“For me, trans pride means I’m existing despite it all!!! I am loving deeply and getting as free as I can each day, because that’s what I need, want, and deserve. Transgender people and T4T love should just get to exist in all their iterations, showing up just as they are.”
“Pride to me is the courage to be yourself completely. It’s the courage to make the mistakes that are needed to learn who you are for yourself, and not be what society has forced on us.”
“My home is decorated with my old broken walkers. I have a small collection of canes with bright patterns that are covered in stickers. The walls are covered in art, ribbons, bookcases, photos of loved ones. I curate my clothing and my home, so that I will often be able to have my eye see something that delights me.”
“Our current systems are constructed to isolate sick and disabled QTBIPOC from one another, especially with the disregard for COVID precautions, as many act like we’re living in a post-pandemic world...[M]asking is an act of solidarity with disabled BIPOC worldwide — a reality I wish more people, both in Portland and beyond, would acknowledge.”
“I coined the term Collaborative Spoonie Model for the way we have been working and building communities and events honoring our spoons...I want people to learn what it is to BE in community with each other, to not ‘throw us away’, and to see what we can do when we believe together.”
“It took years and years to understand that baking isn’t only an art, but also a science. Once I learned more about the science aspect – which ingredients react to others – I was able to enjoy the process of messing up and starting over. I view all mistakes as a learning experience and have been able to develop amazing recipes with that mindset.”
“Healed to me is not a PLACE. We are all on some level on our journey of healing — ON, not toward. As we journey, we learn through trial, error and grace... Nothing I’ve ever been through, no matter how painful, has ever been wasted because without fail, I’ll meet someone who will benefit from my personal experience.”
“As a person who is highly passionate about advocating for social justice, I am particularly motivated to create more visibility for black and POC femmes who are disabled and/or neurodivergent.”
“I believe that if all of our basic needs were met and our communities were more connected, that would be the most accessible world. I dream of a world where all people are accepted and we are more connected with everyone and everything around us.”
“At this point, I have gathered a decent amount of documentaries in American Sign Language. I soon plan to release references for ASL documentaries through a series of Video Podcasts in American Sign Language. I plan to keep developing more ASL programming until all media is equally accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing [HoH] community.”
“Having deafness and diabetes makes me feel unique and more vital than ever; I make sure I keep myself positive and healthy. With this mindset, it changed my art from hidden politics into beauty. I see beauty in everything, and I share that with my art.”
“The most important thing I want people to understand about disability and accessibility is the fact that we only want to live an easier life just like everyone else. It’s not crazy to believe everyone wants a simple and enjoyable life free from frustration.”
“...art and writing became a way for me to process the things I couldn’t or didn’t know how to talk about, and now I use it to imagine what futures without oppression might feel like. If ableism, racism and transphobia didn’t exist—how might we get there together?”
“I live a lot inside my head - sometimes too much - so I feel like a lot of emotion bleeds into my work, though I can’t really say a lot of my work is introspective. I create art to escape. It’s only really recently that I feel like I’ve put more of myself in my work.”
“Public transportation that goes all over! Free fare! Transit centers with amenities like food vendors, bathrooms, and lots of seating. Super wide sidewalks and streets made for pedestrians. Absolutely everything: color coded. Androids are also a necessity.”