The Staged Stigma of Disability

Welcome back to The Staged Stigma of Disability! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read my first entry, it was written with a lot of love and energy. To put myself out there and be open about my experiences being a physically limited actor was not easy for sure and I had a lot of different feelings in me as I hit post, mainly feeling exposed and vulnerable, but I am SO thrilled and excited that it received such as warm reaction. I have a lot of things planned for this blog, including something special I will be unveiling very soon! Thank you for the support, it means a lot. Now, onto today's post! Recently I came across the  ReelAbilities Film Festival . This is a festival that happens yearly in cities across America including Los Angeles (which was held over this past weekend), New York, Houston, Boston, Chicago, and others, that is completely dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people ...

Disclaimer: This will be kind of a long one Hello, and welcome to my new blog! My name is Michael and this is The Staged Stigma of Disability. First, before we get too far, let me tell you a little about myself and about the name of this blog. I am a 31 year old member of the LGBTQA+ community living in the Washington, DC area. I am married to the love of my life, have a wonderful job, and my life is overall amazing. I am also a community theatre actor and aspiring professional actor. I was also born with  Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele , a congenital defect that consists of an opening in the spinal column. Through multiple surgeries since birth that include having the opening in my spinal column closed, having a shunt (a device that drains spinal fluid from the brain to the spinal column) inserted, and multiple heel cord releases on my right leg, which my Spina Bifida predominantly affects, I live a mostly normal life. The only way you would ever know I have Spina Bifida is tha...