Being Disabled and chronically ill is really hard, it adds so many barriers and unwanted stigma to everything you do. This year, Disability Pride month left me puzzled, I was confused how folks were discussing their favourite things about being Disabled and what makes them proud to be Disabled. Upon raising my questions to folks I trusted, other community members and my Disabled siblings, the one constant was that the best thing about being part of this community, is the community itself. And for me, that's because of love in the form of 'access intimacy'. I tried to close my eyes and imagine what it felt like and sensorially, I think of cozy blankets, warmth, potlucks, soft chatter, crafting and joy. The tactile embodiment of access intimacy is like that of a teddy bear, a warm embrace, safe foods and love.
A collage created from magazine clippings hanging on a plain white wall. The collage features images of teddy bears, cakes, warm textures and a pair of legs. Text on top of the images reads, “Access Intimacy is invisible, slowing down, making changes, baking bread and canning fruit, high mobility, uncompromised, as warm as toast.”
