Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome to dint sibling empowerment. Now I'm your host, Keith Mevidi Ginsini. Today I'm talking to Liz Weber, a member of the accessibility team of Broadway musical how to Dance in Ohio lids. Welcome to the show.
So we haven't officially met yet in person, not over Zoom. So how did you fudge become aware and involved with the Broadway musical how to dance in Ohio.
[00:01:05] Speaker B: In December of 2022?
Sammy Kennel, the director, she posted on her Instagram story looking for us age manager who identifies as having autism, and I do.
And then there were interview processes, and I was originally going to be part of their earlier workshop, and then I had other conflicts, so that didn't work out. But I was really, really excited that I was invited back to the Broadway process.
[00:01:37] Speaker A: When you first saw that announcement and read the synopsis of the musical, what would going through your head into your heart as a autistic person?
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Yeah. When I saw that the Broadway show was being announced, I was not involved yet at that moment, and I was very excited. I was like, this is exactly what disability needs for representation on the stage. This is what the theater industry needs for inclusivity. Like, I was very, very, very excited. And then I remembered that I had interviewed for this show a few months earlier in a different iteration. So then I reached back out, and I was like, hey, maybe there's room for me.
[00:02:36] Speaker C: And there was.
[00:02:37] Speaker B: And it was pretty cool.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: I saw this show six times, including the Broadway reunion concert, which was a marvelous night. A very interesting concept for musical that just closed.
Normally, I don't go to see musicals that much, but the soundtrack swept me away and wanting to see these characters again and again, I've already mapped out that you guys have just completed the movie, Jacob and Rebecca have completed part two and are in pre production of part three. That's all a fantasy in my head. I've said that through every episode. I've talked about this musical, so clearly it has struck a chord with me. And I'm not autistic. I have cerebral palsy. I went in to viewing this show with very low expectations.
Cause I'm like, this could go either way. And I'm so far removed from my teenage years.
Am I going to be able to relate to these characters? Boy, did I ever.
Obviously, you have autism, and so your relation to it is vastly different than mine. But all their similarities, or did you heal about people? See, I didn't expect to love this show as much as I did, but, man, it really swept me off my feet. And if you did how would you, like, would Stephen, that feedback being so intimately involved with the show?
[00:05:40] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I think the. Something that was sort of interesting about the reception of the show is that there was never a prior example of, like, true.
So I think that we were all kind of learning and growing as a collective force because this type of nuance in mainstream Broadway theater has never happened before.
And so then, obviously, there were some fans who were really, really intensely wanting to get all the information, and then there were some fans who were kind of just blown away that there was representation at all. And, like, there was a whole wide scope of that, and we were kind of adapting to how different people would warmly react to this show in different ways as it happened.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I. I've spoken with a lot of your colleagues and even some of the actors, and I interviewed Jacob, and I'm always remarking or wondering, what do you think, as I've asked your colleague, what do you think, or why do you think this project in particular inspired Broadway to get some cohon aids? And actually, I mean, shocker, being inclusive. I mean, you had examples few and far between, like the prom, which premiered, uh, about a year or two earlier, but in terms of inclusivity and diversity of representation, and you had some other examples, but really, those are the few and far between ones. What do you think? Was it about this documentary that really grabbed Broadway?
[00:08:21] Speaker B: I think that, as you said, the examples were pretty widespread, and there's not a ton of representation in many facets prior to this point, and there's still so much work to do.
But I think there are two things that probably made this show able to be told really accessibly, is that it wasn't like a common household name, really.
Some people did know the documentary, but it certainly wasn't like lots and lots of people knew the premise of this story prior to it's coming to Broadway.
And then it's also, I think, that a lot of the people who were involved with the show, they had such heart and care and wanted the show to exist. So I think that that combination of a lot of people, not, like. I guess what I'm saying is, like, curious incident in the dog of the nighttime. That's kind of the last show where there was an autistic character on stage.
[00:09:33] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: But we know that there were obviously problems with that and that there wasn't an autistic cast member playing that role. And it's. But that story had a widespread.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: Appeal catch.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: You know, like, everyone sort of knew that story outside of it.
[00:09:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:55] Speaker B: So this was nuanced in that many people didn't know the story, and then they fell in love with the story, both through Broadway and through the documentary.
[00:10:04] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm really, really glad I did not see the documentary before I saw the musical. In fact, I saw the documentary after the musical closed. So this was after seeing it three times, or however many?
I did much more than that. I'd say it six times. So after my fifth time of seeing it, I finally watched the documentary, and I was so fledglingly shocked.
How fateful. The book writer and the composer stayed remarkably true to the, uh, documentary. I can only think of one major plot point in the musical that was nowhere, nowhere in the documentary.
And I got all of the jokes, all of the references taken from the documentary, since I had seen the musical so much, and I can't really remember a documentary for transferring to Broadway.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: I think there have definitely been a few documentaries that have made their life cycle, but I think that's also what's exciting about this show. It's all based on real people, and obviously there were character liberties taken and there was artistic creativity and all that stuff, but it really was a homage to the people they were actually playing.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Did you tell Ludz about what he was like being behind the scenes and also on the accessibility team? Because that's shockingly a revolutionary concept.
[00:12:57] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. So there were five of us on the accessibility team, and we all kind of had different core roles on the show in different departments beyond just accessibility. So I was on the stage management team, and my role as accessibility deemed me fit was sort of backstage maintenance. It was sort of making sure that all of the actors and performers, both neurotypical and neurodivergent, were comfortable in their skin. And if they had any accessibility needs, I would do my best to rectify them. This is for literal things. Like, I was doing a lot of the maintenance of making sure that the sensory spaces were up to date and that we had sensory toys available that were unwrapped and easily accessible and easily sorted. And it was making sure that we got gels of, like, fluorescent lights covered so that they weren't so bright and obnoxious. It was making sure that the sounds backstage and onstage weren't too loud. It was sort of making sure that there was non scented soap that would. In the bathrooms, because it was just a lot of things. It was acquiring knowledge from our company members and then sort of redistributing it, using some of my own knowledge of autism and being like, okay, these are things that will help make the company gradually feel safer and more comfortable and. Yeah, so it was. There were a whole bunch of different things that we did.
Like I said, I was focused more backstage on the actual company of the show, but then there were other members of the accessibility team who did a lot of communication with brand partnerships and making sure front of house was accessible for audience members. And so there was a whole lot that we all did, and we all kind of took on different facets of this role and this team accessibility thing.
[00:15:27] Speaker A: Even though you were primarily backstage, do you remember the opening night of the Broadway show and what it was like for the actual.
Of the actual documentary participants to be there observing what really happened to them?
Creative liberties inside.
[00:16:12] Speaker B: Ten years ago, it was really, really, really cool. A lot of the actors became actual friends, real life counterparts. I know that a lot of them became like.
And even the ones that didn't necessarily become lifelong friends, they still, like, got to watch and observe who these people they were portraying every night on stage were. And I think it's made for some really, really interesting acting studies, even. Like, it's. Yeah, they're not emulating the person. Like, they're not. And there's a character that's been fabricated that's totally not the real person, but it's still.
There was a nice level of collegiacy, like, where everyone just sort of wanted to make everyone look good and be the best version of each other that they could.
[00:17:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, the actors have mentioned that. Perfumes that it wasn't mimicking anyone. It was enacted. The characterization of the characters in the musical were done with the utmost care of their real life counterpart and creative liberties were taking. But that's very, very important to drive home that what you just said about it being both a composite but also faithful to the real life person to an extent where it wasn't a exact copy.
Am I saying that correctly?
[00:18:29] Speaker B: Yeah, no, it was definitely more like paying tribute or homage or. Yeah, making sure someone felt safe and respected. But also, like, there were plenty of character changes that were made for the show on Broadway so that they are still separate entities altogether. Like, yeah, there were plenty of adjustments that made it much more of its own individual character for the show.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: I know that the real live Doctor Amigo came to the show a ton.
I've met him several times.
Did anyone else come back to the show repeatedly?
[00:19:28] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, there were tons of fans who saw the show tons of times.
Um, Paula Abdul, one of the producers, co producers, she came and saw the show quite a few times.
[00:19:42] Speaker A: Really?
Paula Abdul, the Shinna American Idol fame. Wow.
[00:19:51] Speaker B: She was one of the co producers on the show and she loved it. Um, yeah, there were a whole bunch of people who really felt word fast with the show. From Broadway celebrities to not Broadway celebrities to, like, just regular people. Lots and lots of people were making return trips.
[00:20:13] Speaker A: Yeah. I remember following Jacob, his instagram, and he would post regularly fans reaction.
I've just gone to see this show upwards of 20 times, and that blew my mind sky high.
Cause I just never experienced or read that reaction to any musical for what did that do? And other similar responses to boots morale or what was. What were some of Bigod's morale boosters throughout the show?
[00:21:25] Speaker B: I think the first preview had an audience that no one was expecting and no one could have anticipated prior to doing that first preview performance.
[00:21:41] Speaker A: How so?
[00:21:44] Speaker B: That first preview performance was highly anticipated and it had a large swath of disabled patrons in it.
[00:21:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:54] Speaker B: As you'd expect. But we had not, obviously, like, when you're in rehearsal and in tech, you're building the show, but you're sort of missing that final component.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: And I don't think anybody could have anticipated that. When the seven came out on stage for that first preview performance, they got like a standing ovation for three minutes or something, and it was just crowd screaming and, like, insane. And this happened at other performances too, for sure. Yeah, but we couldn't have. I don't think there was a way to know what that would have been prior to seeing that audience, because it was awesome and we loved it. And, like, the. The cast was exhilarated by it, and the cast got, like, the most energy ever. Everyone wants a standing ovation before they even say anything, like, oh, totally.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: But no one. I don't think anyone could have anticipated that that was the reaction that would have come. Because how do you know that a thousand people are gonna stand up before you even do anything? Like, that's. Yeah, but we needed representation so badly on a Broadway stage that we were seeing reactions that Broadway has never seen before in any sort of capacity. Like, we were seeing new things, and that's great, too.
[00:23:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it's really interesting that and really good that this show came out when it did.
They dared try to do this show even five years ago.
I will bet you anything that they would have used unauthentic representation. They would of gotten big names in their ridge. I mean, big names. Nothing wrong with that.
But what really hooked me on this show, id seen seven artistic actors way seven artistic roles.
[00:24:36] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:24:38] Speaker A: That's it.
That was the main hook as a disability advocate.
And I really don't think we would have gotten that at any other previous time adjudicated. I'll happily bet money on that hypothetical. Uh, because.
And so the first preview was special. I would assume the fudge Broadway performance with some of the real life counterparts. What were some others that really carried the morale to the production?
[00:25:39] Speaker B: I mean, every. Every single performance was great and nuanced, and we would see human reactions to everything, and we would see people with such energy feeling such excitement and emotions and all that.
Yeah, no, I think that it's hard to just think about individual performances because of what it did as a collective movement, as a force, almost.
[00:26:14] Speaker A: Okay, so talk more about that. What do you think and what do you feel that the musical did add collective thoughts in terms of digibility?
[00:26:32] Speaker B: I really think that the musical brought, for the first time, to a Broadway space.
I think it brought the idea of mainstream inclusivity.
I think it brought the idea that this can happen. So future shows can't now just be like, okay, we'll hire inauthentic casting for a disabled character that is not played by a disabled role. Like, I think what it has done is because, really, again, to be the first of something, and obviously, like, there's so far to go in making sure Broadway theaters are accessible. Like, long, long ways to go. And most Broadway theaters don't have great wheelchair options. And, like, there's a lot to build from. But what I do think the show did. Is it allowed for that to be the first, like, of its kind, for there to be more accessibility just woven into normal shows that don't have a disability focus. Like, I. I think that prior to this show, there was a lot of maybe misconstrued beliefs about how disabled people can be at a Broadway show or if they could be there at all. And I think that at least with how to dance in Ohio, we have that as an example that these people want to be here, they want to see the show. They just maybe didn't have the right accommodations that would let them be there before. Or.
And obviously, like, there have been long, long standing attempts with many other accessibility organizations to make theater better. But I think this massive, massive, first widespread scale of this facet. Right. This.
This first massive undertaking is gonna give many people more hope in that capacity. Like TDF does accessibility performances for pretty much all the Broadway shows. And they're wonderful and they're great, but I think that how to dance in Ohio, bringing this viewpoint to every single performance was new and special because it's also like, oh, maybe I can go to a show and I don't have to worry about the consequences of what I have to do tomorrow or like, yeah, in the future.
It's like, oh, I feel safe here, and I'm always feeling safe here. And there's not a conditional factor of if I feel safe by which performance it is.
[00:29:32] Speaker A: So TDF is really the only reason I got to meet Jacob. And through him, I got to meet most of you.
Not a good portion of the cats and crude. So TDF, I was not a part of their accessibility program at the time, and I had just bought a ticket to them. And when you're not a part of the accessibility program, they just send the requests. Over the morning of the venue, Ramanisids are randomly picks the seeds and it put me in the row in front of a couple that knew Jacob and they were convincing. And I managed to overhear who Jacob was and I was debating in my head, do I talk to him? Do I not? Do I talk to him? Do I not?
After he finished the conversation with his friends and I made a split second and I had my beds cards out, well, I grabbed his arm and said, excuse me, are you the composer of this show? And I complimented him and handed him all my beds, Ned's cards and said, I would love to interview anyone involved with Vids production, but nothing. Normally I would not do that.
I am very, very reserved when I go to Broadway shows and particularly when I know people are there. People judge, want to have a good time, but in terms.
So I took risk, uh, reaching out to Jacob, and that's how I became, uh, involved, uh, with vids from a fans perspective.
Well, if there was a part two to this musical, and it's very hard to do that with a documentary, what would you hope that a part two would explore? What themes would you hope would be in there?
[00:33:17] Speaker C: I think if there was a sequel to the show, I would probably enjoy a deeper dive onto some of the characters relationships in a non heterosexual capacity because there were two queer characters who didn't, uh.
[00:33:43] Speaker B: Necessarily have a lot of.
[00:33:44] Speaker C: That visibly explained, but not that it needs it either, because, yeah, I think.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: We are beyond a point where we.
[00:33:50] Speaker C: Need to explain what a gay person is. I think we all know.
[00:33:53] Speaker A: So, yeah, it should.
[00:33:58] Speaker C: There's a little bit of both of them. We should at least. But like, yeah, I think so there. I see that argument, but I also think that it.
It could be something totally different. Maybe it's how people these people are existing not in a social skills group, how they are.
[00:34:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:16] Speaker C: Developing after their dance and how.
[00:34:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:21] Speaker C: Yeah. I also like to see more of the parents, and I'd like see, you know, there's so much that I would have loved to see, but there's only a two hour musical, and obviously, like, you have only so much to do and you can't put, you know, the entire DSM about autism in a musical. You can try, but it just. You sometimes have to add in other things, too.
[00:34:50] Speaker A: I mean, there was one quick mention that I wanted to know so much more about is the prior friendship of Mel and Ashley when they would get together and play video games. And you got a bit of a sly answer with reincarnation in act two. But that would be one area where I.
Because that was the only real verbalization or example of someone who worked at the center, interacting with a client outside of the center. And I found that very appealing to.
I wanted to know so much more about that relationship and the ebbs and flows of it.
[00:36:25] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, there was a song that was cut about halfway through previews called Life interrupts, and that song got us a little bit more of Ashley's story.
[00:36:43] Speaker A: Hmm.
[00:36:45] Speaker C: But I do agree. I would have liked to see more of that dynamic because it.
I also really loved the Ashley character because she was a non autistic character that had problems. And it was. Yeah, it was nice to see that. I mean, everyone has problems. We all know this. But, like, it was nice to see that she had a whole list of things that she wanted to fix and it had nothing to do with her being autistic.
[00:37:18] Speaker A: No, no, but there's a interesting dynamic there, although could be judge, need to be. But go with me for second.
There have been a lot more late diagnose or tid sticks.
And so if I wanted suggest another idea for this sequel, jets hypothesized here, you said that actually isn't autistic and she wasn't in the first one.
What would it be like?
And of course, we can't know that, but what would it be like playing with the idea of having her discover later in her journey that she is autistic? I mean, we don't need that, but it would be an interesting dynamic.
I think you don't have to agree, by the way.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. No, I think that.
[00:38:56] Speaker C: The thing, that part of that, what made that show so special is that there was the combination of actors and people backstage.
All were coming at autism from different levels of experience.
[00:39:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:11] Speaker C: So, yeah, there were some actors who were diagnosed when they were, like, two or three years old, and then there were some other actors who were diagnosed when they were in high school, when they were like, 16.
And it.
I think because we had that whole wide variety of people on their personal journeys.
[00:39:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:36] Speaker C: That it didn't. We didn't actually need to talk about those things because maybe in a character sense, it could have been interesting.
[00:39:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:45] Speaker C: But as far as, like, the actual representation, we had that full scope.
[00:39:51] Speaker A: Oh, yes. Yes, you did. And I've heard of from other cohorts in the musical that it would have been nights and been eventual to get a non verbal, autistic character in the show or in a possible sequel. But you're right.
Particularly for a first girl being the first real show, you guys did cover so much.
You didn't get to cover everything, and you couldn't have. But for what you did cover, you covered a lot of.
[00:40:54] Speaker B: Totally.
[00:40:56] Speaker A: And so if there are any advocates, uh, legioning to that, wanting to get involved with Theta at any level, getting involved with self advocacy and listening to this interview and watching it add someone who is in musical Theta or Theta in general, would be some advice you would give inspiring advocates wanting to make their way into working in the creative odds. In terms of advocacy, I think I.
[00:42:00] Speaker C: Don'T have an actual answer for this because I don't have any, like, tips for breaking into the Broadway. But throughout my career, I have noticed that, like, if the people who are backing the project, the people who are, like, hiring and producing and etcetera, if those. The people who are backing the project seem to have progressive beliefs and that they want to make change happen, the show will have that as an underscoring, like, yeah, I think that when there are some. Sometimes there are shows where the writing is very much, this is progressive, this is inclusion, and sometimes the acting and directing, too. But it has to really be built into the skin of the project in every capacity, because obviously, like, hiring people, the writers are just writing down their brilliant words. And so I think that in these specific scenarios, if the people who are passionate about making the show happen seem to be passionate about things beyond just the show, I find that that is an environment that I usually feel safest in.
[00:43:32] Speaker A: How do you think that Moblo wage shows, and even off Broadway shows and off of Broadway shows, can implement the accessibility team model to make their shows and productions more inclusive?
[00:44:03] Speaker C: I do think accessibility should be a part of much more theater in general, and should be, like, there should be people dedicated to this process in many more capacities than just shows about disability.
But I think really where the place to start is asking about company members needs.
Because if you start with care for the company, then you can work outwards and go to the audience, because obviously.
[00:44:34] Speaker B: You have to care about both.
[00:44:36] Speaker C: And I think that if your company feels safe and comfortable, then that's at least then the audience feels safer on that as a baseline.
So even obviously, like, there are millions of things that can be done to make individual spaces more accessible and better for different types of audiences.
[00:45:00] Speaker B: But.
[00:45:02] Speaker C: I do think that, like, just making sure that the company is heard as a starting point and then working outwards, that is definitely a good way for shows to go from in forward because not every person will have the same accessibility needs either. So, like, it is important that each situation is handled with tact and grace and that individuals feel like they can have a voice and they can feel like they can be listened to.
[00:45:40] Speaker A: So there are a lot of erroneous conceptions or assumptions about authentic people, and I'm sure you don't need me to name them for the legend and viewer. Uh, you're not funny, you're savants, uh, you're not friendly, etc. Etc.
Why do you think that's such wrong? Perceptions of artistic people and of autism in general still persists to this day. And if they outrage me at someone who is not autistic, I cannot fathom how much they march aggravate you in your daily life because they put sense so much. And so why do you think that is?
[00:47:15] Speaker C: I think a lot of it probably has to do with gender perceptions of autism.
Obviously, I am not a cisgender dude who and not there. While the traits are all pretty much the same and can be interchangeable and, like, no one has the same diagnosis as someone else. And I do think that a lot of the world at this current moment is accustomed to seeing autism in boys because that is how it has been predominantly diagnosed up until now.
[00:47:56] Speaker A: You're right.
[00:47:58] Speaker C: And that makes for a huge difference in existing anyway. Because, like, when, if you're socialized as a woman, as you, if you grow up as a woman and you're autistic, the autism might come later because you have to deal with all of the social nuances of blending into society as a woman.
For example, like, oftentimes if a woman is blunt or harsh with her words or tone, that's considered rude, and it might really just be autism. But there's some social conditioning of that gender disparity that I think makes it so a lot of women are later diagnosed in life because their traits were, oh, they were being quiet, quiet and shy. And that is exactly what was expected of women in a submissive role in history. So I think now, as neurodiversity is becoming more, well, better perceived. Not. I wouldn't say well perceived, but I'd say as people are becoming more aware that it's more of a set of traits that anyone can have that I think we are in a.
We're going to be progressing into a world where there's a lot more learning and nuance and understanding.
[00:49:35] Speaker B: And I think that a lot of.
[00:49:36] Speaker C: The stereotypes will begin to fade down as we sort of understand this disorder as a more holistic thing and that it's not exclusive to four year old boys who can't focus like that. And I know that's ADHD, but, like, that's the sort of type that people have in their head. And I think there's a lot to expand and develop from it.
[00:50:02] Speaker A: You mind if I ask when you were diagnosed in the, what your earliest memories of receiving that diagnosis and trying to understand it?
[00:50:22] Speaker C: I'm a little bit of an interesting scenario because I was brought in for testing when I was really little, when I was like two or three, but then the doctors said, if she starts to, she'll be very smart. If shouldn't be an if. But anyway.
[00:50:41] Speaker A: Wait, wait, what? Did they say it too?
[00:50:47] Speaker C: If she starts speaking, she will be very smart.
[00:50:54] Speaker B: So I eventually did start speaking, and then that pushed my diagnosis to the side until I was, like, 18 and.
[00:51:03] Speaker C: On my own insurance.
[00:51:08] Speaker B: But I. I've definitely remembered sort of the whole process of learning things and then being like, oh, that matches me. Oh, maybe I'm not just like this really weird kid. Maybe there's a reason for me being a little bit weird to. And I think the diagnosis process totally helped me become more confident in myself and understanding of why I may do certain things a certain way.
[00:51:43] Speaker A: Yo, when did you start speaking?
[00:51:50] Speaker B: I was probably about three, but, like, not great sentences.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: There's a personal reason why I asked that. I. My voids didn't come in till age seven, and it took countless hours and years for me to get the voids.
I do. I have cerebral palsy and I'm very fond of my voice and having it be respected for the uniqueness and the great gift that it is.
Lads, question. Although I'm sure we could talk for several hours about all the amazing aspects of this production, and we could fantasize and hypothesize everything that needs to happen in order to make Broadway inclusive and diverge like it always should be. We've talked about a lot of things in this episode, and I like to think that both people with disabilities and people who have yet to discover and embrace their disabilities both watch and legend of this program. I'm not naive to think that both groups and groups within those groups take away the same things. So as my dads, what do you hope that advocates with disabilities take away from this episode, and what do you hope that people who have yet to discover or embrace their own disabilities take away from their zeppelin?
[00:54:17] Speaker B: I think that. I hope that people who have disabilities, whatever the disability may be, sort of feel like they are not stuck to a path of limiting themselves.
Like two years ago, if you told me I was going to be making my Broadway debut on a show about my disability and then I would later win a drama Desk award for the accessibility work I did, I wouldn't have believed you at all. And, like, obviously there's a lot of work that we all have to do together, and there's only dreams that we can precipitate somehow. But I think keeping ourselves stuck in boxes thinking, well, I can't do this because I'm disabled is limiting. There are some things we can't do, and that is super true and valid and important. But to open our mind and see that maybe there's a future where this can happen, or where that can happen, or if it. If we work for it, maybe we will be feeling a little bit less isolated and a little bit less like.
[00:55:36] Speaker C: We are on our own.
[00:55:38] Speaker B: I think that would be a good future for everyone. I think people will feel safer if they just know that there is an option. Not immediately, maybe, maybe not tomorrow, but just that we can do this and together we can grow and we can work together to make more of this happen and more people feeling seen and safe in ways that has never happened before.
[00:56:02] Speaker A: What do you hope that people who have yet to discover are in braids their own disabilities take away from this episode? And I had to add one more question of the to wrap up, a question I just asked.
[00:56:32] Speaker B: I think that people who maybe are still learning to accept themselves and haven't figured out their disability journey all the way.
I think that there is.
There's a lot of learning about others to be done to make oneself feel comfortable. I know that before I was diagnosed, I probably had some misconstrued thoughts about autism and neurodiversity as a whole, and learning that I fit within the boxes that made me feel so different that there was a community of people like me, like, who knew things adjacent to my life. And it that was very helpful in feeling comfortable in myself because there was a lot of self doubt. There was a lot of, why am I so different? And understanding that not all disabilities are created equal and that not everyone will be top of their. Top of their game or whatever. It's comforting to know that you're not like an overaching failure or anything like that.
[00:57:49] Speaker A: Because I asked you, why do you think the pervasive, wrong assumptions towards autistic people and autism remain shockingly front and center eye? To ask the other side of that question, what do you, as a autistic person, as a disability advocate, which that people would know and understand about autistic people and autism in general? Because, again, like every. Every show started with the very true phrase, if you've met one autistic person, you've met one artistic person, what do you hope that people in the next few years begin to learn and understand about autism and autistic people?
So that's a big question, but it felt right.
[00:59:34] Speaker B: I I think that in the future, I hope that people.
A lot of people think that autism is the end of someone's life, which, especially as we've been, like, reclaiming autism and straying away from words that are indicative of labels, functioning labels that we don't really like anymore.
I think as we sort of move away from that language that was segregatory, I'm hoping that people's opinion of the word autism itself digresses, because I think a lot of, even within the autistic community, there's a lot of people trying to hold on to old labels which were originally disbanded because they were tethered to nazi eugenics, which we don't want to carry into this society anymore.
But I think that a lot of people aren't able to comprehend that we're not using levels as categories. We are trying to make everyone feel.
[01:00:54] Speaker C: Like they are one and they are welcome.
[01:00:58] Speaker B: And I think that once that sort of transgresses into being how the language is used and when there's not this fear that's been mongered from this word that is harmless, I think there will be a lot more progressiveness happening in the space. And I think that once people realize that autistic people proudly identify as autistic and proudly use this word and hone in on it, I think there will be a lot more clarity in the future, and I think people will feel a lot safer.
[01:01:34] Speaker A: Liz, thank you so much for coming on, and I hope you know you're always welcome on this show.
If someone wants to reach out to you. What's the best way to do that?
[01:01:56] Speaker B: Probably via Instagram.
[01:01:59] Speaker A: What's your handle, if I may ask?
Weber Tech well, Liz Webber, again, I want to thank you profuse for coming on and for closing out lids, part one of the mini season on the terrific and much needed Broadway musical about inclusiveness and representation, how to dance in Ohio.
Thank you to all of my dads for sharing their wisdom and insight across the production and its impact, and I hope to talk to you all again very soon.
You have been listening to disability empowerment. Now I would like to thank my guests, you, Oligener, and the Disability Empowerment team that made this episode possible.
More information about the podcast can be found at Disability empowermentnow.com or on our social media. Media Accessibility Empowerment now the podcast is available wherever you listen to. Podcats are on the official website. Don't forget to rate, comment and share the podcast. This episode of Disability Empowerment Knowledge copyrighted 2024.
