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Badass Project highlights tough crips

Jan 14 02:21

I hate being called inspirational for simply trying to stay on the same life path I would be on had my injury never occurred. You know, going to school, working, going out, living life, dating, all that jazz. Some people like to say its inspirational, but I call it being stubborn.

As a very stubborn crip who refused from the very beginning to let her disability ruin her life, it’s no wonder I fell in love with The Badass Project. The project aims to highlight badass people with disabilities in an effort to “yank the excuse rug” out from complacent able-bodied people’s feet.

The project was founded by Johnny B. Truant, an able-bodied man with Type-1 Diabetes who at an early age was inspired by the one and only Rick Allen, the amazing one-armed drummer from Def Leppard. He, like millions of others, couldn’t believe he refused to still put himself out there as loudly as possible and life his life. No excuses. But heck…its not like he had a choice, right? The rest of the world may think it’s inspirational, but between you and me, we know just how vital it is to still be true to your old self. A disability doesn’t mean you’re dying, after all. You just need to adjust.

On The Badass Project’s website ("No excuses. No limits") you’ll find podcasts, a blog and information on their upcoming cyber-conference. They put out several podcasts a month interviewing some of the toughest people with disabilities around, including Mitch St. Pierre, the awesome film director who uses a wheelchair and has ostegenesis imperfecta, and most recently they did a fantastic interview with Rachelle Chapman, the “paralyzed bride” who was in the news last year for breaking her neck from a freak accident at her bachelorette party.

It’s funny it takes us, stubborn disabled folks, to help get lazy people up off their couches and MOTIVATED to realize if we can do it….hey maybe they can too. Where do you stand? Do you loathe being called inspirational for simply sticking to your guns?

- The official site for The Badass Project

- Like The Badass Project on Facebook

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By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.