I Stopped Hiding My Disability, and It Opened Up New Worlds

to bond on a deeper level with a much larger group of people. I wasn’t lonely anymore.

I finally found my tribe. Because I wasn’t so focused on hiding myself, I started looking around me and noticing other people with limb differences. There are a lot of us! It was through one of these new friends that I discovered the Lucky Fin Project, an organization dedicated to people with all types of limb differences. I eventually

joined the organization’s board to help raise awareness and more deeply advocate for my community.

My life’s purpose also became clear

For 25 years, I’d worked in nonprofit organizations working with young people, but accepting my disability sparked a passion in me to educate others about disability as part of diversity, through public speaking and writing. I pivoted my career, and my mission now is to expand the conversation about disability and work with organizations so their employees can unhide and thrive.

Last year, I also wrote a book, Singlehandedly: Learning to Unhide and Embrace Connection. It focuses on my journey of hiding and learning to unhide, and the need for disability to be included in diversity conversations. Now, I’m building a global movement and community around unhiding.

What I wish everyone understood about disabilities

We often think of diversity in relation to race, gender and sexual orientation, and we often leave out the largest minority group: people with a disability. Diversity is about valuing different perspectives and experiences, and disabilities offer a beautiful and different perspective, yet we very rarely hear it.

Disabilities can be visible, like mine, or invisible, like mental health, neurodiversity or a chronic illness. And whatever form they take, they are life-changing—in positive and challenging ways. This is why it’s so