My favorite disability influencers on Instagram
My favorite disability influencers on Instagram
Here are three accounts I feel showcase disability well
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My quest to find more accounts focused on disability started when I was diagnosed with cancer.
I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to my hair. The safest way for me to explore it was social media – I did a quick search for wigs and found Lusta Hair in my results. The account immediately drew me in with its inclusive videos and kind approach to raising awareness of hair loss.
Since, I’ve started following blind and deaf influencers as well in an attempt to better understand their experiences. I wanted to share these accounts so you could, too!
1. @lusta.hair
Lusta Hair is an Australian company that creates hair and wig toppers, but the account is so much more than just advertising. They raise awareness for alopecia and trichotillomania as well as hair loss related to cancer and severe burns. (Alopecia comes in many forms, but the general concept is hair loss. Trichotillomania is a skin-picked condition).
They do a free wig program called the Lusta Children’s Project, where they show the moment little girls with medical conditions receive their first wig. The reaction on their faces is priceless. Holly, one of Lusta’s faces, always removes her own wig to show the girls they don’t have to be embarrassed or ashamed of their hair loss.
They’re doing a series right now where a woman asks her mom with stage four breast cancer the questions she wants answers to before its too late. The answers will make you cry.
2. @matthewandpaul
This account features Paul, who is blind, and his husband Matthew. Together, they showcase the highs and lows of living with visual eye impairment. Matthew will play silly pranks on Paul, like wearing a shark onesie or putting up wet floor signs all over the house. Paul talks about his artwork and losing his vision.
Recently, he brought attention to an incident where he was denied entrance to a restaurant because of his service dog. The waiter didn’t believe he was blind. Paul handled the incident with grace, deciding not to name the worker or the restaurant. He resolved the matter with the restaurant privately.
“It’s not about so much reprimanding people as it is educating them,” he said in an interview. Instead, he used it to bring awareness to the Americans with Disabilities Act, describing other discriminatory situations he’s been in, like Uber drivers driving away when they see his dog.
@matthewandpaul is a great account to follow if you want to better understand blindness – and have a laugh.
3. @ktnlifts
In her bio, Katie Norton describes herself as deaf and hard of hearing with bilateral hearing aids. She’s in her early twenties and works in marketing. Despite her username, her account isn’t only about lifting weights. Katie takes the time to explain what it’s like to be hard of hearing.
Similar to Paul, Katie uses her significant other to show the dichotomy between hearing and hard of hearing experiences
She often starts her videos with “I’m deaf and wear hearing aids.” She tells funny stories about “eavesdropping” and her assumptions about spatial awareness. She breaks down ordering at Starbucks and what it’s like boarding an airplane, as well as her experience with technology like alarm clocks and iPhones.
I love Katie’s excitement and energy toward explaining what it’s like to be her. She’s colloquial and patient, inviting people into her journey. I’d highly recommend following her.
I’d love to hear about other disability influencers you follow in the comments below!
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