This column is an opinion by John Loeppky, a disabled artist and freelance writer/editor in Saskatoon. It’s part of a series called Taking a Sitting Stand about disability issues. You can see more of the series here.
For more information about CBC’s Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
As a child, I was often ashamed of my disability.
I fell into the “bitter cripple” stereotype. I didn’t want to be around people with intellectual disabilities because I thought I would be more independent if I ran away from the community rather than toward it.
I shunned disability culture.
Fast forward 15 years, and I was performing in
