Jessica PingHappy 1st Anniversary to The Rolling Explorer!
Posted on June 16, 2020
*Disclosure: There are affiliate links in the following article, meaning that, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links, I will receive a small commission.
GUYS! It’s time to break out the balloons and the champagne (emphasis on the champagne, please 😉🥂)
I cannot believe that a year has passed since my first blog post went live.
There I was, sitting in a beautiful hotel lobby in downtown Washington DC. I was locked out of my room, again, but I was beaming because I was so proud to have finally done the thing that I had been so scared to do for years.
I love educating others on topics of disability, I can only continue to do that with your help. If you’d like to support my intellectual labor, please consider using the button below to make a donation via Paypal.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer/blogger, but never knew what to focus on. The style and beauty niche is already so saturated with amazing content creators, and being so young in my career, I haven’t developed an expertise in any one skill.
Considering I am an amputee who uses both a wheelchair and a prosthetic to get around, you would think that a lifestyle blog with a focus on the disabled perspective would have come to me sooner.
My Passion Project Saved My Life
I’ve spent a good portion of my life trying to convince others that I am not disabled. Obviously, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t really hide the fact that I am missing some important appendages.
Looking to move forward on your passion project this year? Bluehost provides all the tools you need to start a successful self-hosted website at a very reasonable starting cost! I am not a tech genius, and even I figured it out. With excellent customer service and an easy to use interface, you will be amazed at how easy it is to have freedom on the web. Check them out! #afflink
When I finally started to accept myself for what I am, a disabled young woman, the world flipped upside down. I realized I mattered despite the disability, and I wanted to talk about all of the things I had missed out on because I thought otherwise.
Over the past year, I have had to unlearn so many stigmas I believed about myself and the disabled community. Ableism runs DEEP in our society and I still have to correct myself now and again.
That is why I do what I do.
If I, having lived with a disability my entire life, have to unlearn the way I think about the disabled lived condition, you do too.
We all do.
So, whether you’re one of my original subscribers, or brand new to the party this week, let’s look back on the top 10 things you should have learned by following my blog and social media accounts this year.
July Book of the Month
Discussion coming next week
Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals
1. Asking Productive Questions
As it is its anniversary, I thought it poignant to start with The Rolling Explorer’s first blog post entitled, “The Art of Asking Productive Questions.”
Questions are necessary for any educational endeavor.
Fault is not given for being curious, fault is given for being disrespectful.
If you want to learn, that’s great! If you’ve found someone (like me ☺️) to learn from, even better!
But, you have to be considerate of people’s boundaries and be aware of the language/tone you use when asking a question. Your third grade teacher may have once told you that there are no bad questions.
I am here to tell you that there are and you should avoid them. If you think about it long enough, you will know which ones are appropriate and which ones aren’t.
Take the time to create a dialogue, not a confrontation.
2. Beauty Standards
“Nobody wants to be objectified but if you fit the standard of beauty – that’s what happens, and if you don’t, you feel like an outcast and like you aren’t worthy of the same love and attention of those who do fit the mold.”
A few months ago, I was a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, Shouting About the Silence. Madyson Cohen, the host and founder of Shouting About the Silence, has created an online community that aims to celebrate and empower all women through inclusive storytelling.
Episode 1: Disability Advocacy
During my two episodes, we discussed a variety of topics, including beauty standards and femininity, which is where the quote above comes from.
If you have a physical disability, you do not fit the designated standards of beauty. It’s a harsh reality that millions of people around the world are affected by. Shifting those standards will take time, but there are ways you can individually work towards becoming more body inclusive as you wait for the rest of the world to catch up. I wrote an article on this for the Grotto Network. Check it out here: 5 Steps to Becoming More Body-Inclusive
3. Representation
Madyson and I had such a fruitful conversation during my first episode that she actually invited me back to talk about disability representation in the media.
Episode 2: Feminine Disability and Representation
“Less than 5% of disabled roles in media are played by disabled actors.”
I was 12 years old before I saw a character on tv with a physical disability. Seeing someone who looked like me was liberating…until I found out the actor wasn’t actually disabled.
There are so many talented disabled actors and models. If you want to make a statement for representation/disability rights, GREAT! Just use an actual disabled person. If you don’t, the representation means nothing and I immediately question your authenticity and motivation.
4. Inter-abled Relationships
My relationship doesn’t have to look like yours to be real.
I met Jack, my now husband, online while I was studying abroad in London.
We’ve been together for almost 3 years and I still have to remind myself that he doesn’t care that I am in a wheelchair.
This is probably the one area I still have a lot of unlearning to do.
Erasing the word “burden” from my vocabulary has not been easy. It has been so ingrained in my mind that ridding of it entirely feels impossible some days.
All relationships are give and take. Does Jack have to push me around in my wheelchair when we go out? Yes. Do I have to remind Jack to do small tasks multiple times? Yes.
People do things for the people they love. It’s as simple as that.
5. Ableism
Ahhhh yes, the one type of discrimination people forget exists.
Actually, I am not particularly sure if it’s forgetting as much as it is being unaware.
People assume that because the ADA was passed in 1990 (only 30 years ago, keep in mind) that things are automatically better. Do laws help? Of course. Does that mean that centuries of prejudice disappear? Nope. Not at all.
Laws were passed to help ensure women are equal to their male counterparts, but the feminism movement isn’t over. Laws were passed to end segregation, but as we all know, racism is still alive and well.
Ableism is no different and can take many forms, so it is not always easy to see.
The language you use (lame, stupid, etc) and the ideals you uphold (value comes from your ability level, working from home is weak, etc) all need to be evaluated.
6. What Wheelchair Users Want You To Know
I wrote another article for Grotto that I just wanted to post here as a number all on its own because it really embodies a lot of the feelings I was trying to address over the past year.
What Wheelchair Users Want You To Know
7. Stigmas and Assumptions
I am an ambulatory wheelchair user, meaning that, while my wheelchair is my primary method of transportation, I can get up and move around without it if needed.
Disability, like gender, is a spectrum. It is not your job to question people’s personal medical history.
Some disabilities are invisible, others, like mine, are painfully obvious.
1. Be expected to
2. Be thought of as “less disabled”
3. Be considered an “inspiration”
4. Be stared at like a zoo animal
READ THE REST HERE
By having assumptions, you simultaneously are creating stigmas and stereotypes.
If you want to be a part of the solution, you cannot hold onto these preconceived beliefs. You have to be willing to open your mind and admit your shortcomings. We all have them.
Even me. Especially me.
8. Accessibility
Stairs. My worst enemy.
Seriously, why does the world not have more ramps? It boggles my mind that something that benefits EVERYONE can be so difficult to find.
Increasing access and helping all people, disabled or not, recognize that we live in an incredibly inaccessible world was and is one of my top goals with this blog.
Access leads to equality. As long as the world remains inaccessible, the disabled community will continue to be marginalized.
READ THE REST HERE TO SEE WHY THIS IS A PROBLEM
Accessibility should be everyone’s concern, and until it is, it will remain a severe issue in our world.
9. Privilege within the Disability Community
The disability sector of the media, though small, is widely inhabited by white, cis-gendered individuals.
I, myself, fall into this category.
All stories deserve room at the table because they all matter to the disabled identity.
The 11 accounts included in the blog post below are just a starting point. In order to really make a difference, 100s of voices need to be lifted up from the margins of society.
10. There Is Much More To Do
I have a long way to go in my education of the disabled lived experience. As someone who has immersed myself into the community full throttle for the past 365 days, I can assure you, I have only touched the tip of what there is to learn.
I am excited about the future and I hope you are too!
If you want to join the movement and be a part of this inclusive community, then follow me on social media and subscribe to my blog so you will be the first to know about future posts!
Be sure to leave a comment below letting me know which lesson struck you the most from this past year!
June Book of the Month
Read the Discussion
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel)
Thank You
Though I, Jessica Ping-Wild, am the sole owner and creator of The Rolling Explorer, there are still so many people to thank.
First of all, I need to thank my mentor, Jim Small, for giving me the initial push to begin this passion project last summer. Without your guidance, I would have never had the courage to begin a blog, let alone a whole website!
Additionally, I need to thank my husband for encouraging me to invest in myself and this website. I signed up to be self-hosted with Bluehost earlier this year and have never looked back. With the freedom of self-hosting, I am excited about the future of The Rolling Explorer and everything we can accomplish.
My mom and dad also deserve a special thank you. As my personal photographer and copyeditor, these two always ensure my content is in tip-top shape and I am so grateful for them.
Finally, I want to thank all of YOU! Never in a million years did I expect to have loyal readers who continuously return to my blog to see what I have to say this week. Watching the numbers rise over the last few months has been humbling and exciting all at the same time. I hope you all are just as excited as I am to continue to learn together moving forward.
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