Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Priya Ray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Priya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

My organization is DIYabled. It is an organization dedicated to empowering and supporting disabled individuals through creative expression. By fostering inclusivity and celebrating the unique abilities of all people, DIYabled aims to create a more equitable and accepting society.

In celebration of Disability Pride Month DIYabled will be hosting the 2nd Annual Disability Pride Art Show which features 25 disabled artists, a documentary by I made during the pandemic called Disability on the Spectrum, and a Q&A with Dances with Wheels an interabled dance group. .

Priya, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I became disabled in 1999 from a spinal cord injury. Before I became disabled, I was part of a DIY community. For those that don’t know what that is. A DIY community is a group of artists and musicians that create a space for their art and music that do not rely on big venues or corporations, to continue making art and music..

After my injury I became a full-time wheelchair user and decided I wanted to continue making art and music like I did before I was disabled. It was then I realized how few people knew about disabled people’s rights, and all cities I lived in were still inaccessible.

This is what motivated me to start DIYabled and start educating people about disabled people’s rights and why they are so crucial through doing accessibility consulting, giving talks about the importance of accommodations, and creating zines that help people learn about disability history and how create accesible environments with a DIY spirit.
We still think the identity of disability is something terrible and to pity, but we are wrong. Disability is simply part of the human experience, like being born and dying. And continuing to keep this kind of mindset has led to disabled people not being able to get an education, work, find a place to live, or eat.
Disability is the largest minority in the world, and the time has come now to include everybody and it is exactly this reason why I do what I do.
Disabled people are people.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes! My goal is to make sure that every disabled person is included. Where including disabled people is not a choice but rather essential to creating an actual inclusive community where diversity strengthens it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I lived nearly 30 years as a non-disabled person. After becoming disabled, I had to unlearn a lot of ideas about what it meant to be human. I learned that we must not fit all humans into the same box. Disability has taught me how diverse humans can be, and how I was taught that difference was a bad thing—something to be avoided and not embraced.  

Contact Info:

• Website: DIYabled.com
• Instagram: @DIYabled

Image Credits
Robert Price Walker Spurill