by Amelia Loken | May 11, 2026 | Disability Models
When the Body Becomes the Problem The Medical Model of Disability is the one most people know—even if they’ve never heard the term. It frames disability as a problem located in the body, something medicine should diagnose, treat, or cure. For centuries, this was...
by Amelia Loken | May 8, 2026 | Writing
Most fantasy and sci‑fi stories begin with the same assumption: if a character is disabled, the plot must eventually cure them. Magic restores what was “lost,” technology repairs what was “broken,” and the hero’s journey becomes a quest for normalization. My creative...
by Amelia Loken | Apr 30, 2026 | Disability Models
When we talk about disability, many people default to one idea: charity. Helping. Giving. Doing good. But the Charitable Model of Disability is far more complicated than simple kindness. It grew out of centuries of moral judgment, industrial pressures, and religious...
by Amelia Loken | Apr 28, 2026 | Creativity
Sixteen years ago, Chicago bullied me into reclaiming my creativity. Last week, it reminded me why I still need it. Back then, I had just weaned my fifth child and was clawing my way out of the gray world of postpartum depression. I arrived in Chicago wrung out,...
by Amelia Loken | Apr 11, 2026 | Disability Models
What is your first reaction when you encounter a disabled person? What are your instinctive beliefs about them? How do you interact? Are you natural? Fake-friendly? Do you ignore them? Do you try to figure out “what happened” while not seeming to stare? Welcome to the...
