Disability Pride Month: Q&A With Vasu Sojitra
Join us in celebrating Disability Pride Month as we discuss the meaning of disability with Vasu Sojitra, disability access strategist and professional athlete. He walks us through what disability justice looks like, why it is important to celebrate it, reminds us that disabled is not a bad word, and more.
Why is celebrating Disability Pride Month important?
V: Disability Pride Month is important because many times in our world, disability is looked down upon and put into a corner. “Oh don’t say that. That’s a bad word!” But as folks start to understand what “disability” really means beyond face value, that meaning is flipped. That’s what showcasing more representation can do; create a paradigm shift. Having pride in our bodies however they are can help us all embrace difference and uniqueness. This pride can help showcase the success that people with disabilities have when provided the opportunity and support. We’re not in this alone.
We are not in this alone.
“This pride can help showcase the success that people with disabilities have when provided the opportunity and support. We’re not in this alone.”
Photo Credit: Sophia JaramilloAccess to the outdoors for the disabled community has grown, but we have a long way to go. What have you noticed is lacking in your community when it comes to accessibility?
V: Many people think that “access” or “accessibility” means “Will it work for a wheelchair”. Yes, that is a bit of what access means, but there’s so much more. How can a space be accessible for a crutch user like myself? Or some that are Deaf or hard of hearing? Or someone who is Blind? Or even some that have a sensory processing disorder? This idea of access is vast but the solutions to the problems impacting these communities are in the communities. Building relationships with each person or community leader can help broaden our understanding of what is accessible. We need to see more Disabled people in leadership roles, but its not only up to us to work our way up through merit, we need the support of our community to create more accessible opportunities in fostering leaders.
Labels these days have extreme power and weight. Many times people try to use new words for disability that they believe are better suited for ‘political correctness’. But that often leaves us lost and we are left not only with the wrong terms but also dishonoring the meaning of disability.
How do you respond to these situations, and what is the right language?
V: Ok first off, I get the chills when I write “differently abled.” I despise euphemisms to describe our community. But also I do see the need to feel “normal” in a society that continues to deem us less-than, view the word “disabled” at face value, or even individualize a whole community. Even the Webster’s Dictionary definition individualizes disability instead of sharing being disabled is part of human diversity. Instead of sharing that we as people have created this concept of disability, aka created ableism, to make people feel less than and shamed in our bodies. Do we think every apple is this pristine Macintosh that we see in the pyramids at the grocery store? If GMOs had anything to do with it, yes, but if nature had its way, HELL NO! Every apple, every human, every flower, and every animal is unique in our esthetic, our cognition, and our overall being. This I 1000% believe to be a fact because humans are no different than nature and vice versa.
And no one is acutely saying we are “less than” other than the few ignorant folks out there. Screw them. That’s not what this is about. Most of the feelings are not said out loud. Most are by actions or more so lack of action. Noticing the lack of representation of Disabled people in so many mainstream spaces that continue to highlight “diversity” or “intersectionality” especially as both those words continue to be buzzwords and trendy in industry.
This one is on the leaders to notice the missed opportunities to see how the lack of action is continuing to create violence and harm. Continuing to shame and segregate the Disabled community from the non-disabled community. Continuing to individualize disability into thinking we are the problem and “disabled” is a bad word.
At the end of the day, I could care less what folks use to describe themselves as long as there’s an acknowledgment of the struggles we run into. Those struggles are a fact regardless of whether folks want to be called Disabled or not.
“Do we think every apple is this pristine Macintosh?
Every apple, every human, every flower, and every animal is unique in our esthetic, our cognition, and our overall being.”
Photo Credit: Chris DonovanWhat is your pet peeve when it comes to non-disabled people’s questions or reactions? How can we do better?
V: My pet peeve when it comes to non-disabled people reaction’s is simple: the overuse of “inspirational”. This word is LOADED in the Disabled space. Overused and lost its meaning especially when it comes from a non-disabled person. When a non-disabled person uses this word towards me, I immediately know that that person is fairly unaware and uneducated about the Disabled community. This also goes for Disabled people. Just because you’re Disabled doesn’t mean you understand the nuance and culture of the Disabled community. The same can go with racially and ethnically diverse communities and LGBT+ communities. It’s about the culture, not the identity.
Another pet peeve that I see very often and is more hurtful to me and the Disabled community is the severe lack of representation in so-called “diverse” spaces. If your space is BIPOC only, then it’s not inclusive or diverse. If your space is LBGT+ only, it’s not inclusive or diverse. Diversity and inclusion don’t stop at race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. Disability MUST be included at the table. Full stop. #1 reason why I’m a squeaky wheel. These BIPOC/Queer spaces pat themselves on the back for being so woke but then are completely unaware of their ignorance when it comes to the Disabled community. Same unawareness that white spaces have towards BIPOC spaces. Using the same fragility and same language they do on you that you do on us. It’s pretty glaring.
“If your space is BIPOC only, then it’s not inclusive or diverse. If your space is LBGT+ only, it’s not inclusive or diverse. Diversity and inclusion don’t stop at race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. Disability MUST be included at the table.”
Photo Credit: Alex Kim
What does disability justice look like?
V: Disability Justice looks like not needing a Disability Pride Month because every Disabled person is proud of who they are and every non-disabled people understands their dynamics within our community; to help create support networks for everyone to thrive.
If you had the power to create immediate change through law, what would you do?
V: Wow that’s quite the question. I would work to make sure access to education and critical race, gender, and disability theory was prioritized so the next generation has a better understanding of what has come before them and how the world is currently designed.
I would also try to reduce the number of cars on the road and make public transportation easier to use (like Europe). One major barrier Disabled people run into is getting around. Many don’t drive so having access to transportation to get them to doctor appointments, green spaces, or to see family. [That] would be incredibly helpful for their mental health.
I would work to deconstruct the insurance companies and the influence they have in deciding the outcome of Disabled people. It is incredibly difficult to work with insurance to access medical equipment.
Those are just a few of hundreds all focused on the human experience and livelihood at the center. Not profit for the select few.
Vasu, you are an accomplished athlete with a track record of creating change, daring to try new things, and pushing limits.
What would you say to a younger kid with a disability who may not yet have the courage or strength to get outside of their comfort zone or think that they are not able to be a part of something bigger?
V: Comparison is the destruction of joy. If you put whatever helps you feel happy at the center whether it’s community, mobility, creativity, you name it, this idea of feeling less than will dissolve over time. It’s so easy to compare ourselves to our non-disabled counterparts, but we all are so different and have different bodies that we’d be comparing apples to oranges. Focus on you and what works for you.
What does the future of outdoor access look like to you?
V: It looks like the representation we see on the streets of NY but on the trail. Everyone from all walks of life enjoying green spaces and experiencing the outdoors however they like.
Photo Credit: Rocko Menzyk
