Episode Summary

Podcast: Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong

Episode: Episode 5

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.

In today’s episode, our hosts Erin and Lily finally share a bit more about themselves. As part of this special episode, listeners also get a change to hear from both of their partners! Before getting into their chat, listeners are reminded that the purpose of this podcast is to have the “disability 101” conversations. To begin, Erin introduces herself. She is 39 years old, lives in New Jersey, loves reading, video games and Mariah Carey and has muscular dystrophy and anxiety. Lily is 25, lives in Chicago, is autistic and also loves reading and music including The Jonas Brothers and Phoebe Bridgers.

Then, our guests each share when their disability came to play in their lives. Erin was born with a dislocated hip and was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when she was a year old. When she was 3 years old, she got her first wheelchair. The media she was used to seeing as a child made her condition seem like a pitiable place. She shares her love for the disability space and her excitement to have the opportunity to encourage other people with disabilities to feel powerful, too. Lily, on the other hand, did not figure out she was autistic until her early 20’s. However, she displayed symptoms of mental health problems when she was young, such as ticks. One of her biggest agendas with this podcast is to include mental health issues into the disability community.

Next, Erin and Lily’s respective partners join the conversation! First meet Bryan, Lily’s partner, who is 25 years old and works in advertising. Then meet Erin’s partner, Meinberg, who is 39 years old and works as a freelance writer and TTRPG game designer. Meinberg shares that they met Erin on Twitter before going on a first date to Barnes and Noble. Lily and Bryan met in college from mutual friends, where Bryan was an English major and Lily was a theater major. They first connected on their non-white heritage and love for books. After identifying the best thing about their relationships, listen as the conversation shifts to discuss the challenges associated with long-term relationships. Finally, they offer their own definitions of love.

Timestamps:

• 0:52 - Introducing today’s episode and hosts.
• 3:36 - When disability came to play in the lives of Erin and Lily.
• 14:28 - The importance of including mental health in the disability discussion.
• 18:07 - Discussing our show’s sponsor, Easterseals
• 26:40 - Introducing Bryan and Meinberg.
• 30:02 - Our hosts share the best part about their relationships.
• 31:45 - The challenges associated with long term relationships.
• 44:20 - Defining love.