Connecting Disability to...Storytelling and community

On the first episode of “Connecting Disability,” Meagan sat down with the journalist who first showed her how experiences with disability can lead to in-depth, thoughtful journalism – and help us consider how one person’s disability can impact several people in related, different ways. In 2009, Globe and Mail feature writer Ian Brown published The Boy in the Moon, a memoir about his experiences with his son, Walker, who was born with a rare genetic disorder called cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome. The book vividly describes the physical routines of Walker’s life - baths, diaper changes, therapies – and his father’s reactions to them. It also made Meagan realize there can be good journalism about disability that is inspired by personal experiences, but goes beyond them. In this conversation, Ian and Meagan discuss the power of writing about disability, the difficulty of doing that well, and why vulnerability helps us connect. Meagan and Ian were both nominated for Digital Publishing Awards in 2021 for writing about disability. You can read Ian’s piece, published in the Globe and Mail here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-two-metres-and-a-world-apart-life-in-lockdown-for-me-and-my-disabled/. (It got a silver award in the feature article category.) You can read Meagan’s personal essay about the late author Jean Little, published in the Walrus and featured on AMI-audio’s “Voices of the Walrus” here: https://thewalrus.ca/the-author-who-shaped-the-way-we-represent-disability/. (It didn’t place, but gave Meagan an excuse to get dressed up in the middle of the day to attend a virtual award show.) That link will also take you to the recording. You can check out Ian Brown’s author page at the Globe and Mail here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/ian-brown/ and follow him on Twitter @BrownoftheGlobe.