Disabled and Proud

When I roll through a door With my son in my lap,

I don’t deserve your praise, so please don’t clap.

The looks of pity and horror Hurt too, you see

Because be it your praise or fear Be it a cheer or a leer,

One thing is always clear,

You’re singling me out for my disability, And living life is no inspiration.

Do my words give you clarity? Clarity not needed by my son.

 

I live life from a wheelchair That gives full independence. I know you see it or hear it,

And of my chair you’re fully aware So can you just give full acceptance

To me in my chair?

Because I promise my son can see and feel The fear behind your stare.

 

I’m not so different from you.

I get happy.

I get frustrated.

I get sappy.

I get infantilized.

I get mad.

I feel all the feels Tell me how living on wheels Makes me different from you?

Being a momma on wheels Is nothing strange,

And I promise my son doesn’t wish me to change.

 

 

For 29 months I nursed my son On wheels.

I chase my son On wheels.

I discipline my son On wheels.

I cook for my husband and son On wheels.

I change my son On wheels.

I say prayers for and with my son On wheels.

 

 

You see the wheels I live on aren’t all-defining Suffocating or confining.

They are a disabled mom’s All access pass

To her toddler’s world,

A world full of peace and calm

And also a world full of giggles and sass.

 

 

My name is Megan. I am disabled, I am Lebanese,

I have Cerebral Palsy, I am legally blind,

I am from the U.S.A., I am a wife,

I am a mother, I am a writer,

And of ALL that makes me ME

I am PROUD!

About this poem: I wrote this poem after my husband and I had to have our first conversation with our two-year-old son about ableism. He asked, “Why people so mean ‘cause momma sit? Momma tell them mean.” After our family conversation, I wrote this in response to my son’s question. I hope this little poem helps people to realize that societal ableism is still taught and fostered today. Many people may be unaware that they are fostering ableism, but the hard, sad truth is that they are. My husband was internally ableist for a long period of time not because ableist thoughts were purposefully passed down and placed on his shoulders, but because family unknowingly continue ableism’s terrible legacy.

This is a picture of Megan Deahl, her husband, and son.

Abput the Author:

Hi! My name is Megan Deahl! I am a wife, momma, writer, disability advocate, animal lover, and avid crafter. Do you have questions about ableism? Please feel free to email me at deahldisabilityactivism@gmail.com. We can only eradicate ableism through education.

All That Is Mine Is Yours

I am sharing this project with all of you because I want to show the beauty of parenting with a disability and the beauty of being a child with a disability. I want to show the joy that my unique family shares. This project will probably continue as my son grows. I hope to share with him the same kind of amazing experiences I was given. I also hope to give him some that are all his own.

We adopted our son three years ago from the other side of the world. I found my son when searching the Internet. I read about a little boy who was so sweet and kind and had the cutest smile. As I read further, I found out that he had the same disability as me, spinal muscular atrophy. It felt like the stars were aligning. I had found our child.I am sharing this project with all of you because I want to show the beauty of parenting with a disability and the beauty of being a child with a disability.

We brought him home after a year-long process. When my husband brought him home from a 12-hour flight and I got him in my arms at the airport, I never let him go. I still watch with wonder as he grows into an amazing young man. I try to shield him from the hurts of life as best I can and at least let him know that I’ve been there before.

I started this project when I was going through photographs from my childhood. I noticed that there were a lot of photos of me growing up that matched photos we now have of my son. I wanted to show the journey we are both taking side-by-side. I wanted to show him that the love in our family is full-circle, and circles never stop.

Please tap/click on the pictures to’enlarge and view them.

In this picture of Katrina, she’s in her power chair, wearing brownish glasses, a white long sleeved top, blue jeans, and high black boots. She has white skin,
blue and purple curly hair. She’s also smiling.

Katrina Gossett Kelly wears several hats. She is an attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels in Indianapolis, specializing in the complexities of e-discovery and trade secret litigation. She also performs improv at ComedySportz Indianapolis and serves as a disability advocate throughout Indiana. Her favorite job of all, however, is being mom to her nine-year-old son who is also growing into a disability advocate in his own right. Katrina lives in downtown Indy with her son, two dogs, and a cat.

Microaggression of a male DMST survivor

The name of my piece is called: Microaggression of a male DMST survivor

Artist: Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant) 

“The piece is an optical illusion to represent that we can’t always see what a person is going through until we get closer to understanding someone pain, resiliency, and we are not defined by our past. The top layer represents my trafficker, my mother, and teachers and the words probation said to me growing up after my exploitation. The middle layer illustrates my accomplishments since leaving the life. The bottom represents my goals for the future.” Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant) 

“The piece is an optical illusion to represent that we can’t always see what a person is going through until we get closer to understanding someone pain, resiliency, and we are not defined by our past. The top layer represents my trafficker, my mother, and teachers and the words probation said to me growing up after my exploitation. The middle layer illustrates my accomplishments since leaving the life. The bottom represents my goals for the future.” by Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant) 

Description of the art:

Hey friends this is a description of the painting. The piece is called micro aggression of a DMST male survivor. The reason why I made the piece the way I made it is underneath [the paint] there is writing. On the first top half is everything that my traffickers, my mother, teachers, probation and everything that I was involved with after my trafficking situation—it is all the words they tell me—what I couldn’t do, or a path that I was headed on. Some of the words are triggering so I will not give a verbatim of the words that are written.

The middle part is all the accomplishments I have made after exiting the life. Becoming a social worker, father, grandfather, consultant, all the accomplishments I have always wanted to have and that I do have in life. The bottom part is the future. Displaying my hopes for the future. Hopefully becoming a great grandparent, a licensed clinical social worker and all the other things I wish for in my future.

The reason why it’s made with writing underneath is because from a far it looks like a piece of modern art. But also it represents how we see people from a far and the closer you get to the painting you can see the verbiage that I’ve laid down. Also representing the fact that we need to look at people closer before we judge.

Not only that but it shows from afar that we really don’t know what’s going on with a person but when we get up close, we can definitely see someone’s issues. We don’t always know where a person is coming from and that’s why I made the piece like that. Thank you.

Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant)
Eric Harris, B.S.W., HTFC (Human Trafficking Field Consultant)

Biography: Eric Harris is a consultant and field expert with many years of service in human trafficking education and advocacy. Eric earned a bachelor’s in social work and is an alum from Anderson University Indiana and is a member of National Association of Social Workers (N.A.S.W.) Mr. Harris served as a Human Trafficking field consultant for the state of Indiana and was the co-chair and founder of Lived Experiences Experts Working (L.E.E.W.G) for the IPATH taskforce when it was active. Mr. Harris is a graduate of the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy through National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Center (N.H.T.T.A.C.) and the Heal Trafficking MGH institute train the trainer academy 2020. Eric has a great passion for advocating for survivor’s rights and working to remove the stigma surrounding survivors of violence and human trafficking. Read more about Eric’s accomplishments here.

Interested in consulting with Eric? Eric specializes in working with males, educating on human trafficking, policy inclusion, program inclusion with having survivors as staff, implicit bias training, and mental health. Email Eric at eaharris1904@gmail.com to make an appointment. Rates are contingent on stakeholder needs. 

I Get Mad

Indiana Disability Justice showcases artwork by people with all kinds of disabilities. We are here. We are human. We matter. We want to be seen.

Thank you, Jordan, for doing this very powerful artwork! We believe your work will encourage many others to be honest with the hard things in their own life!

(ArtMix offers avenues for people with disabilities to express themselves creativity- www.artmixindiana.org.)

Six panels connected to create a quilt. It tells the story of a character who takes their anger out on those around them, but how medication helps with that. In the first panel, the panel is sad. In the last panel, they are happy.
Six panels connected to create a quilt. It tells the story of a character who takes their anger out on those around them, but how medication helps with that. In the first panel, the panel is sad. In the last panel, they are happy.
  • Current location: ArtMix
  • Size: w29.25”xh20.25”
  • Medium: Quilted found material, felt, marker
  • Artist’s name: Jordan Kent
  • Title: I Get Mad
  • Date: 2019

My piece makes me feel proud. When I was making my quilt it made me sad to think about what I did because I don’t like to be mean like that. Even though it made me sad, it feels good to talk about it. I really enjoyed making my project and I had fun with the materials and learning the steps. I had never made a story quilt before. I’m proud of my quilt. I want people to know that I’m happy if they like my artwork too.

About the Artist: Jordan Kent

In this photo, Jordan Kent has short light brown hair, has a giant smile, and is wearing a red shirt. He is holding a painting of a blue face with brown hair in front of a green background.

I was born in Indiana. I live with my mom and dad and my dog. My dog is a black lab mix and her name is Sophie. I am 26 years old- I was born on November 8, 1994. My full name is Daniel Jordan Kent. I have one brother and a sister-in-law. I live on the southside of Indy. I went to Franklin Central High School. I started with ArtMix programs when I was in high school. When high school was over, I joined the SPARC program. SPARC teaches you how to do laundry and cooking and other stuff like that. When I went to SPARC is when I joined the ArtMix program Urban Artisans. I like ceramics and am really good at detail work with finishing clay projects. I also like to make paintings and to glaze the ceramics. I want to learn how to make a sculpture for an art show someday.