I had some great conversations with several people this week about the intersection of gender, race, and disability. I wrote a list of all the intersections in my life that I am seeing. Then I shared with other people how I’ve been working on changing some of the intersectional biases in my life. I’m hoping that these conversations can help and empower other people who are like me, and we can help change the world together.
The intersection of gender, race, and disability is interesting, but also so is the intersection of the person’s life. I have two daughters, and I’m thinking of bringing a younger daughter along. I know she’s a great kid, but I have a lot more in the way of experiences than I would have in an adult.
The main problem with my thinking about intersection of gender and disability is I think we are all stuck in a time loop. We are stuck with a lot of things, and my mind is not fully comprehending them. I love my daughter, but Im thinking about starting a life in the world where we can be together in the middle of the night and not do anything. It is a good idea.
I think my daughter is perfectly fine as is. Her disability has been a little unfortunate, but she is certainly not the typical young girl with a disability. As far as I know, she is not currently on the autism spectrum and would not be considered on the autistic spectrum in any event. I think I would be a bit more accepting of her being gender non-conforming if I was more aware of how gender can limit the lives of the people around us.
The people I work with are all in the same boat. They are all perfectly functional and able to live their lives. But a few things are different for each of us. I have an autism spectrum disorder, which limits the things I can do at the moment. My daughter has dyspraxia, which limits the things she can do at the moment. I am more in favor of her learning to adapt on her own than I am of her being stuck in a wheelchair.
The same thing happens every year in my life. If I were more aware of how gender can limit the lives of the people around us, then I wouldn’t be doing this for a while.
I get that being in a wheelchair can limit you. That being in a wheelchair is a disability. That there is some sort of limitation doesn’t make the disability any less real.
Being disabled is a disability. Sure, there are certain limitations that you’ll be faced with and we don’t want to see these limitations in the world. We want to see the world and us as a whole be able to do as much as possible, but we are still limited by the limitations we have. Disability doesnt mean there is no “right” way to be, and that we could always do something better.
So while the disabled community has a right to be offended at being told they can’t do something, it is important to realize that this is not a case of being told we can’t do something. This is a case of being told that we have a disability.
If you’re disabled, you often have the right to not do something. However, what we often see is a case of a disability that doesn’t allow us to do a certain thing. For instance, a wheelchair might allow you to be able to drive, but not be able to be a part of a certain scene. An individual with an intellectual disability might be able to understand a language, but might have no ability to do so.
