Blog
Exploring the Charitable Model of Disability
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...
Broad Shoulders and Bright Colors: Creative Reawakening in Chicago
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,...
Exploring the Moral Model of Disability
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...
My NaNoWriMo Alternative: Making a Writing Habit that Lasts
Last Fall (2025), my writing group decided to do its own NaNoWriMo, and my stomach clenched with dread. National Novel Writing Month was born the same year as my oldest child, twenty-six years ago. NaNoWriMo started as a writing community in 1999 and later became a...
Hope is Rebellious
I am a Star Wars fan. I watched A New Hope when it was just called Star Wars. I was tiny. After watching it, I asked my mom why they never showed the lions. She was confused. There are no lions in Star Wars and no reason to think there should be. I kept asking about...
Choosing Hope after Alex Pretti’s Murder
Good Intentions I wrote a short little essay on hope in January 2025. It wasn’t polished, but it was from the heart. I wasn’t sure how to wrap it up. I decided to let it sit and then I would figure it out. The weather channel was predicting a snowstorm that would shut...
What are the Five Disability Models?
This post centers on the five disability models. Before we delve into the intricacies of each model, hear me out for a minute. if we’re going to spend time together, I want to make sure we’re “speaking the same language.” I use the term “disability” because that’s the...