Forging Ground at The Abilities Expo

Jennifer Gasner seated at the Diversability Booth at the Abilities Expo. She is surrounded by promotional materials and books. Behind her is a navy sign the word Disability repeated.

By Jennifer Gasner

I sat in my wheelchair at the Diversability booth at the Abilities Expo in Los Angeles, amazed by the visitors perusing the display. The Expo is an annual three-day event where vendors sell products and display information for people with disabilities, and Diversability was a last-minute addition to the list of organizations exhibiting after I had inquired if they would have a booth there in the Diversability Leadership Collective (DLC). The booth’s back wall displayed the message, “Disability is not a bad word.” There were stickers, business flyers, books—including mine and Kelley Coleman’s, titled, Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child: Your Guide to the Essential Systems, Services, and Supports. The Diversability booth also featured materials from other DLC members, including Lauren Freedman’s Uninvisible Coaching health coaching business, stickers from Jennifer Chassman Browne’s More Than A T-Shirt Company, postcards from Sally Krueger-Wyman’s Los Angeles Dysautonomia Network, and information from Alvaro Silberstein’s Wheel the World. 

As a member of the DLC, I was there to help represent the organization and promote my memoir, My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis. Tiffany Yu, the founder of Diversability, was also at the event with postcards featuring her upcoming book, The Anti-Ableist Manifesto. My heart warmed as I witnessed the apparent hunger from passers-by for the topic of ableism which is the myriad ways disabled people are viewed as less-than. 

There was a pause in traffic to the booth, and Tiffany asked, “Should we do this again?”. I wasn’t sure how to answer. Tiffany is the only member of the Diversability team in LA, and I knew she wanted to make sure the booth was fully staffed over the three days. Kelley and I stepped up to volunteer our time, because we were excited to promote our books and I knew that the exposure and the experience were what mattered with the thousands of attendees that would pass by. We had a near-constant flow of people posing for photos in front of the sign and browsing many items displayed by members of the organization. All of these promotional items helped us spread positive messages about disability.

With me was my friend Toni, a fellow wheelchair user and a member of the DLC. She was surprised there weren’t more organizations like Diversability at the Expo. On their website, the Abilities Expo shares that they aim to “show you all of [the] products, technologies and resources to help you up your game! [This includes] a slew of adaptive sports, fun dance opportunities, info-packed workshops, an all-inclusive climbing wall and more.” Toni expressed that “everything is so service-oriented . . . it’s a bunch of non-disabled people helping disabled people.” I hadn’t realized that until she said it. Her words made me think about the significance of the Expo and Diversability’s place at the event. What messages were many of the vendors sending about disability? How many of them were disability-run and disability-led? Where did Diversability fit?

As a regular attendee of the Abilities Expo over the last twenty years, I had come to view it as more of a social event than anything. Sure, at past expos, it had been fun to try accessible rock climbing and see the latest high-priced item to dream of, but I’d never considered the event on a deeper level. The Expo is a fantastic space to see the latest and greatest technologies available. We need mobility devices and information about services and programs. Those tools are integral parts of living with a disability. But they don’t overtly address the barriers people with disabilities face that aren’t physical—like negative attitudes or assumptions about disability. And seemingly many businesses at the Expo are apparently run by people who aren’t disabled. 

Diversability is a group of disabled people supporting other people with disabilities. It clearly sees disability as a positive experience, something to be proud of. Those who visited our booth seemed to crave that outlook, something that was so lacking at the Expo.

The themes of Tiffany’s book chapters, which were listed on her book postcard, were also indicative of issues the other booths didn’t overtly promote. Some included, “Disability is Intersectional,” ”Break the Cycle of Social Isolation,” and “We Are Not Your Inspiration.” These ideas show a deeper side to disability, not just the superficial. Diversability was the only vendor I could see blatantly welcoming such ideas. It was obvious; the organization’s purpose and attitude are in demand. 

Earlier, I wasn’t sure how to answer Tiffany’s question about whether Diversability should return to the Expo. Now, my heart knew the answer. I believe Diversability’s perspective is unique and needed at the Expo. There is potential to make a difference and spread the message that disability is not a bad word. Yes, we need to come back. And I hope we do.