Happy Disability Pride Mouth

This morning was the kickoff celebration for disability pride month at

Manhattan
Borough Hall

Brooklyn Borough Hall. I was asked to speak. Strike that, I was honored to be asked to speak. Apartments in all sorts of other things I've given testimony and I just stand up and start talking. Today actually put some notes together. Below are my notes I think I stuck to them.

just updating this post with a picture of me spontaneously being asked to speak at Manhattan Borough Hall

Brooklyn
Borough Hall

I wasn't always like this. Anyone can say that at any time but I had a significant change in my life 10 years ago. 10 years ago, everything changed.

10 years 2 months and 3 days agoI walked into the hospital. When I walked in I had no name for prideI was an upper middle class straight white guy.Let me rephrase that I was an upper middle class straight not yet disabled white guy. 

Until then I always thought pride was for other peopleI didn't need it because I had all my privilege I just thought of myself as an ally and didn't even know what that meant

I stumbled into the hospital because I was developing weakness in my arms and legsI was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome and Didn't come home  for 135 days. I came home because I was able to transfer myself with the help of only one person They said I'd be fine in a year. They were wrong Because they Meant that I'd be physically fine in a year. Yeah, they were right. I'm fine

I don't think I really started thinking about disability pride until a couple of years agoI just started doing the things I used to do as an able-bodied person. But then I realized I wasn't an able body person anymore and i  wasn't sick. I was a person with a disabilityI had to embrace that and move on with my life.I couldn't be ashamed of myself.I wasn't thinking about pride specifically. But I was thinking about the opposite. Shame. I wasn't going to have any of that

 And then two things happened. 

I saw the movie Crip Camp And went to other films at the real abilities festival. And read Nadina's book and Judy's book and Dick Traum’s book

I also broke through the barrier of complaining about how I was treated as a person with a disability to becoming an advocate for people with disabilities.  And I started hanging out with people like Jean and Kathy and Joe And Chris and Q.

The words disability and shame had nothing to do with each other.When I leave my house I have to wear ankle foot orthotics.  Otherwise I'll turn my ankle and trip over my own feet.

Some people wear them under their pants. That's their prerogative. I choose them to wear on the outsideI and put blinky stickers on them.I'm not ashamed of them.They help me walk just like my eyeglasses help me see and just like someone's car helps them get from one place to another. Nothing to be ashamed of… People that have shame don't get together with each otherThey live isolated lives.Unproductive unhappy lives. Eventually they might make it to the Texas state house. But I'm so happy I live in Brooklyn so I can make this speech in Brooklyn Borough Hall. With pride.

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