Identity-first language or person-first language? An individual’s choice to use one or the other is a reflection of them and the culture surrounding them. For example, I prefer identity-first language because I believe it’s important to remind society that its existing infrastructures can disable me more than my SMA.
Wandering the Lines
— Sherry Toh
Sherry “Elisa” Toh (she/they) is a journalist who lives in sunny Singapore. Her diagnosis of SMA type II was in 1999 at 13 months old. Kyphoscoliosis and chronic neuropathy later developed as complications. As a hopeless romantic, her loves include fairy tales, tea, and gaming — the last being the primary focus of her work. She has bylines in PCGamesN, NME, and more. In 2023, her essay “Virtual Progress: A Disabled Journalist’s Thoughts on the Video Games Industry” was published in Singapore’s first printed disability studies anthology, “Not Without Us: Perspective on Disabilities and Inclusion in Singapore.” She writes in hopes of offering community and catharsis. Find her @sherlisass on social media.
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A few years ago, November was when writers worldwide would transform into hermits. We would hunker down and attempt to write 50,000 words by the end of the month — the equivalent of a novel. Rarely could we be seen during this time, except when fetching food and drink and…
One of my favorite tees to wear is navy blue and says, “INSTALLING MUSCLES. PLEASE WAIT …” Underneath the text is a bright red loading bar about halfway done. It was a gift from my mother, a token of her hope that I’d one day grow stronger instead of weaker.
“What does your heart say?” Crouched next to the character of Kun, a newly freed deaf fish who lived trapped in an aquarium her entire life, was the personification of Water. Played by theater artists Jade Ow and Deborah Chai, respectively, on stage at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, the scene…
To say I didn’t attempt to set my complaint about a Sephora event up for success … would be a lie. If I was posting a video on TikTok, I obviously wanted people to see it. Time and effort are required to write a script, film, and edit,…
“Did you tell your siblings my medication costs about $1,000 SGD [$783] per day, before subsidies?” I texted my dad a couple of months back. It had been years since his elder brother and sister had seen me. As fate would have it, I was due for phenol and steroid…
Another day, another devastating headline in the realm of video games. “Layoffs Leave The Future Of Xbox’s Award-Winning Accessibility Efforts In Doubt,” announces one story from the gaming news website Aftermath. The article, published on July 22 and written by a fellow journalist with SMA named Grant Stoner, details…
I had a date with Count Dracula. An award-winning ballet adaptation of Bram Stoker’s immortal creation — “Dracula: Ballet at its Darkest” — was to arrive in my homeland of Singapore for the summer, and a friend of mine got wind of the news. The production promised an…
One of the queerest ways to spend Pride Month could go like this … You decide to go to the theater one night. You scan the ticketing site for a show and land on one about lesbian identity, struggles, and culture in Singapore. It’d be no fun to go alone,…
I don’t talk to my ex anymore. For the sake of this column, I will have to let her know about it as a courtesy. But as far as a daily choice goes, it’s not one I make anymore. Readers who’ve kept up with my column in the last few…
I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t sell my soul for money. In a way, that’s what my job as a professional disability advocate and writer is: Mining my life as a resource for content to monetize, whether directly or indirectly. Is the net result adding good to…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with fentanyl and other pain medications. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. “You really know pain, huh?” someone asked me, eyes wide with concern. In response to their offering me…
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