October is Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this week is Invisible Disabilities Week. Ironically (or maybe not), I came across a recent post on Facebook that was shared by someone in my hometown just days ago and proves that we still have a lot of work to do. As I read the lengthy post, I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach; what begins as a probably-well-intentioned restaurant review quickly spirals into an increasingly offensive, ableist account of one person's reaction to the concept that people with disabilities are in fact *gasp* people. 

I tried to let it go. I really did. But this post just reveals how incredibly ignorant some people still are. If you read the post and didn't have a similar nausea-inducing reaction, you might be one of them yourself. In that case, here are a few reasons why this story is so sickening:

1. Employing people who are qualified to do the job they're assigned and compensating them appropriately for doing that job is NOT community service. It's just plain old business, and to discriminate in the hiring process or to not compensate your employees for the work they do is ILLEGAL and unethical. You are not deserving of special recognition and accolades simply for obeying the law.

2. To assume you can ascertain the "peak" of a stranger's ability simply by looking at them is absurd. It's like assuming someone is fit and healthy because they're skinny. It's not only impossible; it's potentially damaging and leads to all kinds of negative and inaccurate stereotypes. 

3. The people who were on their phones or talking to their companions may not have noticed the employees working to prepare and deliver their food, or they may have the common decency to not point and stare at another human being who's just going about their day as if they were in a circus sideshow or on exhibit in a zoo. Do you also stare in awe when a cashier gives you the correct change or another driver stops at a red light? 

4. Doing something so well that no one notices your "handicap" is not a universal goal that every disabled person strives for. And "machine-like efficiency" or productivity at all costs is NOT a measure of a human being's value. People with disabilities should not be required to "overcome" their "limitations" to be considered worthy of existence.

5. The fact that you were "in awe" of these employees says more about you than it does about them. 

It's unfortunate, yet not surprising, that there are still folks in my own town who feel this is appropriate to share on social media. To the author of this post and the thousands of people who have liked or shared it - please take this opportunity to learn. You might be surprised how many people with disabilities you interact with on a daily basis, and treating us like fellow human beings is really the least you could do. 

When TCK Publishing sent me a copy of Master Your Core: A Science-Based Guide to Achieve Peak Performance and Resilience to Injury by Dr. Bohdanna Zazulak to review, I wasn’t expecting to learn much. As a former personal trainer, I have a solid basic understanding of the muscles that make up what we like to call the “core” and how to strengthen those muscles. Of course, there’s always more to learn (and it’s also helpful to review what we already know from time to time!). If you’re unfamiliar with the anatomy of your midsection and want to learn how you can build a more stable core, this book will get you well on your way with dozens of exercises, including breathing and meditation exercises. 

As I explore the intersection of art and disability for my project "Visual / Virtual / Viral: Communicating Disease and Disability Experience Through Art in the Digital Age, I've found myself continually returning to the work of artist/advocate Christina Baltais. I was originally drawn to a mask she created, titled Gilded Pieces, that was inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi. Christina uses her work - ranging from sculpture to collage, photography, body art and more - to share her personal story of living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and to raise awareness about chronic illness. 

I recently had the chance to ask Christina a few questions about her work and her experience as an artist/advocate. Here's what she shared with me:

A: My favourite medium right now is collaging. I love the whole process from start to finish. It's fun seeking out old vintage magazines and books in different charity shops, because you never know what treasures you'll find. I love opening their pages for ideas and inspiration, and finding a creative way to bring pieces together to tell a story.

A: My inspiration behind these sculptures was seeing the painted body casts of artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo wore plaster corsets for most of her life because her spine was too weak to support itself. She transformed her painful body casts by painting them with personal images, collages, mirrors. I have a deep appreciation for the alchemy of pain into art, because I believe that's how many creatives survive and carry forward through great hardship. This inspired me to turn plaster moulds of my body into expressive pieces of art - to help communicate the hardship of existing inside it.

The process of body casting was quite straightforward. My spouse had to plaster wrap my upper body twice, and we had to figure out ways to position myself so I could be well supported as they dried. I wanted one cast to have a very flowing ethereal look, and chose to use the combination of an acrylic pour and gold leaf foil. With the other cast, I wanted to create the feeling of being trapped inside and worn down. I chose to use a crackle paste and corset-like stitches down the front. I also strung LED lights along the inside of this cast to symbolize one's spirit being trapped inside.

Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas

Minneapolis Institute of Art

National AIDS Memorial