“Being disabled does not obligate you to explain yourself to anyone who asks.
To my fellow disabled people, anyone comes at you with a question about your disability (no matter the nature), you don’t owe them an answer. Let me repeat that: you do not owe them an answer.
If you want to answer, go for it. If you don’t, don’t. Your desire should be the driver of that decision, not their entitlement…
The world has been conditioned to the expectation that disabled people acquiesce. That we explain. That we sacrifice our own comfort, our own privacy – even our own dignity – all for the curiosity of others.”
Ashley Harris Whaley @disabilityreframed – Instagram, March 2022
Ashley is the American founder of @disabilityreframed on Instagram and author of I Am You Are – a non-fiction book about disability for children, published by Penguin Random House. Find her at @ashleyharriswhaley on Instagram or on her website.
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