Being a Radical Advocate

Radical Advocacy starts with meeting our own needs and then we can help our communities.

Anyone is welcome here. Whether you are able-bodied or disabled, Neurotypical or Neurodivergent, patient or provider, it does not matter. I hope to write in a way that allows me to express my own thoughts and feelings. While simultaneously supporting individuals in their self-advocacy.

Informed individuals should not threaten their providers, nor should a person’s professional knowledge be disregarded. Advocacy is not pitting “patient” against provider. It is simply being able to do what is needed to get care that is competent, relevant, and compassionate.

This space is a safe gathering area. Here, we can talk about disability without shame. This means no hate speech, insults, bullying or imposing our beliefs on another person.

Nothing I write here should supplement direct medical care and oversight. Any and all content is meant to be for educational purposes only. Please, you deserve hands-on care, so please seek that out for yourself. If you have difficulties doing so, shoot me a message, and I can try to help.

I will also be writing about disability justice and government policy, providing information and accessible action steps.

I can only write from my perspective. I have innate biases; we all do. I do not speak for any bipoc individual or any group for that matter, just myself. I respect everyone and am willing to discuss topics civilly, learn, and change.

My whole motivation for this platform is to be inclusive and supportive.

Thank you for being you! Here is to being the best, most radical, strong, and informed advocates we can be!

Love,

Casey-Lee, RN, HWNC-BC

Hello,

I’m Casey-Lee

I have been an RN for over 14 years and have lived with chronic illness since 2019. While I have always fiercely advocated for my patients, I struggled to do the same for myself. I had to radically change how I viewed the medical system, adjust my expectations, and unlearn my tendencies toward people-pleasing.

Recognizing the challenges of self-advocacy inspired me to create this platform. The “radical” aspect is that we acknowledge the many systemic and personal factors that impact our community.

Many people experience multiple intersecting identities that create barriers to care. Such as being a person of color and disabled, a woman and disabled, or queer and disabled. Each requires unique approaches to self-advocacy.

Our resource hub will continually evolve to meet the changing needs of our community. I hope this space nourishes, empowers and provides practical tools for navigating healthcare as an advocate for yourself and others.