At Art Possible Ohio we are wrapping up 2020 and looking forward to 2021. While 2020 posed a lot of challenges it also opened up a lot of dialogue and discussion. We are all about dialogue and discussion! It is how we learn, grow, develop empathy, and become better and stronger for one another. One of our focuses in 2021 is better understanding the role of intersectionality in all of our lives.

Researcher and adorable infographic creator Miriam Dobson created the infographic above to help explain intersectionality. Click here to view her website. Imagine yourself living in Bob’s world. What is your shape? Color? Name? Pattern? Are there parts of yourself that feel more sensitive or difficult to navigate than others? Do you sometimes feel like people only see your polka dots? Or overlook you because you are a rhombus? Is it frustrating to be purple and a pentagon? We feel you. Disability is piece of the intersectionality puzzle.
Intersectionality Isn’t…
Some people misinterpret intersectionality as a competition to see who can be the most oppressed. However, it is the opposite. Intersectionality is more like a basket. Our interwoven identities layer together in a complex pattern that lifts us and holds us all. To remove an identity is to weaken the over all integrity of the basket and create cracks that people might fall through. We all deserve to be seen and heard for who we are and to have space and support in the basket.
Here are a few great articles about intersectionality:
Identity Beyond Disability by Diversity and Ability, featured on Medium
Black Disabled Lives Matter by Alison Hayes, featured on Thriving While Disabled
What Access-Centered Means from the Access-Centered Movement website