One in four adults has a disability in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yet our country and culture falls behind in supporting this community in many ways to achieve the same opportunities as everyone else. This episode explores the financial inequalities, specifically, as well as some of the emotional and social struggles when you’re a person living with a disability, as experienced by guest and memoirist Emily Rapp Black.
Black lost her left leg at the age of six, due to a congenital birth defect. She was soon after chosen as the poster child for the March of Dimes. Her experiences living with a disability have led to the publication of several books including Poster Child: A Memoir, The Still Point of the Turning World, and her forthcoming book, Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg (June 15, 2021).
She is a former Fulbright scholar and recipient of the James A. Michener Fellowship. She is an assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine. You can learn more about her at www.emilyrappblack.com