One incredible Experience

This summer,  I had one of the best experiences of my 33 years of life, thanks to Chelsea Hill. Chelsea, now 32, has turned becoming disabled in a car accident into creating the most incredible organization I know of for women who use wheelchairs, called the Rollettes Experience. The Rollettes Experience, which was  originally formed as an empowerment conference for women and girls with disabilities soon became my dream come true weekend. At the Sheraton Hotel near LAX Airport, Chelsea and the rest of the women who work for the Rollettes organized the best conversations on topics like disability and dating, and what it means to have intersecting identities, like being both disabled and LBGTQ. On one panel was both Ali Stroker, the first woman who use a wheelchair to grace Broadway, and Andraea LaVant, the first physically disabled, Black, woman to be invited to the Oscars. These powerful leaders spoke about the need to create something you want in your community, if it doesn't already exist. The Rollettes Experience inspired me and if you need some disability magic in your life next summer, check out the Rollettes.

Shamelessly boosting a podcast

For  Disability Pride month, I am 100 percent shamelessly boosting the podcast, ''I Weigh with Jameela Jamil.''  For those of you who may not know, ''I Weigh,'' hosted  by the amazing Jameela Jamil from ''The Good Place,'' is a podcast fighting against shame  and promoting mental health. I LOVE Jameela Jamil because as a famous person with a disability, called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, she truly makes the effort to elevate the experiences of people with disabilities. In both her interviews with Jillian Mercado from ''The L Word Generation Q''' and Lauren ''Lolo'' Spencer from ''The Sex Lives of College Girls,'' Mx. Jamil  discusses the importance of having people with real disabilities being represented on screen. Being a person with Cerebral palsy who has thought about disability representation for 14 years, it feels deeply validating to hear a Hollywood actress talk about this issue with such passion. So thank you Jameela Jamil.

What's wrong with the Oscars?

 The lack of diversity in 2024’s Academy Award winners astounded me. I was absolutely appalled by the fact that Barbie was nominated alongside one of the most unique films of the 21st century, American Fiction. Several critics hail Barbie as being a revolutionary reimagining of feminism. However, I observed It as a capitalist celebration of the white, heteronormative,  able-bodied, standards of beauty that Americans hold, clearly personified by its leading actors, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. On the other hand, I thought that American Fiction, starring Jeffery Wright and Sterling K.Brown brilliantly satirized the fact that Black writers are put into stylistic boxes by white audiences. Therefore, I do not understand how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences categorized these two movies as being of the same quality.

A little bit of happiness

In such a dark time in the world, with the threat  of Trump regaining power, we still need to find a little bit of happiness wherever we can. Personally, one major  way of finding my joy, besides my amazing Sins Invalid community is by watching YouTube videos of my friend David Zimmerman's interviews with impactful people with disabilities. David works for an incredible program, Performing Arts Studio West, PASW, that trains people with disabilities who wants to be part of the entertainment industry. PASW, created by the kindest person I know, John Paizis, has opened so many doors for people with disabilities to be on film and television. In its 25 years  PASW has booked members of the disabled community, including myself, roles on ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager,'' ''ER,'' ''The Nick Kroll Show,'''  '''Saving Grace,'' and dozens more. John is one of those everyday heroes who makes our world a better place.

Anyway, I digressed...back to David. One of my favorites is his interview with Ali Stroker, the first woman who uses a wheelchair to take Broadway by storm and win a Tony for her role in '''Oklahoma.'' Since David knew what a huge fan I am of hers, he created an opportunity for me to meet and ask her a question on Zoom.  This was definitely a highlight in my life. Another huge moment for me, thanks to David, was participating in an online interview with Disability Rights icon Judy Heumann. This was amazing enough, but then David surprises us with incredible guest stars, such as Ryan O'Connell from Netflix's ''Special'' and the history making Geri Jewell, who was the first actress with a disability to be on TV when she co-starred on ''The Facts of Life.'' I don't  know how David does what he does,  but he is magic. 

Crip Kinship

Crip Kinship the Disability Justice and Art Activism of Sins Invalid, by Shayda Kafai, is another amazing book. The reason it's so important is that Kafai documents the history, creation, and legacy of this incredible performance group of queer, disabled people of color. We have the opportunity to learn the first hand stories of Disability Justice leaders such as Patricia Berne, Maria  Palacios, and Leah Piepzna Samarasinha. This beautiful writer gives us insight into how Patty Berne and co-founder Leroy Moore imagined a radically inclusive theater community at a cafe named La Pena in Berkeley, California. Knowing that this wonderful performance project started over one conversation gives me hope that any dream can be possible.

Happy pride

Happy 2023 pride month. I know it's been a long while since I've written anything on here, but get ready for a lot more content. Given that this is LGBTQ  pride month, I've decided to feature some of my favorite examples of LGBT representation in the media. Although the 2012 film,  Any Day Now, is  extremely sad and has no main cast members  of color, it has a very special place in my heart. This is because Performing Arts Studio West, a professional training program for actors with disabilities, directed by the kindest man I know, John Paizis, gave me the opportunity to be an extra in this movie. Being able to have a part in Any Day  Now was really meaningful because it tells an important story of the struggles that a gay couple go through trying to adopt a young man with Downs Syndrome. If you are in the mood for comedy though, check out Netflix's original series, Special. Starred in and written by Ryan O'connell, Special is about a young white guy who has Cerebral palsy, and is trying to figure out how to be more sexually active.

While these are decent examples of LGBT representation, I would now like to present even better ones. In the 2021 version of Cinderella, the ingenious Billy Porter redefined what it can mean  to be a fairy Godmother as a queer, Black, man. This is huge, because it shows the world that magic can come from people of all races and gender identities. Another fantastic show with excellent representation is The L Word Generation Q.  In this groundbreaking  series, beautiful Jillian Mercado, who is Latina, tries to face the challenges of having a baby with a trans man, while dealing with her Muscular Dystrophy. We need to celebrate this content that embraces queer characters of color during pride.

A fantastic book

One fantastic book I've read semi-recently is The Pretty One; On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me, by Keah Brown. Ms. Brown is a young, Black, activist/writer who has Cerebral Palsy. What I love about The Pretty One is that Keah Brown really focuses on telling the readers who she is as a whole person, instead of merely explaining the mechanics of her disability. For example, I know that she loves cheesecake, and her favorite band is Paramore. I also found out that she likes Tia and Tamera Mowry  more than Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, because she sees herself in the former. Keah Brown's book is a real life illustration of Patricia Berne's principle of Disability Justice, ''recognizing wholeness.''