Episode 21: Disability and Depression - The Accessible Stall

In this episode, we talk about disability and depression. We know it’s not the most pleasant topic. But, we wouldn’t be keeping it real if we acted like life is sunshine and roses all the time. And let’s be honest, depression is one of the realest parts of the human experience for so many. A transcript for this episode can be found here. This transcript is due to our generous supporters on Patreon. Thank you.

Why is it important to be open about disability and depression?

Here’s the problem: far too often, people assume that if a disabled person is depressed, the disability must be the direct cause. Even more problematic is that these kinds of assumptions aren’t just made by friends or family, but also by medical professionals.

It’s true that there can be a strong correlation between disability and depression. But it’s important to remember that people can be depressed for any number of reasons.

That said, it’s also important to recognize when disability is contributing to depression, and acknowledge that these feelings are valid. We’ve both encountered this. For instance, we’ve come face to face with physical limitations caused by our disabilities. We’ve had to grapple with things we can’t do. Experiences like this can definitely trigger or amplify emotions, especially for people who are already depressed.

So, we decided to record this episode for three main reasons:

1) To push back against the taboo of mental health disabilities;
2) To explore the connections between being disabled and being depressed;
3) And, most importantly, to let you know that you’re not alone.

Disclaimer: We understand that not everyone considers mental health issues to be disabilities. And we know people use a range of terms to refer to mental health disabilities. For the purposes of this episode, we are defining mental health issues as a category under the umbrella of disability.

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Episode 20: Bodily Autonomy

We’re taking a break from our miniseries on building a better community and tackling the topic of bodily autonomy.

What is bodily autonomy?

For a simple definition, we consulted our good friend, Wikipedia, which defines bodily autonomy as:

…the inviolability of the physical body and emphasiz[ing] the importance of personal autonomy and the self-determination of human beings over their own bodies. It considers the violation of bodily integrity as an unethical infringement, intrusive, and possibly criminal.

In this episode, we discuss how bodily autonomy pertains specifically to people with disabilities.

How does bodily autonomy affect the disability community?

People with disabilities are more likely to have their autonomy challenged than any other group of people. Don’t take our word for it, though. Check out the statistics. This is outrageous. But when you have a disability, it’s not only often seen as okay, but in some cases it’s expected and normalized.

We dive deeper into the issue. How does having different mobility levels affect the perception of autonomy?  How does autonomy tie into bigger issues such as personal privacy?

When you’re a person with a disability, there are many situations in which having your autonomy challenged or removed can lead to very literal objectification of your body.

True ownership over our own bodies is one of the few things we (philosophically) truly have. Without it, we are objects, and that is never a good thing.

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