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If there was a country called disabled, I would be from there.
I live disabled culture, eat disabled food, make disabled love, 
cry disabled tears, climb disabled mountains and tell disabled stories.

If there was a country called disabled,
Then I am one of its citizens. I came there at age 8. I tried to leave.
Was encouraged by doctors to leave. I tried to surgically remove myself from disabled country but found myself, in the end,
staying and living there.

If there was a country called disabled,
I would always have to remind myself that I am from there. I often want to forget. I would have to remember…to remember.

In my life’s journey I am making myself
At home in my country.

– Neil Marcus

outline of ASL fingerspelling of "bold" written english under each outline. Caption of "blog" and same image description as this typed on the screen.

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In the spirit of the incredible work of Neil Marcus, Disabled Country seeks to create a platform for disabled perspectives. Presented by Disability Rights Iowa, Disabled Country celebrates the disabled experience and condemns the strongest terms all those who propagate the poisons of ableism and prejudice. We believe that the disabled experience brings with it a rich cultural identity, and a healthy community. For all those eager to celebrate that identity, and explore the many issues facing people with disabilities, welcome to Disabled Country.


For topic ideas or to submit posts for potential publication, please email us at contact@driowa.org.

From Disability Rights Iowa: A Tribute to Judy Heumann.

No amount of words fully represent the behemoth of a woman Judith (Judy) Heumann was, yet, so many describe her perfectly. Trailblazer, advocate, sassy, strong, fierce, independent, resilient, resistant, powerful, force… I could go on. The following statements serve to remember Judy all the way from Iowa. Many of us never met Judy, but her life impacts us all and always will.

Continue the above article here From Disability Rights Iowa: A Tribute to Judy Heumann.

Community

by: Allie Tubbs and Katelynn Schultz Whether you proudly claim your disability or are still exploring your identity, the disability community is one of the most inclusive and encouraging communities.  Community is personal strength – where many individuals find purpose, find safety, find connection. Community to many is like a nice hug, a warm bath,…

Continue the above article here Community

Another Year of Long-COVID and New Information

This October, we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! This month is focused on recognizing and celebrating the contributions of workers with disabilities. It aims to highlight and recognize the unique and valuable contributions that workers with disabilities bring to the workplace. Additionally, it promotes inclusive employment policies and practices.

Continue the above article here Another Year of Long-COVID and New Information

And Yet, We Persist

While July is a time to celebrate Disability Pride Month, the journey to achieve pride for the disability community can last much longer than a month. Pride means that a person can feel accomplished in themselves and their identities. However, this is not so simple for the disability community. From inspiration porn to internalized ableism, the disability community must grapple with many outside forces from society before pride can be achieved within. As the disability community fights daily for their worthiness to be recognized and valued in society, it can be extremely difficult to shed society’s ableist ideas and value ourselves. Even though it is no longer July, having pride in ourselves and our disabilities doesn’t just stop. Neither does the fight against ableism to find pride in the first place.

Continue the above article here And Yet, We Persist

Why it’s important to me to see an adult professional speak about Mental Health

Mental Health is whatever condition your emotions are in. At the most basic of levels – the everyday level – the level of health anyone is in at any given moment: that’s all mental health. This means every single day, every single hour, every single moment of my life I have been experiencing mental health.…

Continue the above article here Why it’s important to me to see an adult professional speak about Mental Health

Why I will be attending the National Mental Health Awareness Event with Keynote Speaker Dior Vargas.

Growing up, I didn’t have a positive representation of what it meant to live with mental illness. I had stigma on top of stigma. I knew from young adulthood that I had bipolar disorder and PTSD, but I was terrified to get officially diagnosed. I studied both of these diagnoses in college (I majored in psychology), and I knew that mental illness ran in my family. But I kept telling myself, “No. It’s not me.” I listened to the stigmatized thoughts that everyone had filled my mind with.

Continue the above article here Why I will be attending the National Mental Health Awareness Event with Keynote Speaker Dior Vargas.

Educational Barriers for Disabled Students

Walking into my elementary school for the first time, I was excited beyond belief. I moved through the halls just like the big kids. However, I noticed that everyone’s eyes turned to me, not because they loved my first-day outfit, despite my cool light-up shoes, but because I had a physical disability. I quickly felt self-conscious as I realized that I was different. Nobody looked like me. I stuck out like a sore thumb as I awkwardly toddled through the hallways while wearing my long-leg braces. My peers stared at my legs rather than listening to what I had to say. I couldn’t run with them on the playground or compete in the same activities in P.E. class. The school separated me from my non-disabled peers for something I couldn’t control. I tried resisting these feelings of helplessness I experienced as I watched my peers pass me by, but I knew that I would encounter that feeling of powerlessness for the rest of my education.

Continue the above article here Educational Barriers for Disabled Students

Iowa is Suppressing the Disability Community’s Vote

Even amidst a global pandemic, voters turned out in record breaking numbers for the 2020 Presidential Election. Iowa had the highest voter turnout in state history with 1,700,130 voters casting ballots. 1,001,573 of those ballots were absentee. Iowa had an incredibly successful 2020 election where over 75% of Iowans voted. Yet, the legislature and Governor Kim Reynolds were extremely quick to pass legislation drastically reducing access to the ballot, especially for the disability community.

Continue the above article here Iowa is Suppressing the Disability Community’s Vote

Disabled College Students Deserve Better

COVID-19 changed our everyday lives in the blink of an eye. I went from college midterms and planning for a summer abroad to being rushed home for an extended spring break without any idea what the rest of my semester would entail. Professors brainstormed with students how they could possibly teach online and still give us the education we deserved. Students shared excited but anxious smiles as we waved goodbye to our roommates for what we thought would be a brief break. I ran across campus to be wrapped in the tightest hug without even thinking this would be my last hug from a college friend for the next year. Students relished this opportunity to sleep, but we never realized that we would not be waking up from the nightmare of COVID-19 anytime soon.

Continue the above article here Disabled College Students Deserve Better

We Should Not Have to Risk Our Lives to Vote

While every election is important, the outcome of the November Presidential election promises to be a turning point for America. As a disabled individual, the next four years can drastically alter my participation in society. From Medicare to COVID-19 policies, any funding cuts for the disabled community can be life-threatening. The success of every disabled person depends on voters turning out to #CriptheVote and control our future. However, COVID-19 is significantly decreasing the opportunities for disabled individuals to vote safely and independently.

Continue the above article here We Should Not Have to Risk Our Lives to Vote

Changes to Iowa’s Guardianship Laws

In the 2019 legislative session, the Iowa Legislature unanimously passed House File 610, which changes how guardianships and conservatorships in Iowa will be established and maintained. The goal of the new law is to improve protections for people who are under guardianship or are alleged to lack decision making capacity, since appointing a guardian for an adult means stripping them of some of their basic rights and freedoms. Here are a few things you should know about the new law if you are a guardian or a person who has a guardian.

Continue the above article here Changes to Iowa’s Guardianship Laws

Caucus Access for All

This Fourth of July, Americans will come together to celebrate our independence and the incredible patriots who made it possible. But those patriots were not just wealthy landowners in powdered wigs. Patriots come in all shapes and sizes. They are found on our battlefields, in the backs of buses, or in the hallways of a nursing home. They are anyone who holds in their heart the values of independence for all and insist on making those values central to the American experience. And two such patriots helped to provide the independence for a generation of people with disabilities

Continue the above article here Caucus Access for All

Access Iowa

I’m an Iowa boy. At 29, I’ve spent 24 years calling Iowa home. I grew up here, went to college here, and now I’ve settled down and chose to call this place home. But, for all that I love about Iowa, I can never shake the feeling that this state doesn’t know I exist.

Continue the above article here Access Iowa

DRI to Launch Accessibility Awareness Campaign #IAccessible

Fourth of July, Americans will come together to celebrate our independence and the incredible patriots who made it possible. But those patriots were not just wealthy landowners in powdered wigs. Patriots come in all shapes and sizes. They are found on our battlefields, in the backs of buses, or in the hallways of a nursing home. They are anyone who holds in their heart the values of independence for all and insist on making those values central to the American experience. And two such patriots helped to provide the independence for a generation of people with disabilities

Continue the above article here DRI to Launch Accessibility Awareness Campaign #IAccessible

Iowa’s New Concussion Protocol – What’s it really Like?

If you don’t know any high school athletes who had a concussion recently, you might not know that Iowa has new laws in effect to protect kids from getting re-injured. Getting another concussion before the first one has healed can make a concussion worse, or even lead to a deadly condition known as “second impact syndrome.” Iowa’s new laws make sure that kids are fully ready to be back in the classroom with no accommodations (return-to-learn) before they can start being in sports again (return-to-play).

Continue the above article here Iowa’s New Concussion Protocol – What’s it really Like?

What a Jerk: Disability and the Right to Criticism

Through my work at Disability Rights Iowa, I’ve had the opportunity to meet hundreds of my disabled peers. I have meet inspiring, courageous young people with disabilities and I’ve met outright jerks. I’ve heard people with disabilities speak passionately and lovingly about their challenges, and I’ve heard people with disabilities speak from a place of hatred or even prejudice. Unfortunately, the public at large is all too eager to ignore our flaws and allow these missteps to go unchallenged, more comfortable in the assumption that we can do no wrong. Parents allow their children with disabilities to mistreat them, writing off their behavior as an inevitable consequence of their individual needs. Pastors have made similar mistakes, seeing the joy of a disabled child as somehow a miracle, as if a child enjoying life should be impossible inside a disabled body. This toxic mix of reduced expectations and the canonization of the disabled experience is profoundly harmful.

Continue the above article here What a Jerk: Disability and the Right to Criticism

A New Design

Heather Reimers is at ease with her sense of style. Her look is a striking contrast of classic, sweeping dresses and youthful tattoos. But her love for fashion goes beyond the aesthetic. She cares about not just what she is wearing, but who made it, how and why.

Continue the above article here A New Design

The 28th Anniversary of the ADA

As a young boy, my mother brought me to Iowa’s capitol to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the ADA. It was a typical Iowa summer day, hot and humid, but the grounds were abuzz with excitement. For the first time, I saw people with disabilities of all kinds, together, reflections of one another despite our differences, gathered to celebrate all the progress that had been made in 10 short years. The event was an outpouring of joy at what we have achieved. An opportunity to express our gratitude to Senator Tom Harkin who authored and introduced the ADA, Senator Grassley who supported its passage, President George H.W. Bush who signed it, and to all those who helped to make the ADA a reality. It was a day I’ll never forget. Beyond introducing me to a law that would play a huge role in my life, it was an example of my mother teaching me to celebrate my disability, to celebrate my peers, and to never forget that my disability made me who I am, a person worthy of love and respect.

Continue the above article here The 28th Anniversary of the ADA

Olmstead: A Declaration of Independence

This Fourth of July, Americans will come together to celebrate our independence and the incredible patriots who made it possible. But those patriots were not just wealthy landowners in powdered wigs. Patriots come in all shapes and sizes. They are found on our battlefields, in the backs of buses, or in the hallways of a nursing home. They are anyone who holds in their heart the values of independence for all and insist on making those values central to the American experience. And two such patriots helped to provide the independence for a generation of people with disabilities

Continue the above article here Olmstead: A Declaration of Independence

Send in the Clowns

Clowns are the worst. In a world with hairy spiders, pineapple on pizza, and the Cleveland Browns, it takes a particularly evil genius to think up something as creepy as a clown. I recognize some people love clowns. I also recognize that some people are wrong. With pale faces, red noses, creepy laughs, and their disturbingly endless supply of scarves, clowns were nightmare fuel for me growing up. Being a young, adorable kid with a significant disability didn’t help, as I was a magnet for all manner of social attention. Politicians always stopped for a photo, mascots always gave me a hi-five, and regrettably, Mall Santa was my shadow and clowns were always determined to “brighten my day” with their unique brand of terror. They would ignore my obvious discomfort, and launch headfirst into whatever shtick they though would get a smile. It was exhausting and unsettling, and I’ve had similar experiences through my work in disability advocacy as an adult.

Continue the above article here Send in the Clowns

Our Rights are not up for Debate

Since the mid-thirties, the Fair Labor Standards Act has created exceptions for people with disabilities that allowed them to be paid sub-minimum wage, often amounting to pennies on the dollar. Arising from this system grew a network of segregated warehouses, where people with disabilities would do mind numbing, simplistic labor, a practice which many are surprised to hear is still utilized through much of the United States. Today in Iowa, thousands of people with disabilities are segregated from their peers, warehoused away and exploited, all while ‘providers’ receive funding for the invaluable ‘work training’ being provided. Even as many work to dismantle this antiquated system, others seek to push for change without daring to speak truthfully about the damage sheltered work has dealt to generations of disabled youth.

Continue the above article here Our Rights are not up for Debate

Empowerment

Representation is important. That fact is apparent to nearly all members of marginalized communities. To see yourself reflected in the culture in which you live is a validating thing, especially for young people, and I’m glad to see our heroes beginning to reflect the diversity of the American experience. Empowerment begins sometimes in simple ways, with children of color leaping around as Black Panther, or young girls flying around as Wonder Woman, punching the bad guys into orbit. Yet, as those children age they need to be able to look into the real world, and see not just a collection of amazing adults with disabilities on their screen, but adults with disabilities in positions of power, shaping the world around them.

Continue the above article here Empowerment

I’m glad to be a Platypus.

I love the platypus. I have ever since I was a kid. When stuffed platypi were first brought back to England from Australia, they were rejected as fakes. Bad fakes even, obvious attempts by desperate amateur zoologists seeking a bit of fame. How else to explain a ducked billed otter with webbed feet, barbed venomous tail, with egg laying that would put a chicken to shame? The very concept of such an animal was comic, and many professors felt insulted that they were even to be expected to believe such nonsense.

Continue the above article here I’m glad to be a Platypus.

Should I disclose my disability in a job interview?

I work at a law firm for people with disabilities, a law firm that does trainings in every corner of the state. We are continually presented with questions essential to those living with disabilities, and we do our best to address those questions directly. If we can leave our audiences a bit more confident in the protections they have as people with disabilities, we have done our job. I love answering audience questions, and they are important, thoughtful…and frankly sometimes predictable. Does this building need a push plate? Do I have the right to an accommodation, to a comfort animal, to demand a new supervisor? Am I in the right?

Continue the above article here Should I disclose my disability in a job interview?