Post #7: What is disability culture?

Disability culture is the art of people with disabilities operating space on their terms based on their unique abilities. It's about integrating yourself into any space that you find yourself in. This includes dancing, writing, reading, driving, and other activities. It's about embracing your differences as a gift instead of a curse. It's about retaking what it means to be disabled in the eyes of the mainstream media and retooling it to what it truly means in the eyes of yourself. It's about celebrating your differences and seeing that they can be used to make others (and, importantly, yourself) happy. Disability culture is the ability to understand yourself as a human being—an advanced organism with quirks. We all have quirks, so why not embrace them? That's what disability culture tends to do. Disability culture acknowledges that people with non-disabilities will grow to have disabilities at an old age. Not everyone remains fully mentally and physically strong forever, so why bother stigmatizing each other for it? It makes us human beings—imperfect creatures who should be okay with imperfection. Moreover, what is perfect? What's ideal for one majority isn't perfect for one minority. That's what disability culture does; it challenges us to evolve and grow. It's disability culture.