Blessed Solstice, dear readers! As 2025 comes to an end, I wanted to take an opportunity to share some of the texts and stories that have brought me joy this year.
Category: Disabled Reflections
These are lessons I have learned from sitting with the snow. Take from them what you will, and please, listen to the snow yourself. See what open secrets it imparts to you.
Patricia (Patty) Berne died on May 29, 2025. I never had the pleasure of meeting her. We were not friends, or even in the same social circles. Hundreds of miles separated us. But nonetheless I felt grief, pain, and a bit of emptiness.
Spoon theory doesn't adequately explain my functioning. How come, even when I have the spoons, starting a task can be impossible? Why does task-switching require a monumental amount of spoons, while doing grueling work for hours may demand very few? Enter spline theory.
The silent migraine is a uniquely hellish beast that, in my own experience, has proven far more resistant to taming than its more common cousin. Follow along as I break down what this type of migraine is and what it looks like for me.
It's a lie crafted to shame nonnormative bodyminds which can't meet standards of productivity, output, and success. While it is true that you may be able to ignore symptoms for some time, they will always come back stronger than before. Disability is not something to be overcome; it demands respect and accommodation. It demands love.
This list is simply five of my favorite disabled characters across different media. Not the absolute best representation, or most reviewed, or anything else. Just my personal favorites.
Crip time gives me a space for that. In crip time, I am not tied to being 22 years old. I am not too young or too old for my impairments. There are no necessary qualifications to accept the validity of my crip-ness.
With the 2024 Paralympics coming to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of my experiences watching this year's Games as a disabled athlete.
Ashton Rose 