Finding the Balance Between Realism and Optimism
My oldest cousin is getting married this weekend, and my youngest cousin is engaged. Two of my best friends are in long-term, committed relationships and talking about marriage. I turned…
The Wolf Finally Frees Itself
— Brianna Albers
Brianna Albers (she/her) is a crip-cyborg storyteller living in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 2 in 1996 and lives with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions. By day she works as an advocate, bridging disability and mental health awareness to empower people to live their best lives; by night, she dabbles in imagination, and is currently writing “An Angel in the Garden,” an adult space fantasy with #OwnVoices disability representation. Find her online at briannahopealbers.com and on social media @briehalbers.
Featured Post
With cancer in the family, my SMA has been out of the spotlight
I’ve been putting off this column for months, I guess in the hopes that it’d become easier to write. I didn’t want to go public until I knew for sure that everything was going…
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Learning to Live with Chronic Pain
It’s ironic. I’ve been sick my entire life, but only in the past few months have I really felt chronically ill. I’m slowly, if not reluctantly, coming to…
Inaccessibility Makes Life Difficult
It’s easy to forget how inaccessible the world is, especially when you’ve spent the last week and a half scrolling through social media feeds and catching up on sleep. Even…
Moving Forward
I meant to write a column while I was in Indiana. I even imagined what it would be like to sit on campus, enjoying the sunshine and pleasant bustle of…
Appreciating Old Adventures and Anticipating New Ones
I’ve been struggling to get back into the swing of things now that my friends are gone. And not just with schoolwork, either. Basically, anything that isn’t Dungeons & Dragons,…
When the Impossible Becomes Possible
I’m writing this the night before my best friend’s plane lands in the U.S. I’ve been working nonstop the past three weeks to make sure everything is ready…
Humor Gets Me Through the Bad SMA Days
My parents and I have been traveling to Iowa every weekend for the past few months. We recently bought a vacation home in Wisconsin, and we’ve been getting the farm…
Self-acceptance in the Form of Class Assignments
I’ve never liked my voice. I went to speech therapy as a child, and people have struggled to understand me for as long as I can remember.
Twitter Hashtag Leads to Disability Activism
Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed that I’ve been posting a lot of selfies lately.
Waiting for the Sun to Rise
Those of you who’ve followed my column for a while know I try to be honest about what I’m going through. I don’t pretend my life is perfect for many…
Selfies Help Me Overcome Anxieties
I deactivated my Facebook account a while back, so I’m trying to be more active on other social media platforms. This is partly to keep in touch with people and…
Mindfulness, Radical Acceptance, and the Effects of SMA
When I started grad school earlier this year, a friend told me that I could not, under any circumstances, start to psychoanalyze the people in my life. I…
