Ladau Emily is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when I appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate kids about life with a physical disability. I'm the Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog, co-host of The Accessible Stall Podcast, and author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally.

Emily Ladau (https://twitter.com/emily_ladau) joins Good