Whether a person’s rant would classify as venting or trauma dumping doesn’t negate the hardships they are dealing with. What matters is that you respond in a way that respects your boundaries while protecting the other person from being emotionally vulnerable.
It’s important not to feel ashamed of having ableist perspectives, but we must confront them; I learned that I can’t beat myself up for making misguided assumptions about the disabled community so long as I recognize and change my biased thinking to be more inclusive.
June 9, 2019. Ali Stroker wins Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. An actor, singer, and wheelchair user, Ali Stroker has been a trailblazer for disability representation on the stage. She was the first wheelchair user to graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts Drama Department at New York University. In 2015, she was the first wheelchair user to appear on Broadway, starring as Anna in the musical, Spring Awakening. For her performance as Ado Annie Carnes in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma!, Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony Award in 2019.
Being Young and Disabled
By Noah Griffth, Auburn University
I Was a "Student of Concern"
By Kate Jackson, Rutgers University
In My Moment of Distress
By Anonymous, Temple University