Having a disability, whatever it may be, can be extremely isolating. Plus, if you want to be an ally to the disabled community, it can be hard to find reliable information by and about disabled people– some of it can be biased/prejudiced, especially when they’re written by abled people.
But luckily, there are many diverse members of the disabled community who create content to help others feel less isolated, to spread awareness, and to properly educate us on pressing issues. I’m going to share with you some of my personal favorite YouTubers in various disabled communities so you can enjoy and learn from their content as well.
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1. Annie Elainey
Image description: Annie, a blue-haired person with thick eyebrows, light-brown skin, and dark-red lipstick smiles at the camera. She is wearing a black-and-white striped shirt.
Annie is a disabled, queer person of color living with mental (depression, anxiety, and previous body image issues) and chronic (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) illness. Her channel is an awesome balance of personal experience, activism, and art– and of course, these three regularly overlap.
2. ASL Stew
Image description: two women in matching red and yellow jackets and sunglasses smile at the camera. They are in the foreground; in the background is an ocean/land landscape. They appear to be high in the air.
Narrated in speech and sign by an awesome Deaf-hearing gay couple, ASL Stew is an educational source on sign language, interpreting, Deaf culture, as well as lighter lifestyle videos. Whether you go to them for concrete lessons on ASL, or simply enjoy learning about the rich, interesting complexities of Deaf culture, there’s something here for everyone.
3. Robyn Lambird
Image description: Robyn sits in a lime-green wheelchair, wearing basketball sneakers, ripped jeans, a varsity jacket, and an American-flag circle scarf. Robyn is wearing red lipstick and large-framed glasses, and has short, teal-blue hair.
Robyn is an androgynous-fashion-lover, a hat collector, a (highly successful) wheelchair rugby enthusiast, and a self-described cerebral palsy “T-Rex”. Robyn’s videos include those about body image, movie reviews, and various social justice topics– always with amazing fashion and room decor.
4. Amethyst Schaber
Image description: Amethyst sits in front of a bookcase. They have short, auburn hair and are smiling politely at the camera, wearing a light-teal button up blouse and a white undershirt.
Amethyst is is an Autistic person with extensive credentials in blogging, vlogging, andactivism. They are a valuable resource to the Autistic community and to its allies; answering commonly asked questions, honoring Autistic people who have fallen victim to violent ableism, and doing it all with an open, kind disposition.
5. Molly Burke
Image description: Molly, in white overalls and with long, dark brown hair, peaks over a bright-red, YouTube-style "subscribe" button, which she is holding.
Molly is a blind YouTuber who has been a blindness advocate since age five. Her wide-ranging videos show the positives of blindness as well as the negatives, and challenge the stereotype that it’s hard to have a fulfilling life with low/limited sight. Not to mention, she brilliantly claps back against those who attempt to invalidate her disability.
6. HotPinkSun
Image description: Rachel Anne, with bright pink hair and dark brown roots, stares at the camera through large-framed glasses. Her shirt reads "NO FUN" in white letters on black fabric.
Rachel Anne is disabled, chronically ill, and living in Toronto. She has a fantastic understanding of disability justice and theory, and translates it into language that every person can understand. With topics ranging from disability-education, dating, queerness, being a student, makeup, and more, Rachel has something for everyone.
7. Andrea Lausell
Image description: Andrea, a light-skinned Latina with thin bangs, peers over her shoulder at the camera. She has shoulder-length hair, is not wearing visible makeup, and has on a sleeveless blouse.
Andrea is a Latina feminist living with Spina Bifida– a disability that is not often spoken about. Her channel includes performance art, Spina Bifida awareness/education, as well as segments that discuss the intersection of disability and Latinx identity.
8. Rikki Poynter
Image description: Rikki poses against a lighted background. She is staring into the bottom-right corner of the frame, her long, dark hair covering one eye. Her black, short-sleeve shirt reads "DEAF AND–" in white, block letters.
Rikki is one of the most famous, outspoken members of the Deaf community, debunking stereotypes and fighting for increased Deaf/Hard of Hearing accessibility on YouTube. Tackling hard topics, such as the importance of correctly captioned (and not “craptioned”) videos, sharing her experiences being bullied and stereotyped as a Deaf person, and sprinkling in lighthearted videos and product reviews as well.
9. Sitting Pretty Lolo
Image description: A light-skinned, black woman with a short Afro smiles as though laughing at the camera. She is wearing a lavender tank top and is sitting in her wheelchair. In the top right corner is the logo for her channel, which reads "Sitting Pretty"
Lolo is a new discovery for me, and I immediately fell in love with her straightforward approach to life as a disabled woman of color, her impeccable fashion sense, and her informative videos on life in a wheelchair. Her commitment to showing all aspects of disabled life is refreshing, and if you need a break from the tough topics, she has fashion and action videos galore.
10. Alexandria Taylor
Image description: A pale, dark-haired woman with thick eyebrows smiles slightly at the camera. She is wearing a necklace and a light blue shirt. She appears to be sitting in a room in her home.
Alexandria’s small YouTube channel definitely deserves your attention. A student, aspiring educator, and an intersectional feminist, she speaks on mental health and chronic pain, as well as shooting vlogs. Her openness about mental health in particular– including her trichotillomania and dermatillomania–make her an essential disabled voice on YouTube.
