SALEM, VA, 5/14/21— Statistics show that disabled adults experience mental distress almost 5 times as often as their abled bodied peers—a direct result of the ableism that is rampant in our current society. in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, Wonderous Books & More is hosting a virtual author night on May 24th at 6:30 PM EST featuring Marie Dagenais-Lewis, a local disability rights advocate, artist and author of “Chronically Spooky”—a coloring book making a statement for disability rights. Ableism is an archaic form of oppression towards anyone with a medical condition, whether it’s a visible diagnosis or an invisible one. Ableism has engrained in us that disability is a curse and burden to society when the reality is disability is an essential part of an inclusive and diverse society. Could changing the way we perceive disability have an impact on our mental health and how could disability pride be the key to dismantling the ableist society—join us on zoom from the comfort of your own home for our open discussion to find out. Marie Dagenais-Lewis is a 27 year old disability rights leader who was born with multiple chronic illnesses and rare conditions. After being accused of lying about the severity of her disabilities and losing her life long career to ableism, she could no longer stay silent about the ableist society—she turned to her newly discovered talent and began to create art that challenged all of the ableist notions that this current society thrives on. Her Art Activism has a following of over seven thousand and has been shared all over the world as a mass awakening of disability pride is beginning. On May 24th, she will be sharing her journey to dismantling the ableist society through art as she hosts an open discussion on mental health in relation to disability pride. Tickets to be a part of this monumental event are $5 dollars each; RSVP at www.Wonderousbooksandmore.square.site/
Access notes: It is on zoom. The organizer is still waiting to hear if she has captioning scheduled.