Everyday Exclusions: How Discrimination Shapes Life for People with Disabilities
It starts small. A job application goes unanswered. A restaurant lacks a ramp. A stranger speaks to the caregiver instead of the person with a disability.
Archive
The Slow Wait
The bus stop has no bench, just a cracked stretch of pavement where the curb slopes unevenly into the street. Heat shimmers off the asphalt, pressing down on the small crowd.
Shifting Spaces
The bookstore smells like fresh coffee, a blend that invites pause. I move with small, deliberate adjustments—shifting my weight, using my walking poles to navigate the floor.
The Weight of Proof
A friend of mine, a writer, once told me that every idea she pitched had to come with justification—proof of its merit—before anyone would take it seriously.
The Space Between Motion and Stillness
Movement is neither effortless nor certain. Spastic CP is a neurological condition that disrupts the signals between brain and muscle, creating stiffness, rigidity, and involuntary contractions.
Edges Unseen: The Photo and the Spoon
The drawer opens. A hand searches as it did years ago, when a photograph rested at the edge of a mirror. Always there, until one day, it wasn’t. It must have slipped, fallen behind the dresser, or perhaps ended up in a forgotten box.
The Future of Access: What’s at Stake for Section 504
Section 504, disability protections, access, and questions about its future.
The Unseen Thaw
The morning carries a sharper chill than expected. Winter’s air stings, crisp and unrelenting. The world lies still beneath its white cover. Snow clings to branches, intricate and crystalline.
The Pause Before Dawn
There are moments when life shifts, but the direction remains unclear. A door closes, but another hasn’t opened. A decision is made, but the outcome lingers.
What Silence Holds
Silence is never fully empty. It holds the echoes of unspoken words, lingering in the spaces where thoughts remain unsaid. It carries the weight of replayed choices, each one marking a moment in time.