Tiffany Yu on Embracing Disability Pride and Building Community

Childhood Accident and Transformation

• 🗓️ On November 29, 1997, at 9 years old, Tiffany Yu experienced a life-altering car accident that resulted in permanent injuries, including a paralyzed arm and temporary use of a wheelchair.
• 💔 The accident also led to the death of her father, compounding her grief and the challenge of adapting to a new, disabled body.
• 😔 For 12 to 13 years, Yu kept the accident a secret, struggling with the discomfort and exclusion she felt due to her disability.

The Power of Sharing and Community

• 🗣️ Sharing her story publicly for the first time brought a sense of being seen and validated, alongside the release of unprocessed pain.
• 🤝 Yu recognized the need to build a community where disabled individuals could realize they are not alone and discover their collective power.
• 🚀 The core mission is to facilitate a shame-to-pride transformation around disability identity.

Disability Pride as Empowerment

• ✨ Disability pride is defined as a disabled person's assertion of their worth and value against societal messages of shame.
• 🌟 Yu reflects on her journey, transforming 12 years of internalized shame into pride and liberation in embracing her full identity.
• 💖 She expresses a message of hope and encouragement to her younger self, looking forward to the person she would become.