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9/5/25 - Friday Video Share: "Gambling on Humanity With An Invisible Disability"

Andrew Pulrang

Andrew Pulrang

— 3 min read
Black and white line icon of a movie camera with white background and a blue, green, yellow gradient border
Black and white line icon of a movie camera with white background and a blue, green, yellow gradient border

I took the day off yesterday to spend time with visiting cousins. We had a great time! For the end of week video, I've chosen an older TED Talk on a fairly broad but important topic ...

Friday Video
Friday Video

"Gambling on Humanity With An Invisible Disability"

Lainie Ishbia | TEDxJacksonville - December 7, 2022

I particularly like the generational spin she puts on the topic ... how "Gen Xers" had vastly different ways we learned about and processed all sorts of disabilities. It does seem right and logical to say that earlier generations simply knew a lot less about disabilities, and had a harder time accepting disability, in others and in ourselves. But I do wonder how much improvement the internet and related communication technologies have brought. Do disabled kids and young adults today skip over the stage where we tried to "blend in" and act like we weren't disabled? Or, do most disabled people still go through a slow progression from shame and awkwardness, through cautious adaptation and attempts to assimilate, to more confident self-advocacy and something like disability pride? Also, how does this video do as another example of "basic" disability awareness?

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Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. Please like, share, comment, and subscribe — for free, or with a paid subscription. A free subscription brings a newsletter to your email each weekday, and gives you access to Comments. Benefits of paid subscription also include:

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