Demystifying Disability with Emily Ladau

Have you ever had a moment when you just weren’t sure what to say or do in relation to someone who has a disability? Perhaps you were nervous that you would say or do the wrong thing and offend someone? 

There are lots of good people out there - you are probably one of them - who want to address ableism in themselves but are frankly too nervous to put themselves out there are risk messing up. 

This week on the podcast I interviewed Emily Ladau. Emily is the author of Demystifying Disability. 

Emily says, “the goal of demystifying disability was not to be the definitive encyclopedia or Bible on disability. It wasn't to speak for every single disabled person. It wasn't to say that I am the authority and the expert on disability because I'm none of those things, right?

I'm only one person, but it was just my way of offering an overture, offering a way to bridge the gap for so many people who maybe don't know how to talk about disability, the language to use, maybe don't know about some of the history. Maybe they're not sure about media representation or etiquette. And I wanted to say, Hey, here's a safe place to start.”

Emily’s book might just be what you are looking for. If you don’t need a primer on disability, I’m sure you know someone who does. 

Not sure? Listen to the episode here.