There are so many different factors that go into consideration when trying to understand our bodies. After talking in class and talking about how others are seeing your body and creating this sense of meaning that they give you. I had never thought about how others may see my outfits as a political or cultural statement, when really it is just the first thing I found in the morning to wear. I can also understand how we dress to make a statement. Today we can see how political movements are expressed through clothing. For example, it was common to see people wearing a shirt that said “BLM” or even a shirt that would support Trump or Biden at the time of elections. The purpose behind saying that is to think that some people may try to pass a cultural or political message through clothing but sometimes people are not trying but a message about how you dress will be created by people who see you in passing. Talking about what shapes our understanding of bodies like fashion and beauty. We may see certain fashion and beauty standards that we feel we must follow the trends, but they do not represent who we think we are. There are beauty trends to do full faces of makeup and understanding that not everyone wants to fit the standards. We see other things like religion trying to persuade us how you should dress and act. You can see religion as shaping what you wear or being judged if you do not. I personally dress for what environment I will be in, whether it is hot or cold. I do not take into effect how people may read my body based off what I wear when I am not dressing for them. 

Disability justice movements are social justice movements that seek to challenge and dismantle ableism. Ableism is the discrimination and oppression of people with disabilities. Disability justice advocates argue that ableism perpetuates harmful stereotypes and barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in society.

Disability justice movements often work towards a wide range of goals, including increasing accessibility and inclusion, challenging stigma against disabilities, and promoting the rights and autonomy of people with disabilities. This can involve advocating for policies that support the independence of people with disabilities, such as accessible housing, public transportation, and employment options. For example, The Americans with Disabilities Act fights for prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in all public and private spaces.

There are many organizations and initiatives that work towards disability justice, including disability rights groups, disability justice collectives, and disability-led organizations. These groups often participate in and organize community activities, including advocacy and educating the general public. Another big group is the Disability Justice Initiative who fight for rights of disabled people of color so that they can participate in America’s economy and democracy.

However, sometimes people find it hard to join in activism activities because it requires a lot of time, energy and resources, or some people just aren’t outgoing enough, or because they experience public humiliation when others misinterpret the cause, and many more reasons. There are many other ways to support the disability activism without actively going to organized events though. You could share and boost articles about advocating for disabilities on social media. You could be more open to discuss disability activism in casual conversations, (of course at an appropriate time). You could vote for laws and policies that support accessibility and inclusion. This particular action is very impactful because it emphasizes it as a national issue.

Whether it is just liking a post about disability justice movements or actively joining a community activists’ event, any amount of recognition for intersections of disability work towards creating a more equitable and just world.

Mental health refers to a person’s overall psychological well-being, including their social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Good mental health is essential for living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. It allows us to cope with the challenges of daily life, work productively, and make meaningful contributions to our communities.

There are many different ways to support and improve mental health. One important aspect is seeking professional help when needed. This can include seeing a therapist or counselor, or in some cases, taking medication prescribed by a doctor. Therapy can be a great way to address mental health issues, as it provides a safe and supportive space for individuals to explore their thoughts and feelings and learn coping strategies.

Another important aspect of supporting mental health is creating a supportive and understanding environment. This can involve educating oneself and others about mental health, addressing stigma and discrimination, and creating a culture of openness and acceptance. It can also involve providing physical accommodations and support, such as flexible work schedules or mental health resources, to ensure that individuals have the resources they need to thrive.

In addition to seeking professional help, there are also many self-care practices that can support mental health. These can include getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing. It can also be helpful to engage in activities that bring joy and meaning, such as hobbies or volunteering.

In conclusion, mental health is a critical aspect of overall well-being and is essential for living a fulfilling and meaningful life. By seeking professional help when needed, practicing self-care, and creating a supportive environment, we can all work towards improving our mental health and the mental health of those around us.

During our last class meeting, we discussed how disabled people are infantilized and, by extension, de-sexualized by society. I noted that the pipeline (??)) from infantilization to asexualization itself assumes that children do not have sexuality, which is clearly untrue. Although it isn’t the most comfortable thing to discuss, our culture places a lot of social and commercial value on sex, and it’s misguided to think that children aren’t also affected by this.

I can at least speak for myself in saying that child me did have some sort of sexuality. Growing up, I was lucky to have a mom who basically told me that it was ok to do things with my body that felt good, as long as I did it in private by myself. This was maybe a limited form of sexuality though, as at that point I wasn’t really connecting physical pleasure with specific fantasies or thoughts.

In my family, I am the youngest child. Overall, expectations have always been placed on me to be as good as, if not better than, my older siblings. Most of those expectations were kind of unsaid and not really difficult to bear but some caused my family to look down upon me when I failed to meet them. All besides one. For some reason, those expectations carried over to relationships. I am the youngest in my family, being 2 years younger than my step-brother and 4 years younger than my sister. For whatever reason, I was expected to have as many relationships as my stepbrother. I never quite understood what was going on, but every other week he was dating a different girl. My mom and stepdad didn’t really expect me to have relationships as well, they just wanted me to be me and enjoy life. However when I went over to my father and stepmother’s place, I was always greeted with the “are you with anyone yet?”. It didn’t really hurt much but what did was that when I said no, the response at some point became “Are you gay?”. I don’t get why not actively dating would make my sexuality known to anyone. It made me uncomfortable that they were assuming my sexuality was something different then it was, merely because I was not actively dating a girl to prove my sexuality. It just made no sense to me and well, still doesn’t. I don’t get the expectations from my father that as a 10y/o I was expected to date otherwise I was doing wrong as I was not like my stepbrother. A few years ago I made it clear to them that it was an issue and I wanted them to stop and well, its caused a little awkwardness in our conversations when we talk about relationships as they are respecting my lifestyle choice.

*TW for sexual assault*

This is not something I usually talk about, but I’d like to take advantage of the anonymity of these posts. 

When I was 13, just about to turn 14, in my freshman year of high school, an upperclassman asked me out. He was 15 then. Once again, I was just 13, fresh out of middle school- I didn’t know any better, and I no longer blame myself for it, but it’s still always something I wish I could go back and stop him from doing. 

What’s that disability? (Pokemon sounds)

Sexual education is something that is often avoided or pushed to the side. From my experience, in 5th grade we had a class that lasted for a couple weeks called “family life” were they would separate the boys and girls and tell us about our bodies and how they would change or continue to change in the coming years. Then, in 7th grade, we had a unit of sexual education in our science classes. In this class, we mostly talked about anatomy and biological processes in a very scientific way. The last required sexual education I remember having in school was when I took half a year of health in 9th grade. In this class we talked about everything from giving birth to sexually transmitted diseases to abusive relationships. The health teacher I had in high school was a man, and he definitely skipped some of the topics we were supposed to cover. We had a sub one day and she talked to us about contraceptives and the different options, which was actually very informative. All of the other health classes also had to watch a video of a woman giving birth, which we did not watch in my class. Throughout these years, for the majority, the attitude towards these classes is that no one wants to do it, but it is something that is required, and we just have to get through it. There was still a lot I didn’t know or understand after taking these classes, even about my own body. These classes don’t give children the wrong idea or influence them to make bad decisions, they will look for answers to their questions on their own, so it is best to give them the information in a safe way. Learning this information in an age-appropriate way and connecting it to real people’s lives will help protect kids and teens and help them make healthy decisions.

There should also not be certain children being left out of sexual education because they are seen as not needing to know the information. It is important for people with intellectual and physical disabilities to also learn this information because just like everyone else, they need to be able to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies, disease, and abuse. Denying them of this information will just serve to put them at a higher risk of these things. In school, I also don’t remember learning any information about sexual education for people in the LGBTQ+ community. This information should be taught along with everything else because there is no need to keep it from anyone. It could be beneficial for anyone to know, and it shouldn’t be kept from the people that need to hear it.