When you start a blog, the first thing every blogger has to decide before they can even begin writing is “what is your blog going to be about,” because you can’t start blogging until you know at least that. Every blogger runs their blog differently because we all have different interests, and some people may prefer to have a niche while others think it works better to not have one and blog about whatever comes to their mind. When I started my blog, I decided I was going to blog about my disability because, since I live with a disability, I know a lot about it and can provide insights that non-disabled people can’t. Blogging about disability is not the most popular topic, and it is harder for a disabled advocate to get noticed than a non-disabled advocate because not everyone cares about disability-related topics and will want to read them. Why write about my disability when there are other topics that are more popular and can make you money faster? In this post, I am going to talk about why I chose to blog about my disability even though it’s not the most popular niche.
To help disabled people feel less alone- When you are disabled, sometimes it can feel lonely because you don’t always have people in your life that understand what you are going through. Disabled people do not always have great support systems, and I created my blog to be a support system for disabled people who don’t have great support systems because it’s hard to be disabled in a world designed for non-disabled people. I have a disability and can support other disabled people in ways that non-disabled people can’t because connecting with others who truly understand can be so powerful in helping you feel less alone. As a disabled person, I understand the feeling of being isolated that a non-disabled person will never understand, and try to use my blog to remind disabled people that it is okay to be frustrated and that you are not alone. Non-disabled people often will tell disabled people that we need to be more positive every time we show any kind of frustration, and as a disabled person, I know that is not helpful and can support people in the community in ways people without disabilities can’t.
Educate medical professionals to improve care– My target audience is disabled people, but I do try to create a good amount of posts that can help medical professionals improve care for disabled people. Doctors learn a lot about a disability in school, but doctors don’t know everything, and there are a lot of things that you won’t learn in school, and you would need to have a disability to know that. Disabled people sometimes are very bitter toward healthcare providers because some people experience a lot of medical trauma and fear doctors. My goal with my blog is to educate medical professionals and teach you how my disability affects me because you aren’t going to learn everything about my disability in school, and I strongly believe that in order to improve care, doctors need to somewhat understand how our disabilities affect us. Disabled people shouldn’t fear going to the doctor, but often we do because sometimes we are dismissed by dozens of doctors before we find one that listens to our concerns. There is a lot of disability stigma in health care that is hurting patients, and as a patient advocate, I think it’s so important to educate medical professionals as much as we can. I blog about my surgery experiences because my doctors do not always give me correct information since they don’t always know.
It’s cheaper than therapy- It is hard to be disabled in a world designed for non-disabled people, because people sometimes will be ableist, which negatively affects disabled people. There is nothing wrong with therapy, but it can be expensive, because not all insurance will cover therapy, and blogging can be a form of therapy. Blogging is very therapeutic for me because it allows me to talk about some of the hard things about my disability and get good advice that I wouldn’t get from my non-disabled friends and family. Disabled people need that kind of space because if you don’t have that, it’s easy to feel alone and it’s way cheaper than therapy.
Change the way non-disabled people view disability- Non-disabled people often view disability as something that needs to be cured because the media often portrays disabled people as sad and depressed. There are challenges of my disability that I wish would go away but I do love being disabled because it makes me different and that is not a bad thing. I blog about my disability to change the way non-disabled people view disability because anyone can become disabled, and we need to stop making people fear disability. I write about my disability to show people that I am just a girl with legs that work, but it doesn’t make me an inspiration. As a disabled person, I think it’s so important that we change how people view disability because most things you are taught are wrong and harmful toward disabled people.
Teach people what it means to be accessible- Disabled people are constantly struggling and most of the time we struggle more than we have to due to the lack of accessibility. Non-disabled people do not understand accessibility to the extent a disabled person does and sometimes think accessibility ends at ramps. Non-disabled people sometimes think they don’t have to care about accessibility because they aren’t disabled themselves, and I blog about my disability to show people that accessibility benefits everyone. People need to learn what it means to be accessible so we can work toward a more inclusive world and make the lives of disabled people a little easier.
Blogging about my disability is not the most popular niche, but it’s important to talk about the challenges of disability because it doesn’t matter how many years in school you spent studying my disability, you’ll never know everything. I started my blog to educate doctors and non-disabled people in general, because when people can better understand how my disability affects me, you are able to better support disabled people. Blogging about my disability has not made me a ton of money but it is very rewarding to blog about health because you can help people through your experiences in ways most people can’t. When choosing a blog topic, it is so important to pick something that interests you because you will be a better blogger when you pick topics that get you excited. Blogging about my disability can be frustrating sometimes, but it’s also fun and I can’t see myself blogging about anything else, even if it never goes viral. I blog about my disability for so many reasons, but I mostly do it to do my part to break disability stigma. Why do you blog about your disability? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
Subscribe And Never Miss A Post
My Rockin Disabled Life 