I didn’t understand all those years ago when I got introduced to the disability community at large, how completely intersected all of our issues are with other marginalized groups. It’s honestly something I hope I’m learning better every day. The LGBT+ community, feminism, every movement that’s championed the equal rights of people of color, all of these communities are combating issues that, on certain levels, are irrevocably tied in with the issues facing the disability community.

The disability community still does not have marriage equality. It does not have equal pay. We cannot live, raise a family, work, study, shop, dine or exist in the place of our choosing because of physical and societal barriers that hold us back. So many of us are barred from achievements and experiences that non disabled people enjoy with much more ease.

This exclusion is something that is common to all minority groups, but so rarely is it recognized. Even rarer are instances when these different groups come together to tear down the barriers holding us all back. But that’s exactly what needs to happen. We need to be educated on and understand each other’s struggles and how privilege informs those struggles. We have to listen to and learn from each other in order to tell our own stories better and bring awareness to the issues that affect us all. No one can completely understand the struggle of someone else’s life, but if we’re not willing to try we risk remaining isolated in inequality.