Happy Disability Pride Month || Interview with Lamp

Turns out July is Disability Pride Month and this is honestly the first I’m hearing about it! (In the past I’ve celebrated October as Disability Awareness month, but I think it’s actual Disability Employment Awareness month. Hard to keep these things straight!)

Anyway, July couldn’t be a more perfect month for our family to celebrate Disability Pride as it’s also Lamp’s birth month. 10 years ago when Lamp was born I could have never imagined how much my views of disability would change and that I would want to celebrate something like Disability Pride. Like so many first time disability parents I was full of fear about having a  child with a disability. But by now you all know how much I love the disability community, all that I’ve learned from being the mother of a daughter with a disability, planning and building an accessible home, listening to and sharing stories about disability and teaching others, especially children, that being different isn’t weird, sad, bad or strange! Different is different, and different is OK! I know I’m not disabled myself, but I feel a lot of pride for the disability community and to be a part of it by extension through our daughter.

Instead of sharing more of my thoughts about disability, I thought that maybe I could do a short interview with Lamp (for any newbies here, “Lamp” is a blog alias) and let her share some thoughts that she has about being disabled and disability in general. She gave some really great and thoughtful, as well as honest, answers. Enjoy! What does Disability Pride mean to you?
Lamp: People don’t always talk about it too much, but people with disabilities have done great things too. You shouldn’t be ashamed if you’re disabled. I would guess that if you’re not proud to be disabled, you’re probably ashamed to be disabled. But there’s no reason to be ashamed, you’re just like everybody else. Being disabled may have it’s downside, but you also have more to offer than people without disabilities like Temple Grandin. She saw things in a way that other people never thought of. And that helped to change the cattle industry for the better. There’s a part in “A Kids Book About Racism” that’s about’s being different in general, that I really like… (flipping through book to read it out loud) it says, “Being different is actually good! Like, really, really, really, etc. 1000% good. Because being different means we have so much MORE to offer each other. Things like… help, ideas, strengths, skills, creativity, life, patience, respect, community, love, knowledge, experience, perspective, insight, diversity, wisdom, empathy and originality.”

The thing I like about that is it means being DIFFERENT IS GOOD. And just one reason, is because we have so much more to offer.

I also think that people with disabilities, at least in my case, tend to be more grateful for the small things. I think people aren’t usually grateful for something, specifically small things until they’re taken away from you. For example, walking. You walk around all day and it’s super normal, but for some people walking around like that would be awesome.

What do you like about yourself?
Lamp: I’m cool and I’m funny, I have an awesome power chair, and I’m good at making friends.What do you think could help make the world better for you and other disabled people? Lamp: Well this is something more about what people could do… I like it more when people ask me questions instead of staring at me or whispering about me. But if the disabled child is too young to answer they can ask their own parents or the disabled child’s parents.

Also, I want to be an actress and I feel like most disabled parts…well first of all, a lot of disabled parts don’t even go to disabled people! And second of all, a lot of disabled parts it’s about the disability. I just want to be in a movie where I’m just there. Disabled. Boom. Like it’s a part of me, but it’s not the whole part of me.

A show I watched called The Healing Powers of Dude, had a girl in a wheelchair and there were things about her disability in the show, but that wasn’t the whole point of her. When I’m at home, yes I am disabled but honestly I don’t think about it too much. Usually I only think about it when I’m frustrated about it.

What makes you frustrated about having a disability?
Lamp: Not being able to do things other people can mostly… or when my mom or dad or someone doesn’t let me do something because of it, because they don’t think I’ll be able to do it. It doesn’t happen too much, but when it does I’m not very happy about it.

Is there anything else you want other people to know about you or disability or both?
Lamp: I just want to say I wish people taught more about disability rights. I have never heard a teacher teach about that type of stuff. I’ve learned about racism civil rights, I’ve learned about women’s rights, but not disabled rights. I’ve only learned about it from my mom.

Right on sister! We don’t always sit down and just have these kind of conversations and talk about all things disability, so it’s actually really cool to hear her thoughts on these things. If you have any questions or comments, ask below and I’ll be sure to read them over with her–and maybe she’ll have an answer back! XO