Jessica PingI was not born in the spotlight, yet every time I go out, all eyes are on me. I am not a master in any given subject, but I’m often referred to as an inspiration regularly by my friends, family, and strangers. I am not famous in any sense of the word, but I’m memorable for reasons beyond my control.
When you’re disabled, people remember you, people see you, and for whatever reason, they think they have the right to ask you ridiculously personal questions in McDonald’s while you wait, with gritted teeth, for your order of french fries.
I get it; I do. Curiosity is normal, and, believe it or not, I recognize that my physique is a bit more ~exciting~ than your average, fully-limbed human being.
That said, in this recognition, I have come to realize it is not the staring or the questions themselves that bother me. In fact, I welcome the questions and the curiosity. After all, positive change and growth is best facilitated through productive conversation.
My overarching problem is that the conversations I have are the opposite of productive. Instead of asking “what happened?” or “how do you do it?”, focus on asking the important questions like, “what can the world do better?” and “how can I help?”.
These questions stimulate thought. These questions are not based on assumptions about the quality of my life — which is pretty great, thanks for asking. These questions give agency to the person being asked. These questions level the playing field and do not sound condescending. These questions provide a space for people on both sides of the conversation to learn something new.
Most importantly, these questions are respectful.
There is a lot of ignorance in the world about disability, and I believe this ignorance stems from two larger issues:
- Fear
- Lack of representation
Both of these problems deserve their own posts, so I will not dive into these now. Instead, I will tell you my goals with this blog and try to lend some insight about what you can expect from me in the future.
I want to create a dynamic discussion about disability that people of all ability levels can relate to and feel welcomed into.
I want to inspire places around the world to improve their accessibility so that everyone has the same opportunities to live life to the fullest
I want to spread joy through honesty and laughter.
I want to foster an environment that encourages self-love and respect for all humans of all backgrounds.
I want to craft a space where I can openly share my opinions on life and the world, while still being open to feedback and dialogue, so that I too can better my understanding of certain topics.
Basically, I want to have fun writing about my life and my experiences and hopefully educate and motivate positive change in the process!
Giddy-up folks … it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best HP film. I’ll say it.
Originally published on July 2019
