Opinion: I’m proud to identify as disabled. I worry about the use of disability as a political strategy
I was born with a hearing loss. I’ve struggled with mental illness my entire life. And since a spinal-cord injury four years ago, I’ve walked with a cane and brace. I’m proud to identify as disabled. That’s why I’m concerned by the increasing dependence on references to disability as a political strategy, some of which have come from Donald Trump while others are aimed at him. Regardless of the source, ableist rhetoric that conflates disability with an inability to contribute meaningfully to society is toxic.
As a candidate for president, Trump’s preoccupation with the body was evident when he disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski, derided Hillary Clinton’s , and asserted that Heidi Klum is But now it’s liberals who casually bandy about terms like “crazy” to
