Picture Descriptions

The pictures are of people who have highlighted the big idea in my narrative for me over

the past few months, and I want to share a bit about each of them. (going counterclockwise from

the top left corner)

Allie Cashel was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease at age seven. She consistently

faced ignorant claims and disrespect from people who discounted her disability, simply because

it is not visible from the outside. Determined to become her own advocate, she and Erica

Lupinacci created a website called Suffering the Silence, which shares testimonies and stories of

people with chronic illness, as well as encouragement for each other to speak out against hurtful

systems, comments, and disrespectful people. By celebrating both herself and creating a platform

to celebrate others with disabilities, Cashel has made the world a more welcoming environment

for people with chronic illnesses, removing some ignorance that caused the issues in the first

place.

Christa Couture lost her left leg at age thirteen to help remove bone cancer. She also

struggled with thyroid cancer and the loss of her two sons. She felt hopeless and unrepresented in

the world. Deciding to create change, she posted her pregnancy photos, which featured her floral

prosthetic leg in the background. Providing inspiring and necessary representation for the

disability community, she even received fan art, as shown below her picture. Her choice to

promote celebration instead of rejection impacted many people’s lives and promoted inclusivity.

Daniel Durant, a Deaf actor, was most recently on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars,

where I learned about his story for the first time. He was born deaf and struggled severely with

bullying and mistreatment by his peers up until eighth grade. On DWTS, he was very focused on

sharing what the experience was like for a person who could not hear the music they were
dancing to. My favorite moment was his jazz dance, where the music stopped halfway through

the number. This was purposeful - Daniel wanted to show the world what it was like to dance in

silence. Him and his partner Britt continued to dance through the silence, and it was stunning. He

and Britt also incorporated ASL into several of his dances. He celebrated his disability and it

touched me greatly - I told everyone I knew about him. He will forever be an inspiration to me.

Temple Grandin further reminded me of this big idea of celebration - her constant fight

for acceptance and the joy she felt when she was valued continued to make me realize the

importance of celebrating people with disabilities. Her work with cattle revolutionized the

industry, and her hug machine transformed psychology concepts. Temple’s autism was

consistently treated negatively for a large portion of her life, making her feel isolated and

worthless. People like her science teacher reminded me of the power of celebrating someone for

who they are and the necessity of inclusion.

This is my Uncle John, who was born with Down's Syndrome. As he was growing up, he

was immensely valued in his home, but other people were not as encouraging. Not many

believed in the possibility of him having a successful future or life in general. Not only is my

uncle one of the sweetest, most empathetic people I know, but he has worked at Publix, a local

grocery store in his hometown, for many years. He was just promoted to Customer Service! He

deserves to be celebrated and recognized as fully capable, not discounted or pushed away

because of his disability.

Rich Donovan has cerebral palsy, but it has never limited him from achieving his goals.

He worked as a Wall Street portfolio trader until 2008, earning his firm $35 million. He now

works as the leader of the Return on Disability Group and the Equity Tracking Indices to provide

accessibility and justice for people with disabilities in business. His work continues to celebrate
the accomplishments of people with disabilities, reminding the world that a disability never

means that a person deserves less respect.

This is my mom, who was diagnosed with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic

autoimmune illness that targets the body’s joints. She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a

family medicine physician. Since her diagnosis, she has faced ignorant and/or hateful comments,

being called lazy, a liar, or weak because the debilitating pain she experiences is not outwardly

visible. In spite of this disrespect, she has served thousands of patients, the homeless, and

struggling communities, constantly working to provide the best care possible. She deserves to be

valued, not hurt, celebrated, not ignored. By recognizing and celebrating one another, along with

each other’s accomplishments and experiences, we help shape a society that celebrates

connections between people and allows everyone to flourish in an equal, welcoming, and

inclusive environment.