Photo: Bryan Goodchild
The Diversity and Inclusion Office at UMass Chan Medical School is hosting a Diversity Campus Read event featuring author Emily Ladau on March 5 at noon. She will be talking about her book, Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally, which was released in 2021.
Born with Larsen syndrome, a genetic condition affecting physical abilities, Ladau began her advocacy journey at age 10 with an appearance on Sesame Street. Ladau is a Long Island native who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Adelphi University in 2013.
Her book is a guide to being a considerate and informed ally to disabled individuals, offering actionable advice on what to say, what to avoid, and how to contribute to creating a more accessible and inclusive world. It emphasizes the importance of making accessibility a standard practice, from daily communication to organizing events.
“The important thing is to understand the humanity of people with disabilities. Especially in medical professions, we're so often looking at disability through the lens of diagnosis, and we forget to think about the humanity of the people that we're working with and supporting,” said Ladau.
She said it is essential to treat all people with disabilities with the same level of attention and respect.
“I think we create these artificial hierarchies of disability. We assume that some people with certain lived experiences are more able to be an advocate for themselves,” said Ladau.
When it comes to allyship, Ladau believes many people tend to pull out their “checklists” to ensure they’re doing and saying the right things to be deemed an ally. In reality, Ladau said, “It's about listening to and engaging with your patients and recognizing that the best way to be an ally is to take the time to understand a person's story, to ask them meaningful questions and to support them in what they're navigating.”
“Just in an hour or two that I get to spend with different groups is one of my favorite parts of getting to speak with people,” said Ladau. Register for the virtual event here.
