Post #16: Celebrating Disability Pride Month — A Short Resource Guide 📝
Disability Pride Month is coming to a close, but it's never the wrong day / month / hour / minute to check out some rad disabled artists and activists!
Hello, Friends! Disability Pride Month is coming to a close, but together we can celebrate Disability Culture all year long! For today’s post, I wanted to create a listicle (with links) to help you explore some rad disabled artists! ❤️♿️❤️
And, if you haven’t yet, I urge you to check out my most recent essay on disability & spirituality.
I will always feel restless in this body, like I'm wearing a pair of shoes that fit poorly – not because my body is disabled, but because I'm living in a body at all. If I can accept and forgive this truth, I can understand the origin of my chronic discontent. — Disability as a Path to Forgiveness by Gaelynn Lea
GAELYNN LEA’S (WOEFULLY INCOMPLETE, AND IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) GUIDE TO DISABILITY CULTURE:
AUTHORS AND PLAYWRIGHTS:
CARRIE CRAIG: First up, here’s a thought-provoking essay by my dear friend (and assistant) Carrie about growing up disabled before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in the United States. She’s a retired pastor.
KEVIN KLING: My dear friend Kevin Kling is a disabled author, playwright and storyteller extraordinaire from Minnesota. His writing is absolutely sparkling.
RYAN HADDAD: My good friend Ryan Haddad is an award-winning playwright, actor and director. He’s most known for his ground-breaking play Dark Disabled Stories. If you ever get a chance to see his work in NYC (or on TV), please do!
ASHLEY SHEW: There are so many amazing books by disabled authors. Too many to list. But a recent favorite of mine is Against Technoableism by Ashley Shew.
ALICE WONG: Alice Wong, a leader in the Disability Justice world, has written several books, which should be essential reading in K-12 classrooms: Disability Visibility, Disability Intimacy, Resistance and Hope, and Year of the Tiger.
HABEN GIRMA: I have come to love and admire the Deafblind activist Haben Girma since we met at the World Health Organization back in 2022. She wrote a captivating memoir called Haben, which I highly recommend. Her YouTube channel is also a fabulous resource, with many interesting and informative videos.
JUDITH HEUMANN: If you haven’t heard of Judy Heumann or the 504 Sit-In, STOP. RIGHT. NOW. and take a moment to fill yourself in with this whimsical Drunk History sketch. Then go read her powerful memoir, called Being Heumann (also there’s a kids’ book about her called Rolling Warrior). I was honored to call Judy a mentor, but I think pretty much everyone who ever met her feels that way.
HARRIET MCBRYDE JOHNSON: The late lawyer / activist Harriet McBryde Johnson changed my life with her memoir, Too Late to Die Young. Her book was my very first taste of Disability Culture. I was lucky to get to interview her once before she passed. She also wrote a Young Adult novel called Accidents of Nature.
FILM AND TELEVISION:
CRIP CAMP: If you haven’t seen the Oscar-nominated feature film Crip Camp yet, STOP. RIGHT. NOW. Open up ye olde Netflix and watch it (first make some popcorn and grab a Kleenex)... IMHO, it’s the best documentary of the decade.
CODA: I really enjoyed this Oscar-winning film called CODA (Child of a Deaf Adult). I especially appreciated the casting of Deaf Actors and the use of ASL. I can’t wait to see more films about the disability experience with authentic casting!
ART+MEDICINE: Here’s a link to TPT’s Art+Medicine television program on Disability Culture. This show features several amazing disabled, Minnesota-based artists. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, it is a great way to learn about the importance of Disability Culture and fostering community among disabled artists.
MUSIC PLAYLISTS:
DISABLED ARTISTS I LOVE: The amazing, Australian-based disabled musician, author and advocate Eliza Hull has created her own playlist of disabled musicians she loves… What a fabulous way to celebrate Disability Pride Month!
RAMPD PLAYLIST: RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) also has a playlist of their artists up on Spotify! Take a listen here.
MUSIC VIDEOS AND SINGLES:
LACHI: If you haven’t heard the single “Lift Me Up” by disabled artists Lachi (Founder of RAMPD) and singer-songwriter James Ian, I highly recommend! It was released a year ago for the 34th Anniversary of the ADA as a tribute to the late Judy Heumann. Watch it here (featuring yours truly on violin and harmonies).
JAMES IAN: Another great disability-centered single is SPACES, by the disabled songwriter James Ian… Makes me cry every time!!
ELIZA HULL: Eliza Hull, a disabled Australian singer, author and powerhouse activist, released this fab video called Running Underwater.
WHEELCHAIR SPORTS CAMP: My first exposure to a disabled artist IRL was Kalyn Heffernan of the hip-hop group, Wheelchair Sports Camp… Her song It’s Hard Out Here for a Gimp will forever hold a place in my heart.
RUTH LYON: My fave song by Ruth Lyon is called Flood — no music video yet, but I couldn’t get it out of my head for days the first time I heard it!
GABRIEL RODREICK: I have loved getting to know the disabled songwriter and dancer Gabriel Rodreick. His song Broken Puppet will get stuck in your head.
VISUAL ARTISTS AND DANCERS:
ATHENA COOPER: We have the same disability, so maybe that’s why I feel a kinship towards visual artist Athena Cooper. I love the subtlety in her gorgeous work. You can subscribe to her Substack to see her paintings and read her essays.
AMY ABTS: Amy Abts is one of my favorite Minnesota visual artists; she just happens to be a fabulous songwriter as well. Check out her creative work here.
RIVA LEHRER: Chicago-based visual artist Riva Lehrer paints exquisite portraits of disabled people and has also written a memoir called Golem Girl.
ALICE SHEPPARD: Alice Sheppard is a visionary disabled dancer and one of the main figures in the groundbreaking dance ensemble, Kinetic Light. She’s pushing the boundaries on access, dance, and Disability Culture in the best of ways.
DIGITAL MEDIA:
DISABILITY VISIBILITY PROJECT: The arts can expand in so many directions. For example, if you haven’t heard of Alice Wong’s Disability Visibility Project, I highly recommend checking it out.
RAMP YOUR VOICE: RampYourVoice! is another online space at the intersection of disability activism and culture, curated by the Black activist Vilissa Thomson.
DISART: There are many orgs like DisArt who help foster Disability Culture in the wider societal narrative.
RAMPD: The database for RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) Professional Members was designed in part so you can find your new favorite disabled artist. Scope it out here.
FROM YOURS TRULY:
Last year, I was honored to perform at the opening of Microsoft’s Ability Summit. This video aired immediately following Judy Heumann’s beautiful and moving celebration of life, so it’s a poignant musical memory for her.
And last, but not least, here’s my musical anthem about Disability Rights, and needing a seat at the table. It’s called I Wait (performed here with Dave Mehling).
WHAT ABOUT YOU???
I’d love to know… what disabled artists do YOU love? Leave a note in the comments section - open to all subscribers (free and paid!) – let’s share our greatest finds! Happy Disability Pride Month, once again, keep celebrating Disability Culture all year long!
Love,
Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn, I love this list, and I am so thankful for your voice during Disability Pride Month and throughout the year. As for me, I am a big fan of Rebekah Taussig, who writes on Instagram @sitting_pretty and also wrote a gorgeous memoir called Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body.
And I'll go ahead and throw my own name out there, too! I write a Substack that occasionally features personal essays about life with a disability.
Here's what I wrote for Disability Pride Month last year: https://allisonkirkland.substack.com/p/a-wound-in-the-shape-of-your-words?r=2t29y