Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. Why? It's because for the last year, I've been mourning one of the best people I knew, Patty Berne. The 100% brilliant and beautiful director of Sins Invalid, a performance project that centers disabled people of color and disabled people who identify as LGBTQ, died 1 year ago. This incredible, disabled, femme of color taught me extremely important life lessons. First, Patty helped me understand that our personal worth is not based on what/how much we produce. We are valuable exactly as we are. My amazing mentor also instilled in me the value of finding joy in the disabled community. I found that disabled joy at the Rollettes Experience last year. In 2025, at the Rollettes Experience, a conference for women and girls in wheelchairs founded by Chelsea Hill, there was the most awe-inspiring panel. This panel consisted of Ali Stroker, the first woman in a wheelchair to be on Broadway, Andraea LaVant, the first person with a physical disability to roll on the Oscars red carpet, Jenifer Kumiyama, the first person in a wheelchair to voice a character in a Disney movie, and Angela Rockwood, the first producer of a reality show about women in wheelchairs. I can't wait to tell you about this year's Rollettes Experience and hopefully next year we can experience this disability joy together. Happy Disability Pride Month!!!
