Moving Toward Pride: What an Anti-Ageism Movement Can Learn from Disability Pride
Read more about our guest speakers, Ashton and Tiffany.
“I do identify proudly as someone who is older and sometimes old. But we are very reluctant to identify as old, most of us. That’s one reason I encourage the word ‘older.’ I use it as a noun – ‘olders’ and ‘youngers.'”
Ashton Applewhite
“My first disability origin story is when I became disabled. My second is when I became proud of my disability identity. But I just feel like it’s so liberating to be myself. That’s really how I think I came into my being proud over my disability identity.”
Tiffany Yu
Episode Description
This episode of the At Home, On Air podcast, is an archived conversation from May 2020. In honor of Disability Pride Month, we’re bringing you this engaging conversation: “Moving Toward Pride: What an Anti-Ageism Movement Can Learn from Disability Pride.”
Our guest speakers are two amazing women, each a thought leader and movement builder — Ashton Applewhite is a writer, anti-ageism expert, and author known for using compelling statistics to challenge ageist assumptions; and Tiffany Yu is a social impact entrepreneur, diversity and inclusion community builder, and disability advocate recognized for her work rebranding disability through storytelling and community building.
In this powerful conversation, Ashton and Tiffany explore the parallels between anti-ageism and disability pride movements through personal stories and professional insights, examining how both communities can learn from each other’s advocacy strategies. They discuss the importance of moving beyond fear-based narratives, the challenge of “passing” in both communities, and how intersectionality shapes their experiences. The dialogue covers everything from reframing language around aging and disability to reimagining community spaces, offering insights into building more inclusive movements that celebrate rather than hide these identities.
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Takeaway Resources
Useful Websites:
- Yo, is this ageist?
- End Ageism, SF’s anti-ageism campaign
- Generations Beat Online
- Becoming Disabled, a New York Times Article
People and Places Mentioned:
- Rosemarie Garland-Thomson
- Joanne Lynn, who coined the phrase “an old person in training”
- Ed Roberts Campus, Berkeley
Books:
- This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, by Ashton Applewhite
- The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World, by Tiffany Yu
Watch / Listen:
- Ashton’s Ted Talk
- Tiffany’s Ted Talk
- Tiffany Yu’s podcast
- Listen to the original, unedited conversation:
Thank YOU!
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The original, live conversation was recorded on:
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 5:30 PM PDT.