Amongst the backdrop of a successful, charming, and uplifting vintage fashion & lifestyle YouTube channel, proud feminist, deaf & disabled activist, and LGBTQ+ advocate Jessica Kellgren-Fozard often uses her platform to educate her large audience. Jessica — one of the internet’s leading disabled content creators and a Brighton, UK-based Youtuber who has amassed over 66 million views and 830,000 subscribers, with over a quarter of a million Instagram followers — has opened up about her illnesses and living with a rare autoimmune disorder, MCTD, as well as a nerve disorder, HNPP. She sets herself apart in her activism and
advocacy by using positivity, kindness, and patience.
Jessica’s intersectional identity as a deaf, disabled, and lesbian woman living with chronic illnesses, along with the large platform she has accomplished in obtaining, has allowed her to break stereotypes and reduce stigma through education.
With intriguing video titles such as “Why I Don’t Sound Deaf,” “Can you tell if a disabled person is ‘faking’?”, “Dating A Disabled Lesbian,” “How I Became Visually Impaired,” along with many other interesting and educational topics, Jessica has begun to open a dialogue between disabled and non-disabled individuals.
"I don't look like a traditional disabled person, I don't act like I'm supposed to and there's this fear around it. What we need to be doing is really deconstructing that and, when we look at other people, take a moment to think with kindness.”
She often addresses questions in a lighthearted manner while educating. In a video titled “Why I Need A Mobility Aid,” Jessica tackles this question by explaining: “ If you're new to my channel and you've only seen videos in which I'm spinning around in heels or dancing, you may be thinking, ‘But Jessica, why do you even need to use a mobility aid if you can walk?’”
And to this Jessica responds and educates with a genuine, charming smile, “Well friends, I'm what's called an ambulatory wheelchair user! That's a person who has limited mobility, and needs aid to move around, but is capable of walking in some circumstances.”
Jessica’s advocacy and influence through positivity as a disabled lesbian woman in the public eye is a phenomenon that women and girls can aspire towards. It is oftentimes easier, albeit justified, to simply become angered by ignorant comments surrounding one of your identities (you might be a woman who is disabled, be living with a chronic illness, or a part of the LGBTQ+ community), but we can learn from Jessica that being kind and taking time to educate takes more strength but might be able open up a dialogue and eliminate ignorance down the road.
We can also learn from Jessica’s positive interaction with her audience the importance of asking questions to people of certain communities in a constructive manner. This is the first step of breaking down barriers and the “fear” that Jessica speaks about.
This means finding ways to respectfully communicate with those with disabilities but also means learning when and to whom it is appropriate to ask questions. Of course, individuals with impairments in their daily lives are not obligated to be a beacon of education, and so Jessica’s videos are a great resource of education.
All in all, uplifting and supporting individuals of all identities and abilities is key to unity through awareness and education, and this can only be done through understanding, communication, and empathy and Jessica Kellgren-Fozard is a great example!
You can check out Jessica’s videos on her YouTube channel ( Jessica Kellgren-Fozard ) and day-to-day photos from her and her wife on Instagram ( @JessicaOutOfTheCloset , @JessieAndClaud ).
Article by Lucrezia Dipasquale