Confronting ageism and ableism: A conversation with Ashton Applewhite on physical decline and adaptation
A personal essay exploring the intersection of ageism and ableism through a conversation with activist Ashton Applewhite. The author reflects on their own physical decline over five years — using a wheelchair full-time and needing breathing assistance at night — and grapples with whether these changes are simply "getting older." Applewhite challenges this framing, arguing that we must separate ideas of ability from ideas of age, and that ageism distorts how we experience bodily changes.
Key quotes
These changes shut the door on much of the life I used to have before.
We need to separate ideas of ability from our ideas of age.
That's getting older, right?
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