Switching wheelchairs was more painful than I expected
“It won’t be this way forever, right?” This has become a sort of refrain for my dad and me over the past couple of years. Whenever we’re overwhelmed, we turn to each other and…
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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This Year, I’m Affirming My Value as a Marginalized Author
Weeks ago, when I had the idea to write a monthlong series on limiting stories, I identified three areas of interest: my love life, my friendships, and my career. In my mind, this…
This Year, I’m Reclaiming My Ability to Live in Community
Like my mother before me, I’m an avid collector. Books, rings, blankets I’ll probably never use — as a child, I even collected those souvenir spoons found in historical gift shops across the U.S.
This Year, I’m Choosing Singleness as an Act of Self-love
Second in a series. Read part one. As a kid, I participated in the time-honored tradition of learning about love through movies. I knew better than to fall for the more extravagant depictions.
This Year, I’m Breaking Up With Limiting Stories
First in a series. When it comes to New Year’s, there are two types of people. Either you subscribe to the magic of a new year, or you believe there’s nothing inherently special about…
Why 2023 Will Be My Year of Resurrection
I have been waiting my entire life. Waiting for someone to love me. Waiting for the snow to melt. Waiting for my skin to clear so I could leave the house without feeling like…
The Latest Android Update Is Bad News for Accessibility Users
I could tell it was going to be a bad day. I woke up to an overdraft notice from my bank, which is never a good sign. Then I realized something was wrong with…
As 2023 Approaches, I’m Entering My ‘Strange and Ugly’ Era
The other day, my friends and I were talking about our mantras for the upcoming year. I usually start thinking about mine sometime in December, so this conversation was par for the course —…
How ‘Andor’ Reminded Me of the Importance of Community Care
This year has been unprecedentedly good in terms of media. From season four of “Stranger Things” to the delightfully campy “Our Flag Means Death,” I’ve had no shortage of things to binge. But the…
You Really Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing
My life flashed before my eyes. Or, to be more specific, all the meals I’ve eaten in my life flashed before my eyes. I’d determined with complete certainty that I was lactose intolerant. My…
When Life Gives You Lactose Intolerance, Make Lactaid
With all due gravity, I informed the group chat about my latest hypothesis. “I think I might be lactose intolerant.” “NO,” said one friend. “NOOOOO,” said another. I explained that I’d been experiencing some…
Here’s Your Sign to Invest in an Emergency Backup Generator
It was about a week and a half into the “Dad has COVID-19” saga. Mom and I were surviving in every sense of the term. We’re all introverts, and we all hate change.
