Accessing Disabled Joy

I’ve lived with a challenging body my entire life. I was born with a genetic disability and more recently, acquired an autoimmune disorder in my late 20s. Most of my life I was unable to acknowledge what I was going through, which left me feeling very alone and without coping skills. 

In 2021 I took a class that started to shift these old patterns called Awakening Joy, written by a mindfulness teacher, James Baraz. Around this time I was also studying a lot of disability theory, advocacy, and culture. Soon I began to see how the two could be intertwined. So in 2022, I took the Awakening Joy Teacher Training with the intention of writing my own take on this class. What materialized was a class I have titled Accessing Disabled Joy. This class is not a cure or a magic bullet–I still struggle a lot in life–but there are a lot of lessons that support me in my continuing dance with a difficult body.

In 2025 I shared my class to a group of friends and it went incredibly well. I have decided to offer it again in 2026 and am hoping to expand to a larger circle.

Accessing Disabled Joy is made up of ten different themes that are important to cultivating joy in a disabled life:

• Intention
• Mindfulness
• Gratitude
• Wise Suffering
• Letting Go
• Befriending Yourself
• Community
• Compassion
• Living in Harmony with Reality
• The Joy of Simply Being

I also touch on savoring joy, disability pride, how to adapt meditation for individual disabilities, the power of disability community, and letting go of internalized ableism.

The class will be 20 weeks long. We’ll meet and cover one of the themes listed above every two weeks from January 27th through June 2nd 2026
(1/27, 2/10, 2/24, 3/10, 3/24, 4/7, 4/21, 5/5, 5/19, 6/2).

I am offering this class on a dāna basis. For those not familiar, dāna is an ancient tradition in Buddhism where the teachings are offered freely as an act of gratitude. In return, those who feel called, are invited to give back. Dāna is intended to not harm to the giver, and all contributions are graciously accepted. I understand that we all are part of a community that not only is disproportionately unemployed, but also has a lot of extra expenses. Your attendance, interest, and feedback are all treasured.