https://www.artsparktx.org/2022/02/07/reflecting-on-what-disability-means/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 03:23:50 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://www.artsparktx.org/2022/02/07/reflecting-on-what-disability-means/#comment-1589 Fri, 11 Mar 2022 03:23:50 +0000 https://www.artsparktx.org/?p=11290#comment-1589 Emily, I went to Bennington and was also a “high anxiety” student as well as a young woman living with daily fear. I had a difficult time interacting with others and feeling comfortable in large group situations. I was later diagnosed with severe PTSD due to a dysfunctional upbringing with an alcoholic mother and an abusive brother. There were no provisions for me. I requested a single room but was not given one. I stayed in the all-night study room and spent my life at Bennington studying. We are living in an age where everyone has high levels of anxiety. We have lived through a pandemic that is just beginning to wind down. If education is to work then everyone must be seen and considered as an individual. I am certainly glad that you found a path. I agree with you that the concept of “disability” should be reconsidered.
I have spent my life and education finding alternative ways of healing PTSD other than medication or in addition to medication. My MA from Lesley University allowed me to pursue alternative healing for many years. I am now counseling people with PTSD as well as anxiety issues of all kinds. I have found dance, journal writing, painting, yoga teaching, and practicing, and especially painting to be of utmost importance to me and others in dealing with fear, anxiety, and stress. I am happy that you are investigating on your own, especially through dance.
Emily Carmen MA, Bennington College Alumna
PS- Please have the printers fix the description of you. Under, “Emily Heath,” the writer uses the wrong personal pronoun- you might want to exchange “they” for “she.”
Blessings on your journey.

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