Disability History Month Reflections: Amplifying Powerful Voices

It is Disability History Month a powerful time to honor the visionary leaders who paved the way, celebrate those still carrying their legacy, and imagine together the future they helped shape I feel inspired by the incredible activists highlighted in this post, bringing together the past, present, and future. I especially wanted to celebrate the intersection between disability and the LGBTQ+ community, reminding us of the importance of lifting each other up and working together.

These activists remind us that visibility, storytelling, and community are powerful tools for change. Each of them brings a unique perspective, showing how disability intersects with identity, culture, and creativity. From amplifying unheard voices to celebrating joy and resilience, their work challenges us to think bigger about inclusion and the ways we can support one another.

Alice Wong

Alice Wong was an Asian American woman who was the founder of the Disability Visibility Project.  This is an online community that focuses on amplifying disabled media and culture, and she also co-partnered other projects like the Access Is Love and disabiledwriters.com. She became important to the American disability rights movement, appearing in documentaries and podcasts as well as magazines and newspapers. She passed away this month, though her legacy will live on as she focused on social media, visibility, access, and activism. The Disability Visibility Project will continue her work and she will be remembered for her powerful interviews and for amplifying the voices of disabled people.

“Just knowing your rights (or your worth or value) will never be enough if you are powerless to force someone else to respect them.” – Alice Wong

This quote really hits a punch which is why I chose to include it when going through her quotes online. It explains that knowing laws and rights is not enough, we need to change society and their views towards us if we want to have real enforcing power.

Patricia Berne

Patty Berne was a visionary artist who had been told she would not live passed the age of 16 when she was born disabled. She went on to live a full, incredible life and founded the Sins Invalid disability justice movement that continues her legacy. They challenge what society views as ‘normal’ through performance and is incredibly powerful and inclusive. Realising the intersectionality between disability and LBGTQ+ people marginalised vices were lifted up and empowered through her work, which will continue to affect the community after her passing.

“We being disabled people of colour, queer, trans folks with disabilities, we have to be in conversations about how we build a future where all of us exist” – Patty Berne

This quote really spoke to me because of my belief that all minorities need to work together instead of separately. Seeing that others see that and are trying the same is so powerful and I hope it happens more.  

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Leah is a queer, autistic, disabled nonbinary femme writer and part of the disability and transformative justice movement. They focus on joy, resilience, and challenging disability narratives, and have authored several poetry collections and two books about the disability justice movement you can find more information on Goodreads. Their voice is so important in the community, and their latest book looks at the future of the movement and how the world may look if we carry on the way we are now.

“People’s fear of accessing care didn’t come out of nowhere. It came out of generations and centuries where needed care meant being locked up, losing your human and civil rights, and being subject to abuse.” – Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

The quote I chose here, is so important especially during Disability History Month, because we were locked away in institutions in the past. That trauma lives on in lived experience of people who comment on my videos as well as Patty’s parents being told she would not live to be an adult. These traumas live in us and in our history, and unless we fight for greater independence and visibility could continue.  

Reflections on their impact

These people, and so many others, work hard to spread awareness and show the power of visibility, intersectionality and community. I have said many times that I wish marginalised groups worked together and through their work and their collaborations, we can see the power of that. This Disability History Month, I hope you will look further into all of their work and that we all can learn to amplify our voices. I started blogging and making videos on my YouTube channel because I felt like I had lost my voice when I became disabled. Though my voice may be small when we think of how big the internet is, I feel inspired to keep using my voice and to not be afraid.

The legacy of each of these activists will shape disability culture, policy and representation for all of us. It is important to see Disability History Month as living all around us and not something that is in the distant past. The legacies of Alice Wong and Patty Berne remind us that even after they are gone, their work continues to shape disability justice, representation, and community. Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha carries forward this vision, showing us that joy, resilience, and creativity remain at the heart of activism. Together, their work proves that visibility, storytelling and intersectional advocacy can transform the world.

Thank you xx

If my words or videos have brought a little cosiness to your day, you can support me on Ko-fi with a tip or join my Patreon for just £2 a month. Your kindness helps me keep creating both here and on YouTube

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy some of my latest posts:

• How Late Winter Affects My Mental Health (and What Helps)
• Pacing Yourself in Late Winter When You’re Chronically Ill
• Creating Healthful Choices in 2026
• Rejecting New Years Pressure
• Navigating the Holidays as a Disabled Person: Reflection, Access & Care