2022 CommUNITY Conversations: Ask an Able-Bodied Person
This free workshop is the latest in NCBI’s CommUNITY Conversations series. It is aimed at bridging the divide between able-bodied people and people with disabiities. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to attend this event and ask much needed questions. The ultimate goal of this event is for the different communities to create a deeper understanding of each other’s daily lives and experiences. We hope that this conversation establishes a sense of unity and allyship amongst the attendees.
Facilitator Jacob Lesner-Buxton is a social justice organizer and activist around disability rights. Originally from Oakland, Jake currently lives in Santa Barbara, CA.
Jake says:
The idea for “Ask an Able-Bodied Person” comes from my years of presenting about disability at schools and in the community. Though I enjoyed educating others, I often thought I was being asked to speak for all people with disabilities. I had never heard people who didn’t have disabilities being asked about being able-bodied and have been curious about how people without disabilities perceive that identity. Questions such as “do non-disabled feel a common bond with others who were able-bodied?” or “why do some non-disabled people just pretend to understand me when I see they don’t? often rattle around in my head.Because of these questions, I thought it would be interesting to do an event entitled “Ask an a Able-Bodied Person” to explore these questions that I and others have about those who identify as able-bodied. Apart from a video of people with autism interviewing those without, I haven’t heard about an event like this before.
I hope you will join us for this useful and thought-provoking event.