Ramp Your Voice!

This is the official Tumblr page of Ramp Your Voice!, a disability rights consultation & advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Ramp Your Voice! is founded by Vilissa Thompson, LMSW, a proud WoC with a disability who is fighting for equality & justice for ALL abilities.

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Black History Month 2019: Black, Disabled, & Into Alternative Spiritual Practices

Black History Month 2019: Black, Disabled, & Into Alternative Spiritual Practices

When life shakes us at our core, we long to find something to ground us again.  For me, that grounding has come in the form of expanding my spirituality after the death of my beloved Grandmother on Christmas Eve of 2015.  I have always been spiritual; being raised Baptist by her (though I don’t claim a denomination at this time), but also knowing that there was a desire in finding a deeper…

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Planners & Disability: When Two Worlds Collide Effortlessly

Planners & Disability: When Two Worlds Collide Effortlessly

Photo of a few planner supplies: a mini sized discbound planner with a big crystal pen, a sticker of my likeness sipping wine, and a postcard of a bluosh-purple crystal.

My fondness for all things stationery began as a child. Pens, notebooks, journals, stickers, markers – you name it, I loved it. Lisa Frank everything – had to have it. At the height of the gel pens hype, I had all sorts of…

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The Harriet Tubman Casting Cripping Up Issue

The Harriet Tubman Casting Cripping Up Issue

Black and white image of Harriet Tubman standing. Some rights reserved by National Park Service

Over the past week, I have watched and listened to several conversations on Twitter about the casting uproar for the Harriet Tubman film.  

Yet no one mentioned the obvious issue:  a Black disabled actress is not playing a Black disabled historical figure.  

An issue I run into within Black history and…

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Aunt Vi, #QueenSugar, Black Women, & Our Disabled Bodies: Why We’re Still Whole

Aunt Vi, #QueenSugar, Black Women, & Our Disabled Bodies: Why We’re Still Whole

Image of 3 Black women against a light colored background. All 3 are facing and smiling into the camera. Image credit: Pixabay

If you haven’t watched the show “Queen Sugar,” I don’t know what you’re doing with your life.

The new season premiered on OWN last week, and the series is spearheaded by the talented Ava DuVernay.

In this season, one of the beloved characters, Aunt Vi, has an illness that…

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Why Black Disability History Matters

Why Black Disability History Matters

Black background with the following text in white font: “Why Black Disability History Matters During Black History Month”

For the past few years on the blog, I have featured the stories and activism of Black disabled figures who are unsung heroes during Black History Month.  I began doing this because I did not want our experiences as Black disabled people to be overlooked since that has occurred…

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2/28/2018 Black Disability History Twitter Chat

2/28/2018 Black Disability History Twitter Chat

White graphic with black text that reads, “#BlackDisabilityHistory Twitter Chat, February 28, 2018, 4 pm Pacific / 7 pm Eastern, Follow @VilissaThompson @Imani_Barbarin @nealcarter and @DisVisibility” On the left is an illustration of the Twitter bird icon in black. On the right is an illustration of a fist raised in defiance in black.

For Black History Month, I am honored to co-host a…

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My 2017 Was Lit!:  Year in Reflection

Image of 2 cliffs: cliff on the left has 2017 and cliff on the right has 2018. In the middle of the cliff is an animated person leaping towards the cliff with 2018.

Today is the last day of 2017, and as I reflect, I am amazed at all I have experienced.  

This was the year where all of my hard work has come to life, with so many collaborations, interviews, and awesome people I have encountered.  

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Tackling Inaccessibility in Seattle & NYC: My Travels on 4 Wheels

Tackling Inaccessibility in Seattle & NYC: My Travels on 4 Wheels

Nighttime view of the Space Needle in Seattle, WA.

This month has been full of so many phenomenal things.  September is a special time for me for two reasons:  my birthday and the start of autumn.  

For both my birthday and the season changing, I was bi-coastal – I spent the first full week in celebrating year 32 in Seattle and then set off to tackle the Big Apple.  

Seattle allowed me to be in…

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New Things On the Horizon

New Things On the Horizon

Logo design of the Wheelin’ & Dealin’ podcast

The blog has been quiet for awhile, and that is due to all that I have been getting into recently.

First is the new adventure I am on – I am the co-host of the Wheelin’ & Dealin’ podcast, which made its debut on the CSPN network last week.  This podcast is politically-focused, and I am leading it with Neal Carter.  Neal approached me earlier this…

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4 Years Going Strong:  RYV! Anniversary Reflection

4 Years Going Strong:  RYV! Anniversary Reflection

Image description: Top of a chocolate cake with candles lit. Candles are curved and multi-colored.

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Ramp Your Voice!  The past year has been filled with so many opportunities, connections, partnerships, and articles that has resonated with individuals within and outside of the disabled community.  

As Ramp Your Voice! matures, I also mature, particularly for…

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Why “Claws” Autistic Character Dean Should Be Played By An Autistic Actor

Why “Claws” Autistic Character Dean Should Be Played By An Autistic Actor

Harold Perrineau as Dean. (Turner Press / CLAWS)

A new summer show favorite has been CLAWS, which features the incredible Niecy Nash as Desna, a woman who has big dreams of owning a high-end salon and caring for those she loves.  A surprise in the series is the character Dean, who is autistic and Desna’s brother.  Dean is a complex character, mainly due to the fact that the portrayal is a…

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BuzzFeed, Dating In A Wheelchair, & Representation:  Interview with Lolo

BuzzFeed, Dating In A Wheelchair, & Representation:  Interview with Lolo

Screenshot of the title of the video:  “Thoughts You Have While Dating In A Wheelchair” (BuzzFeed)

Buzzfeed is known for creating videos about diverse life experiences, and it has recently produced one that I can wholeheartedly relate to.  The video is “Thoughts You Have While Dating In A Wheelchair” that features vlogger Lolo.  Lolo’s performance spoke deeply to my spirit.  It was the first time…

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Disability, Slavery, & The Call to #PickUpUnderground

Aisha Hinds as Harriet Tubman (WGN America)

Social media was abuzz with shock earlier this week when we learned that the critically acclaimed show Underground was canceled on WGN America after two seasons.  I was incredibly upset that this dynamic show and its compelling depiction of slavery would no longer be returning for a rightfully earned third season.

As someone who enjoys history and…

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The Hashtagversary of #DisabilityTooWhite

Today is the hashtagversary (hashtag anniversary) of #DisabilityTooWhite.  I cannot believe it has been a year since the hashtag went viral, and how it changed my life and the dialogue in the community.  

It still astounds me that something I created from an impassioned reaction to an article stirred up so much conversation and controversy.  The hashtag forced me, and others, to discuss the…

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#IAmAPreExistingCondition: Medicaid is the Lifeline that Saved Me

#IAmAPreExistingCondition: Medicaid is the Lifeline that Saved Me

I owe my health and ability to live in this disabled body to Medicaid.  It is the social program that is will be under attack if the Senate accumulates enough votes for the American Health Care Act (AHCA).  The AHCA is the replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare.  There are provisions within the AHCA that will impact those of us with pre-existing conditions…

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Flexin’ My Melanin & Talking About #DisabilityTooWhite at the NABSW Conference

Flexin’ My Melanin & Talking About #DisabilityTooWhite at the NABSW Conference

I took a hiatus this month from blogging to prepare and attend the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) conference in National Harbor, Maryland.  It was the first time I attended the conference, as well as presented about #DisabilityTooWhite to my social work colleagues.  I was ecstatic to attend a conference where I would be surrounded by melanin, and it was the spiritual and…

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#BlackDisabledGirlMagic Series: Keah Brown, Entertainment Journalist Using Her Words to Empower

#BlackDisabledGirlMagic Series: Keah Brown, Entertainment Journalist Using Her Words to Empower

  Photo of Keah Brown, a brown skinned young Black woman. Keah is looking directly into the camera and smiling. She has her hair straighten and parted to the side, and wearing a white, red, and denim colored sweater.

One of the reasons I wanted to do this series was to capture the diverse lives of Black disabled women. Very few spaces have given us the opportunity to discuss what it is like to be…

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