Steven Michael Carr
Mattingly Edge Development Director
Kentucky
Storytelling feeds my spirit. There is a Ted Talk by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie called 'The Danger of a Single Story' and it talks about what happens when generalizations are made about a specific group of people. Too often, for citizens with disabilities, the story is 'disabled people can't...' 'They' can't have homes of their own. 'They' can't work. 'They' will never be able to do this. And this story about people with disabilities is not true. I'm interested in helping to change that single story into something much richer and more complex. I want to hear stories about disabled lovers. Disabled teachers. Disabled thought-leaders. Disabled people being agents of change in their communities. Change happens when we hear the stories of others and see ourselves within them.