What I'm thinking when you are disabling me.
A series of paintings illustrating phrases which go through my head when people ignore me, speak down to me, don't provide access or otherwise disable me.
Trying to live an ordinary life as a disabled person is difficult, but it's not the wheels or the canes or the hearing aids that are the problem, it's society and it's lack of accessibility and understanding.
It's not sad that I use a wheelchair, these wheels are my freedom
I'm a person, not a wheelchair
I'm not a child you know!
Am I invisible?
No I don't have a license for driving my chair, so you better watch your feet
And what's wrong with you?
Feel free to talk to me directly
Out of my way, I'm wheeling through
Let me pray for you to be healed.... Of your ableism
And God said "let there by I access" and it was NOT good!
I'm disabled, not broken
I'm as entitled to be here as you are
Our relationship?
Absolutely NONE of your business
Oh really, Kale, I MUST try that instead of my medication (NOT).
(This painting is inspired by Dr Bex Lewis, never forgotten.)
Just one little step?
Oh good, I'll just levitate!
Yes I'm entitled to use the disabled toilet/ disabled parking etc
No I don't have to tell you why
No I'm not "soooooo inspirational"
How am I?
How long have you got?
And God said "let there be access" and it was NOT good!
...
This series was created to raise awareness and I am thrilled to be able to share that one of them was used to illustrate a talk given by Dr Naomi Jacobs on "disabled people's experiences of curative prayer" at the 2024 Society for the Study of Theology (SST) conference.
"Sneak peak of a slide below, featuring art by the fantastic Emma Major (thanks to her for kind permission to use it)."