Local disability rights activist Stephanie Woodward recently wrote an opinion piece for the Spina Bifida Association about why she loves her disability. Woodward was born with spina bifida and has been an outspoken advocate for disability rights and disability pride.
In her piece, she writes, "Because I love my disability identity, I have never seen my disability as a problem. And because I have never seen my disability as a problem, I have never supported curing spina bifida or even preventing it. In fact, when I hear someone say 'I think the world would be a better place if we could prevent babies from having your disability in the future,' what I hear is 'I think the world would be a better place without people like you.'"
Many people praised Woodward's comments, while others pushed back. Woodward joins us for the hour to discuss her perspective and disability pride. In studio:
- Stephanie Woodward, victims of crime attorney at Empire Justice Center
This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk.
