Stella Young
Stella Young
Stella Jane Youngwas an Australian comedian, journalist and disability rights activist...
NationalityAustralian
ProfessionComedian
Date of Birth24 February 1982
CountryAustralia
came disabled early identify ideology invent late proudly teens word
I identify very proudly as a disabled woman. I identify with the crip community. I didn't invent the word 'crip'. It's a political ideology I came to in my late teens and early 20s.
given work
I'm a full-time wheelchair user. And yet, given the right circumstances, I am able to work.
best job love people stories sure
I've got the best job in the world; I love it. I get to meet so many interesting people, and I get to make sure that other people with disabilities can tell their own stories as well.
definitely episode featured watched
When I was seven and watched an episode of 'Beyond 2000' that featured a floating armchair, I thought we'd definitely have one of those by 15, at the latest.
adjusted bodies considered disabled whether
We all learn how to use the bodies we're born with, or learn to use them in an adjusted state, whether those bodies are considered disabled or not.
afford doctors fortune immunity lived neither since
Doctors are not fortune tellers, and neither am I. Having lived with disability since birth does not afford me immunity from illness.
certainly disaster medical ultimate
Disability is often framed, in medical terms, as the ultimate disaster and certainly as a deficit.
almost bus caught certainly deal disability gender great informs life religion whether work
Disability informs almost every part of my life. It's as important, if not more so, than my gender and sexuality. It's certainly a great deal more important to me than my religion or whether or not I caught a tram, ferry or bus to work.
admit among buy cost earn eat jobs love lucky meet mention money nice pay reason rent work
Even those among us who are lucky enough to love our jobs would have to admit that at least part of the reason we work is to earn money. In between all this work, we like to eat out at restaurants, go on trips, buy nice things, not to mention pay rent and meet the cost of living.
anyone believe benefit concerned fraud money people services spent vital
Believe me, people with disabilities are just as concerned about benefit fraud as anyone else. Money spent on those who are not in need is money that isn't being spent on vital services to support us in the community.
people respect society treats
We are a society that treats people with disabilities with condescension and pity, not dignity and respect.
bit life looked stared
For me, in some ways, my whole life is a bit performative and always has been - because I'm stared at and looked at everywhere I go.
disabled doctors people
For lots of us, disabled people are not our teachers or our doctors or our manicurists. We're not real people. We are there to inspire.
best cultural experience physical social word
For me, disability is a physical experience, but it's also a cultural experience and a social experience, and for me, the word 'crip' is the one that best encapsulated all of that.