Category: Priority Area
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Navigating Identity: Chelsea Gibbs and Dr. Rachel Womack on the Intersection of Disability and Queerness
Chelsea Gibbs has only recently started thinking of disability as part of her identity. “I’m a caregiver for a young lady with an intellectual disability, and she lives with us half the time, and she is struggling with the concept of her having a disability as well,” Gibbs said. “She’s afraid of the word, so…
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Exploring Intersectionality: How Disabled and Queer Identity Shape Mental Health Care According to Dr. Rachel Womack
Research has shown a strong connection between queer identity and disability—a connection Dr. Rachel Womack is deeply familiar with. “The research shows that folks with disabilities are significantly more likely to identify as queer, and vice versa,” Womack said. “That connection is particularly strong for individuals who are autistic, and with autistic people, we see…
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“All people offer perspective that is valuable to the rest of the world.” HDI Staff Erin Fitzgerald speaks on their experience with Neurodiversity and mental health
The following article discusses suicide, which some readers may find distressing. Erin Fitzgerald could always see the signs that she was different growing up – the tools to recognize how simply didn’t exist yet. “I grew up in an era where mental health was talked about very differently from how it is talked about today.…
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“I hate being treated like an emergency waiting to happen.” UK student Bailey Patterson speaks on her experience with suicide and wanting to help others
The following article discusses suicide, suicidal ideation, miscarriage, and sexual abuse, which some readers may find distressing.
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“Mental health isn’t a one-size fits all.” Austin Nugent speaks on her experience with OCD and how it may look different from what you think.
What do you think of when you think about OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder? Is it someone who has to obsessively organize their whole book collection by author? Or someone washing their hands, over and over and over for fear of catching an unknown disease? According to Austin Nugent, a Disability Program Administrator at HDI, even if you’re…
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Austin Nugent reflects on her experience in therapy, misdiagnosis, and the importance of finding a therapist you trust
Austin Nugent remembers the moment when someone first suggested she try therapy. “I was in Europe, and I called my mom from a four-star hotel on all-expense paid trip…and I called my mom from the hotel bathroom crying,” Nugent said. “She’s like, ‘why are you crying? Why are you so anxious? You’re on this once…
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Thoughts from HDI’s Glen Jennings On Autism Acceptance Month
This April, we recognize Autism Acceptance Month. This is a month where we celebrate what autistic people are capable of and work to support mainstream acceptance of autistic people. But it’s also a time to recognize systemic obstacles to autistic people. And there are many. Think about the ways in which society has a normative…
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Thoughts from HDI’s Brittany Granville On Autism Acceptance Month
While it’s important that autistic people have their place in society, Brittany Granville believes autism acceptance goes beyond that. She thinks it can save lives. “So many autistic people, particularly autistics of color, have died because people don’t understand common traits of neurodivergent people,” Granville, who works with HDI’s Innovative Supports for Autistic Workers (ISAW)…
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Thoughts from HDI’s Bev Harp On Autism Acceptance Month
Bev Harp, Project Director for HDI’s Innovative Supports for Autistic Workers, remembers the days when the only rhetoric about autism was awareness rhetoric. And she remembers that awareness could mean radically different things to different people. “To some people that meant being aware that autistic people exist and that autism is a disability and needs…