Everything You Know About Disability Is Wrong | Episode 1

Episode Summary

Podcast: Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong

Episode: Episode 1

Welcome to Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong, a podcast by disabled people for disabled people. But, if you're not disabled, stick around! You might learn something new.

For our first episode, we hear from artist, musician and fantastic advocate Jennifer who wrote the amazing theme song for the show! To kick off the discussion, she shares her inspiration behind making the song. She wanted to avoid being generic while still making a statement with it. She shares just how often she is told by people that she is an inspiration just because of the fact that she has autism. In the song, she wanted to include how ridiculous this is with a humorous twist. After running through their respective dating experiences, our hosts and guest reflect on some of their common themes in past relationships. Then, they discuss how they each try to decide whether someone is interested in them romantically or are just being nice.

After taking a quick break and hearing about our sponsor Easterseals Community Disability Services, Jennifer opens up about what she expected her first dating experiences to be like compared to how they actually unfolded. All she really had to go off of at the time was how dating is depicted in movies and other media. She expected romance and was slightly taken off by the awkwardness that comes with the early stages of seeing someone. While she is happy that she gave romance a good try, she now knows that it isn't quite for her. Social battery is such an important conversation to have when it comes to discussing relationships of all kinds, especially for people with autism. Our brains tend to process every bit of information we take in so intensely that we are not always able to handle it. When we say “no” to an offer to look at something, it isn't out of rudeness, but rather to avoid total mental fatigue. This is why it's so nice to have relationships with other disabled people who understand your thought processes.

Before wrapping up, Jennifer wants listeners to know that people with disabilities have all the same feelings that people without disabilities have. We might not express them in the same way, but we still do. She hopes to see relationships between disabled and non-disabled people represented more in the future in film, TV, books, and more. Finally, they engage in the “ask us anything” segment. Don't miss our hosts' thoughts on whether you should or should not disclose your disability on dating apps.