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22 Tweets That Show Disability and Happiness Aren't Mutually Exclusive

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If you have a disability, you might be used to people expecting you to be miserable all the time. If you aren’t miserable, you’re considered strong and inspirational because you couldn’t possibly be happy with your “situation.”

Experiencing joy does not mean you are “cured” or no longer in pain, but this is a misconception some people have, Andrew Farkash, creator of the #DisabledJoy hashtag, said. 

“I also wanted to show people that Disabled folks don’t live miserable lives,” he told The Mighty. “That we exist, survive, and even thrive sometimes despite our Disabilities.”

Farkash said he hopes people realize happiness and disability aren’t mutually exclusive.

“This isn’t to say that we don’t have a lot of hurdles as a community to overcome,” he said. “Societal ableism is harsh and literally kills, but I wanted this hashtag to empower my Disabled community and give them a space to celebrate their joy— or times where they did feel joy.”

Farkash started #DisabledJoy with photos of himself taken by his friend, Myai Jackson, and many Twitter users followed with their own photos to show their joy.

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You can join the conversation by tweeting your photo along with the hashtag #DisabledJoy. 

Header photos via Twitter/@menajew and @anthroqveer.

Originally published: April 2, 2018
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