With Disability Pride Month approaching in July, one Los Angeles-based disability advocate has transformed how disabled individuals find their community by using social media as the cornerstone of their approach.
Tiffany Yu, founder of Diversability, began her journey advocating for people with disabilities in 2009 when she founded Georgetown University’s first-ever disability student club. Today, she leverages social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook, to connect millions of people with disabilities worldwide who might otherwise remain isolated and unheard.
“Social media is a lifeline for people with disabilities,” says Yu. “Part of how ableism, the system of oppression that devalues disabled bodies and minds, gets its power is by making us intentionally isolated and excluded. Facebook groups and Instagram hashtags have made it possible for us to find each other so much quicker.”
Her organization’s Facebook group serves as what Yu calls a “virtual town square” for both disabled and non-disabled individuals, creating an inclusive environment where members at different stages of their disability can connect. The group’s accessibility features minimize what Yu terms “access friction,” ensuring the community is available to everyone regardless of disability.
Yu’s work highlights the crucial connection between community access and overall well being. “Your overall well being is your mental health, your physical health, your physical health, and your society health,” explains Yu. “The work that these Meta platforms do is around social health.”