Brooke talks to Laura from Casual Ableism, a popular Instagram account that raises awareness about ableism through humour and truthfulness. Laura talks about her personal journey with disability, from being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age to navigating the challenges of school and societal perceptions. She also shares their experiences of embracing her disability and finding empowerment through understanding and acceptance.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Casual Ableism is a social media platform that raises awareness about ableism and provides a community for individuals with disabilities. Disability is not a one-size-fits-all experience, and it is important to recognise and respect the unique experiences and perspectives of each individual. It is okay to feel frustrated or overwhelmed by the challenges of disability, and it is important to give yourself permission to feel and process those emotions. Finding a supportive community of friends and allies who accept and understand you for who you are is crucial for navigating the challenges of disability. Adapting and finding solutions that work for you is key in overcoming barriers and moving forward in life with a disability. BEST MOMENTS "I think sometimes we have to take a bit of tragedy with humour."  "I'm definitely proud to say I'm disabled and have a physical disability."  "It's progressive. And for a lot of people, it can be stable for lots of years and then it can progress or it can develop later on in life."  "It's okay to have those moments where you don't feel proud to be disabled, or you don't feel like it's kind of, oh, it's fine, you know, I'll just get on with it."  "Disability is not one size fits all. It's so individual for every single person." VALUABLE RESOURCES https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/disabled-and-proud/id1621152878 HOST BIO Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves.  The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational.  Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”.  As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!INSTAGRAM! https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en: https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en