Disabled and Existing (Simultaneously)

Mar 20

Words by Summer Smith

I’m sick of writing about the acceptance of being disabled when it shouldn’t have been a problem to begin with— I am disabled. You can’t look at me and automatically tell because I’m masking almost all the time: my chronic back pain, the fact that I may or may not be on the verge of shitting myself, every little thought and feeling overwhelming me, the fight or flight (in this case freeze) response I am usually experiencing. Even if you could tell, it would be none of your concern unless you’re in the business of support when asked of you. So why do most people feel like they have a say in anyone else’s health— including disabilities, capabilities, bodies, eating habits, mentality, and a million other health-related things? I’m sick of writing about ableism; the infantilization and demonization of it all. We exist— and we exist everywhere.

When Joe Biden, the democrat who “led” this country the past four years, said the COVID-19 pandemic was over, the World Health Organization said otherwise. Regardless of this, nearly everyone in America stopped wearing masks— and then there were (are) mask bans. Of course, there are “exemptions” if you’re wearing a mask for health and safety— but how would the police know if you wore a mask for those reasons (and why would the police care whether or not you were wearing a mask for health reasons)? On top of this, mask bans were implemented to prevent pro-Palestine protesters from protecting their identities– meaning not only are they criminalizing the ability to protest, but they’re criminalizing immunocompromised people and anyone else wanting to prevent the spread of illnesses.

Going maskless when chronically ill and immunocompromised people need to exist in the world is already embedded in eugenics. What’s ironic is how when Trump says the pandemic does not exist, it’s a major problem that every liberal writes articles about. When Biden says it’s over so that people can get back to work faster, and only disabled people are dying anyway, the very same liberals excitedly remove the thing that protects the disabled people you claimed to care about during quarantine — but I digress. If quarantine did not radicalize you to care about others, not just on the basis of what a politician says, I don’t know what to tell you.

Alice Wong, in an article entitled Mask Bans Insult Disabled People, Endanger Our Health, and Threaten Our Ability to Protest, writes, “‘Safety’ is a key word used by people who mask and those who consider masking a criminal act. But it’s worth asking, who is kept safe by the state or by individual acts, and who is left out?... What is clear to me is that disabled people have never felt safe. Many of us view masking as a form of solidarity with workers, activists, and people of color all over the world fighting fascism and genocide. But mask bans send the message that it is a crime to be disabled.”

Wearing a mask— if you have the ability to— means that you give a shit. This pairs well with testing when you’re feeling sick and showing different symptoms of COVID (which are plentiful at this point). Sadly, many people are not testing for COVID anymore (which makes statistics less accurate), therefore many people do not find out if they have COVID when they go out in public. This is not just dangerous for others, but dangerous for themselves. So many with long COVID (much like long flu) are unaware they have it and become disabled themselves. Outside of becoming disabled, many are still dying; in the 28 days leading up to February 26th, 2025, 3,151 people in America have reportedly died of COVID.

Most disabled people do not receive the care that they need because they might not even be aware that they are disabled, healthcare in America is atrocious to say the least (some doctors do not listen, others do not care), everything is entirely too expensive (making it harder to look into differing disabilities), and/or they do not have a strong support system. Many disabled people in natural disasters are left to suffer and die.

“Disabled people are almost twice as likely to be displaced by natural disasters, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. For some groups, like those who require nonverbal communication methods, the likelihood of displacement can be even higher… people with disabilities are often left behind during evacuation and recovery efforts, and that as climate change amplifies the frequency and scale of natural disasters, the discrepancies are becoming more serious." According to Disability amid disaster: People with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters, by NBC News’ Ash Reynolds.

This happens because of the lack of resources and care. Historically, if you were disabled, you couldn’t be educated or work, forcing the majority of disabled people onto the streets or institutionalized– it was as recent as 1974 when disabled people were allowed out in public and 1990 when the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law (which prohibited discrimination of disabled people). Before this, there were “Ugly Laws” starting in 1867: “Any person who is diseased, maimed, mutilated, or in any way deformed, so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object, or an improper person” was illegal. This targeted both disabled people and people in poverty— leading to forced institutionalization. More currently, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act— which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities— is being threatened by 17 states in a lawsuit specifically because the Biden administration classified gender dysphoria as a disability (therefore this is both an ableist and transphobic attack by those 17 states) and DEI is being eliminated left and right.

On top of this, disabled people are constantly left out of conversations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. When I was being attacked as a disabled student for writing an article in my university’s newspaper about the eugenics of unrequiring mask wearing on campus in 2021, a few things occurred. I was harassed for looking neurodivergent by some, but not being “disabled enough” by other students, the article was taken down without my permission to “protect” me, and the University Police alongside the Office of DEI said they found no evidence of harassment despite the pages and pages of ableist language used against me via YikYak (an app where you can anonymously post things– like Twitter). The first two things happened without me saying anything and did not involve me in any conversation, but in the last, my data– not just my voice– had been ignored.

Also, when Trump blamed DEI for the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342, he specifically mentioned intellectually disabled people— meanwhile I noticed every abled person on my social media feed leaving the specifics out. This was until I saw Imani Barbarin, a disabled activist, post a video about it on Instagram. She discussed how disabled people have been completely left out of DEI until COVID hit us and non-disabled people were dying by this mass-disabling event. Barbarin also added how disabled people oftentimes do not get hired, especially not in positions of power.

To give a more concrete example on DEI not including disabled people, “although 90 percent of companies claim to prioritize diversity, only 4 percent consider disability in those initiatives,” according to Tova Sherman’s analysis of the report done by Return on Disability. As I’m writing this, all I can think about is how frustrating it is only to hear disabled people discuss the importance of including disabled people in conversations about the “state of the world” or generally the inclusion of disabled people at all. I’m not saying I speak for all disabled people, but growing up, even with undiagnosed disabilities, I was purposely excluded a lot: from games at recess or even playing in teams during P.E. to conversations I was deemed “too sensitive” to be part of (even when those conversations were about my own behaviors).

Ableism not only impacts disabled people, but non-disabled people as well. We live in a world where our entire selves are up for criticism and debate– whether that’s through posting a selfie to the internet and receiving fatphobic comments, stumbling over your words or stuttering in a job interview and not being seen as “intelligent” enough, or taking a break and being told you’re “lazy” for doing so.

A working definition of “ableism” created by Talia A. Lewis is, “A system of assigning value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. This systemic oppression that leads to people and society determining people's value based on their culture, age, language, appearance, religion, birth or living place, ‘health/wellness’, and/or their ability to satisfactorily re/produce, ‘excel’ and ‘behave.’ You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.”

Additionally, more of the world is probably disabled without knowing it because ableism says disability is this big bad terrible life ruining thing, there wasn’t enough research (even now, things like autism are still under-researched and a lot of people with autism are getting later-in-life diagnoses), and those two things combined equals fear of the unknown/inexperienced.

So, a little reminder ft. a few notes: Any person can be disabled. Disability has no race, age, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Complexities and nuances impact privilege, oppression, the intersections of identity, and more. For example, “A 2022 survey found that people who are transgender and disabled were almost three times more likely to report having at least one unmet healthcare need compared to cisgender disabled people,” according to Gender GP. Also, I have only been referencing America. You can be and become disabled anywhere— including countries facing genocide and colonization. An article I highly suggest reading to learn more specifically about disability in Palestine is Palestine is Disabled by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha— because there is far more ground to cover when it comes to disability justice under genocide and colonization.

Resources

Mental Health Crisis Services and Resources – Inclusive Therapists:

Discusses steps for a person in crisis or a loved one in crisis
Does not involve the police
Includes phone numbers for different crises, experiences, and support needs

The Partnership’s Disability and Disaster Hotline – Disaster Strategies:

Call/Text: +1 (800) 626-4959
Email: hotline@disasterstrategies.org
Available 24/7
Provides information both accessibly and multilingually (including videophone for Deaf callers when requested)