You want to know: What am I doing to resist?
I am disabled.
I resist simply by existing.
I am disabled and I am not whatever stereotype you want me to be.
I am disabled and I will ask for the help I need, when I need it. Otherwise, I can do it myself, thank you.
I am disabled and I refuse to be shunted into sub-minimum wage piece work in a sheltered workshop because you think I “need the dignity of a real job.” I have my own career, thank you.
I am disabled and I expect to be treated like a human being.
I resist by existing.
I am disabled and I am not your magical gimp.
I am blind and my other senses are not supernaturally sharper – I pay them closer attention and have been trained to interpret what they tell me.
I am blind and I cannot see into the future or dole out prophesies.
I am blind and I am not Daredevil – except when I am Daredevil.
I resist by existing.
I am disabled and I am a professional artist and public figure.
I am disabled and I am a musician who does not play the damned piano.
I am disabled and I am a writer who creates stories and plays about disability, featuring disabled characters.
I am disabled and I am an actor, poet, and storyteller who performs personal works about disability.
I resist by existing.
I am disabled and I am not your inspirational “Oh, you’re so brave” feel-good story.
I am disabled and I refuse to play “The Good Cripple” just because that’s what society wants and expects.
I am disabled and I refuse to be both silent and invisible to make you more comfortable with my existence.
I am disabled and my disability is not about you.
I resist by existing.
You want to know: What am I doing to resist?
I am disabled and I exist.
I exist, and I resist, and I refuse to be erased.