Story-Telling as Advocacy
This content originally appeared in the Spring 2026 edition of Disability Issues, which is a quarterly e-newsletter that aims to provide people with disabilities, their families, friends, and advocates with relevant information that enables individuals to improve the quality of their life, health and employability options. Learn more about Disability Issues and subscribe here.
Story-Telling as Advocacy by Sandy Alissa Novack
The Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) is a Boston-based nonprofit that aims to promote inclusion, independence, and empowerment for people with disabilities in Massachusetts and beyond. Now in its 30th year, DPC enacts systems change at every level through grassroots advocacy, community-based research, and disability-led training and consulting services.
DPC was awarded a grant from Mass Humanities to have people in Massachusetts with disabilities document their disability story in whatever way they want to express themselves so their stories would be saved for posterity. Some people are choosing to write out their story in the form of an essay or poem. Others want to express themselves through painting, drawing, dance, or in other ways. Some are telling one part of their relationship to disability, and others share many dimensions.
Why do stories matter? If you don't show up in history books, it is almost as if you never existed. Think about your schooling. History books are mostly about men, and white men at that. Women are rarely mentioned in history books. How many people with disabilities are represented in history books? Not many. It is not that people with disabilities didn't exist, they surely did. History books often overlook persons with disabilities so, many of their stories are lost to us.
I wanted to change that and get as many people writing, painting, etc. their way into history, because everyone's life and story matters. Everyone's. We learn how to live by understanding our lives, and the lives of others, and seeing other perspectives on life.
Why should DPC be the agency collecting and preserving stories? Shouldn't it be a historical society or similar organization? It’s because DPC values advocacy. Whether DPC is at the State House talking to legislators or collaborating with people about wheelchair repair issues, accessible and affordable housing, climate change, or other issues, legislators listen to our powerful stories. Our stories matter when advocating for legislative bills, state budgets, and more.
In everyday life, stories also matter. For people with disabilities, hearing someone else’s experience can make a real difference. A person who is newly disabled may find a role model in another’s story. Someone else may see new possibilities for their own self-advocacy. Someone hesitant to use a rollator or other medical equipment might recognize themselves in another person’s story and feel more ready to accept the help they need, minimizing delays and difficulties.
Stories can show a way forward. They can change minds, educate without preaching, and bring important issues into the open. Stories can reveal horrifying situations or provide inspiration and, in doing so, bringing prominence to many issues. They reveal themes of both strength and vulnerability—helping others feel seen, informed, and less alone.
Just as stories can benefit others, they also matter deeply to the person telling them. Sharing a story can bring a sense of satisfaction when the teller knows it has been received. Let me repeat this because it is crucial. Storytelling has two essential parts: someone willing to share their experience, and others willing to listen—or to see it through art, dance, writing, or other forms of expression. When both happen, the story is complete. In this way, storytelling is also advocacy: it is speaking up about one’s life and inviting others to understand the messages within it.
The Disability History Project continues to grow as more people learn about the opportunity to share their stories. In this issue of Disability Issues, we feature a small sample of those voices. We invite you to consider participating as well—either by developing your story on your own with occasional support from DPC, or by joining a weekly workshop where you can explore your story alongside fellow storytellers in a supportive environment.
Starting Monday, March 30, 2026 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., DPC is offering a storytelling workshop on Zoom to any current or former resident of Massachusetts with disabilities who want all or parts of their disability history documented and preserved. To participate in the workshop or to learn more about the Disability Histories Project, contact DisabilityHistory@dpcma.org or visit https://www.dpcma.org/disability-histories-project. Phone calls welcome at 617-307-7775.
To learn more about, DPC visit www.dpcma.org or follow on Facebook (@DPCMA) and Instagram (@DPCorg).
This edition of Disability Issues is made possible by Mass Humanities and the Massachusetts Cultural Council through the Disability Policy Consortium's Disability Histories Project.
Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) received a grant from Mass Humanities in 2024 to document the history of people with disabilities across the state. Today, the Disability Histories Project is a digital archive, community asset repository, and live ethnographic study that preserves the lived experiences of Massachusetts' diverse, vibrant, and under-represented disability community. To learn more about DPC and the Disability Histories Project, please visit: https://www.dpcma.org/disability-histories-project.
This content originally appeared in the Spring 2026 edition of Disability Issues, which is a quarterly e-newsletter that aims to provide people with disabilities, their families, friends, and advocates with relevant information that enables individuals to improve the quality of their life, health and employability options. Learn more about Disability Issues and subscribe here.