Invisible Disabilities Week serves as both a celebration and a source of grief for individuals with unseen conditions. It highlights the complexities of living with invisible disabilities, facing societal judgment, and the importance of empathy. The author encourages self-reflection, kindness, and understanding, advocating for less judgment and more compassion in interactions with others.
Category: Disability
Finding your identity while disabled
There’s a fine line to cross when it comes to identifying who you are as someone with a disability and not feeling as if your disability is entirely who you are. I read a journal prompt for those with chronic illness that said the following: What parts of my identity remain completely true despite my…
Empowerment Through Art: Visible Racine Event on September 19 at The Inclusive Bean
Emma Widmar, the ArtRoot Writer-in-Residence, hosts the community project Visible Racine to raise awareness about disabilities. On September 19, 2026, she invites individuals identifying as disabled to participate in a photography event at The Inclusive Bean. Participants will share self-descriptions, showcasing their identities beyond disability, fostering community understanding and support.
Dear Racine,
Emma Rose Widmar announces her role as the 21st ArtRoot Writer in Residence, focusing on Racine and disability awareness over the next six months. With a history in journalism, she aims to foster empathy and connection through impactful storytelling. Emma reflects on her roots in Racine and her experiences with chronic health conditions, driving her passion to advocate for understanding and unity within the community.
OBSERVATIONS #18 – 12.24.24
Call – Color Feel Response – I Must Do To Be By – Mimi Peterson I Must Do To Be I must do to be, Things move, change waits, Words interrupt, hands interpret, Bodies heal, thoughts roam. Before you, after me, Sands drift to form dunes and valleys, Swirling shapes shift with times motion, And…
OBSERVATIONS #15 – 11.16.24
Call – Color Feel, Theme of the Month Response – Autumn Red By – Mimi Peterson AUTUMN RED Before hibernal cold, after vernal heat, as summer comes to close, More darkness than daylight soon will cover our planet host. Radiant leaves, ripe fruit, fall from trees. Celebrate! Rhythmic cycles of life to death, grow naturally…
OBSERVATIONS #14 – 11.10.24
Call – Color Feel, Theme of the Month Response – Cast A Net By – Mimi Peterson Cast A NetCast a net into the sky,Toss into the white not blue,Sky that feels like water looks.Cast a net into the sky,Casually pull apart its soft conceal,Uncover fields of pearlescent fluffs washed in light.Cast a net into…
OBSERVATION #11-10.26.24
Call – Don’t Dis Me, Theme of the Month Response – Musings on Nobody’s Perfect, Anecdotes by M By – Mimi Peterson My Musings on Nobody’s Perfect with Anecdotes by B, C, J, L, M,Like butterflies, words escaped the cocoon of the story teller’s memory,Like fairy tales, transformed and captured under my pen. mp Meet…
OBSERVATIONS #10 – 10.19.24
Call – Don’t Dis Me, Theme of the Month Response – Musings on Nobody’s Perfect, Anecdotes by – Mimi Peterson About the Arts and Humanities Happy National Arts and Humanities month! The White House issued its yearly proclaim that states: “The arts and humanities bring people together and show us that we have more in…
OBSERVATIONS #8 – 9.21.24
Call – Don’t Dis Me, Theme of the Month Response – Musings on Nobody’s Perfect by – Mimi Peterson About Me Alone, only the distant street sounds penetrate my thoughts, Only the skylight’s my mood, Only coffee, cooling in my favorite mug, Waits within reach. I sit at the old family table of notorious memories,…
