Thread by @claire4est

I want to share my thoughts on what it means to me, as a disabled woman in her twenties, to see Tammy Duckworth be the first sitting Senator to give birth (thread) 1/

I use a wheelchair. When I was in college, I went to my friend's 2nd-grade classroom for a day, and one of the students asked me if I had kids. Before I could say "no," or "not yet," another kid ssh'd him and said, "People in wheelchairs can't be moms!" 2/

I said, "People in wheelchairs can be anything they want!" But what I really wanted was to give an example of a great mom in a wheelchair. And while I know there are many, I couldn't think of one off the top of my head. 3/

Disabled people face a lot of obstacles towards parenthood* There is a lot of stigma and people often ask, "How are you going to handle XYZ?"
*Disclaimer: I am not a parent, so this is secondhand knowledge, please chime in if you are an actual PWD parent 4/

There are a lot of loopholes in the adoption system which can prohibit disabled people from adopting a child simply because they have a disability, no more or less reasoning needed 5/

And disabled people face a lot of stigma in employment. It's hard for PwD to find jobs, sustain jobs, and to feel respected in their work. The question women face of Can she do it all? is asked 1000x more about disabled women. 6/

People see that Senator Duckworth is a war veteran and a woman holding elected office. I see a disabled mother who is holding one of the highest government positions. She is the answer that, YES, disabled women CAN do it all. 🙌 7/

AND she is a living role model to those kids who thought that women in wheelchairs can't be moms. You can't be what you don't see, and Senator Duckworth is out there being seen. 8/

So please don't discount that this is a win for gender equality AS WELL AS disability representation (and like, for the Duckworth fam, above all!) 9/

I am not sure if I even want kids or if I will raise 10 golden retrievers, but that doesn't matter. I know that the option to be that disabled woman who rocks her personal life and career is there because I can SEE it.
Congratulations, Senator Duckworth, and thank you!
/end.