Why I Want You to See My Wheelchair In Photos

Wheelchair Wheelchair“It’s not cool to be in a wheelchair.”

“No one wants to be in a wheelchair.”

“A disability isn’t something to be proud of.”

These are just some of the ableist things people have said to me. Obviously, I didn’t listen because I was far too busy LOVING my disabled body!!! Please, don’t be like these people, but if you ARE one of those people: Let’s talk about disability and pride for a minute!

After my viral tweet, I noticed something very interesting: I don’t have many photos that show my whole wheelchair. Can you believe that, friends? It was quite a shock, to say the least, because my wheelchair is a huge part of my life. Why is that, I wondered?? Maybe part of the reason is because I take so many selfies and lost one of those cool selfie sticks that my cousin gave us a couple years ago.

Whatever the reason, I’ve been on a mission to change that, to make my wheelchair just as much a part of a photo as my smiling face or my red hair. In fact, I even wrote about my wheelchair last fall in which I shared all the things my wheelchair has allowed me to do in life. Some people see a wheelchair as a prison, as something that holds you back, but you know what? My wheelchair has given me life. It’s given me freedom. It’s liberated me from the constraints of my disability. Without these fab and fast wheels, I wouldn’t have been able to work on my college newspaper, graduated college or teach the journalists of tomorrow as a newspaper adviser.

WheelchairIn other words: I wouldn’t be ME without it. So I’m always surprised and, frankly, angry when I see people fail to see just how important mobility devices are for disabled people. Do you think your legs are a prison? Do you feel confined by them?

Of course not! The same is true of my wheelchair. They’re my legs and I wouldn’t be able to live a full life without it.

Last year, I wrote an op-ed about the new wheelchair Barbie, so when I spotted her in the store over Christmas, I just had to take a selfie of us together! If for no other reason than to show my younger self and other disabled kids that they’re seen & they matter. Isn’t that awesome?!?!?

So look out, world…Barbie and I are rolling into a new era. And we’re here for disability representation!! I love my wheelchair and I’m proud to be disabled. Here I am, world. Who’s with me??? xoxo

My Articles In Variety: On Diversity and Inclusion In Hollywood

Inclusion In Hollywood OK, friends, I have a rather embarrassing confession to make, courtesy of a random thought that just popped into my head over the weekend: There is still one published piece that I haven’t shared with you yet. I know, I know…I’m terribly sorry! It’s a pretty big piece, too, which is why it’s so weird that I never posted about it. Anyway, I’m so honored to have two articles in Variety’s special feature on diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. And honestly?? I still can’t believe I got to write them…

Both pieces were in the November 2018 print issue of Variety — you know, the entertainment bible on all things TV and movies; it’s the industry insider for anyone in the entertainment business!! You all know how much I absolutely LOVE writing for print (guess I’m still old-school like that…), but the two pieces are also online and it was fun (and somewhat terrifying at first) to get back to my journalism roots of interviewing and reporting!!

Inclusion In HollywoodFirst up, I interviewed Norman Lear about the Media Access Awards, which celebrate depictions of disability in film, television and new media…

After a brief hiatus, producers Deborah Calla and Allen Rucker revived the awards in 2010 and, this year, formed an important partnership with Easterseals.

“The Media Access Awards is the gold standard in celebrating inclusion best practices, and we look forward to being a part of its continued success,” said Easterseals Southern California president and CEO Mark Whitley.

Today the MAA covers new media as well as film and TV, and has backing from the guilds and other industry orgs.

Even in 2018, despite strides made in disability representation, the MAA remains an important event, especially as a vehicle for highlighting a vast pool of talent that isn’t being used enough and to show the importance of inclusion, says Calla.

“We get to see people with disabilities as human beings, and to reflect the world as it is — with all colors of the rainbow,” she says.

You can read the full article here.

Inclusion In HollywoodAnd for the second article, I interviewed the founder and participants of the Disability Film Challenge, a yearly event that gives filmmakers with disabilities the the opportunity to tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms. You might even remember when I interviewed founder Nic Novicki on this very blog a couple years ago — what a small world!

During the weekend-long event, participants write, shoot and edit three- to five-minute short films based an assigned genre. The filmmakers are not required to include disability in the story, but each team must include at least one person with a disability.

“The films are starting to reach the desks of casting directors, writers and producers,” says Novicki, “which has led to jobs for our participants, including one actress earning a recurring role on the upcoming season of ‘Loudermilk.’ ”

Novicki sees power in the future too — for both the disability community and the industry as a whole.

“Through it all, we’re building lasting, working relationships across the entertainment industry and advancing greater disability inclusion on and off the screen,” he says.

You can read the full article here.

Seeing the issue of disability representation in the spotlight makes my heart sing because diversity and inclusion in Hollywood is SO important! People with disabilities make up 20 percent of the population. We’re living and working and have fought hard for our seat at the table. We’re not going anywhere and there’s comfort and power in knowing so many people are fighting with us!

Inclusion In HollywoodI’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so I see your tweet and we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all and here’s to diversity and inclusion in Hollywood… xoxo

My Essay on The Week: “I Love Rom-Coms, But Where’s the Female Disabled Lead?”

rom-comsWhen was the last time you saw a disabled woman as the lead in rom-coms?

That’s the question I explore in my latest piece for The Week, where I explored things like love and disability and the “disabled people are asexual” stereotype. I love rom-coms, but the lack of representation is staggering. It’s TIME to have a disabled woman as the lead.

In fact, I’ve spent so much time lately reconciling my love of rom-coms with their lack of diversity, especially when it comes to disability representation. Maybe it’s the result of being older? Because I certainly never asked these types of questions when I was a teenager watching my favorite love stories play out on screen. I pictured myself as the main character as she falls in love with the dashing male lead.

Well, not anymore, friends. Granted, I still watch said movies, but I no longer see myself in the female leads. And that’s a huge problem.

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I remind society, YET AGAIN, of all the things disabled people are and what they’re not. You’d think people would catch on by now, but…

Of course I want to see people like me on the screen, but I also want the able-bodied world to see people like me on the screen. Contrary to that age-old stereotype, disabled people aren’t asexual beings who live in solitude. I would love for the whole world to see that, yes, we deserve love — and our own rom-com plot lines — just like everyone else.

Our society has a long history of telling people with disabilities that we’re not pretty. I was reminded of that recently when I was told I was too ugly to post selfies — I clapped back with this viral tweet. I can’t help but think that featuring people with disabilities more in mainstream culture — in movies, certainly — would counteract those ignorant, hurtful beliefs.

You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

My Piece In Travel + Leisure: The State of Accessible Travel

accessible travelSeeing your byline in a beautiful glossy magazine is PEAK writer dreams…and also incredibly rare these days! After all, my last print byline was for Good Housekeeping in 2017. And now, three years later? Well, what a way to kick off 2020 — with a print piece all about the state of accessible travel…

Yes, accessible travel.

As you can probably imagine, I was BEYOND excited when the magazine’s editor reached out to me about writing this piece. Accessible travel isn’t something we typically read about in mainstream publications and, honestly, I think there’s still a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about what it’s like to travel with a disability.

For example, take our NYC adventure last summer. It had been nearly a decade since I went on vacation and in addition to the usual stress of scheduling and packing, a host of questions loomed: Will my wheelchair be OK on the plane? Will the cars be accessible? Will I be able to navigate the Big Apple sidewalks? What if the buildings don’t have elevators?

Thankfully, we had a wonderful trip (yay for accessible taxis!), but we worried because accessible travel hasn’t always been the most, well, accessible for people with disabilities, who make up roughly 15% of the world’s population, according to the World Health Organization. My childhood was filled with one family vacation after another, with stops at hotels, historical sites, state parks and rest stops, and I learned early on that traveling is never easy when you have a disability. From inaccessible buildings to rental cars that aren’t exactly wheelchair-friendly, there’s a lot to consider before you jet off for fun!

accessible travelBut the good news? Society is finally making strides when it comes to accessibility, which is why it was so important for me to write this article! Plus, to my surprise, the travel industry is making even more strides than I thought. And not just stateside, either! And not just when it comes to physical disabilities, either! Places like London’s Heathrow Airport are at the forefront in creating a stress-free travel experience for people with invisible disabilities like autism.

It was such a thrill and an honor to get to talk to travel industry insiders and hear all the cool stuff they’re doing to help disabled travelers! Hats off to those who are paving the way for more inclusive, more enjoyable and more FUN travel adventures for disabled people! I can’t wait for my next adventure too! Be sure to check out the February issue if you can!! xoxo

My Essay on Stylist: “You Might Hate That ‘Imperfect’ Selfie, But Here’s Why You Should Share It Anyway”

selfieFriends, have you ever taken a selfie, looked at it and immediately said, “Oh, wow! I really look like that?” And then did you contemplate deleting said selfie altogether?

That’s the premise behind my latest published piece! It’s so exciting because it’s my first for UK’s Stylist. An editor reached out after she saw the selfie I posted!! Yes, in what is EXTREMELY on brand for me, this essay started with a selfie. This here selfie, to be exact. Truth be told, I almost deleted it before I tweeted it. I didn’t particularly like it and, yes, I may have cringed too. In fact, these were my first thoughts…

Why is my head so big?

Why is my nose so big?

That’s just a downright scary photo!

But then I thought about it and what sort of message I would be sending if I just clicked “delete,” especially considering how much I love all things selfies and selfie expression! When so much of our social media identity is curated to be the most Instagram-worthy, maybe we need to see more of those almost-deleted snaps! I’d take real over perfect any day, which is exactly what my selfie is.

Anyway, the editor asked if I’d like to write about my experience and, of course, I was more than game! Obviously, I had quite a lot to say about women and how we view ourselves and how society views us.

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, which is my reminder that a selfie doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful, so go ahead and POST THAT PHOTO…

My body has often felt like a jigsaw puzzle, where none of the pieces actually fit, and growing up all these messages about how to be perfect just made me feel even more different. No matter what I did, those puzzle pieces never quite fitted together.

That photo is more authentic than any other selfie I’ve taken recently. It’s real, and we need real. We need raw. In a way, posting that selfie was liberating: it allowed me to just be myself, to celebrate my flaws and my imperfections, and to reject those societal pressures to be perfect.

A selfie can be awkward or messy or feature your big head prominently. And maybe sharing our real selves will inspire others to share their real selves, too. I’d take real over perfect any day, which is exactly what a selfie should be, because there’s nothing more beautiful than the real you.

You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so I see your tweet and we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo