As a writer with disabilities, I took a while realizing that I could earn money writing about my disabilities. The chance to write articles relevant to the Deaf community for a national newspaper was a game changer. There are a few ways writers living with disabilities can earn money writing about their disabilities.

Your Author Platform

If you have written a book about your disability, you have positioned yourself as an expert on the topic. I wrote an essay collection on deaf parenting, resulting in people who wanted to hire Deaf writers contacting me for work.

Newspapers

Pitch articles on the topic of your disability to newspaper markets. Some disability-focused groups and organizations publish newspapers for their members. Look into regional groups especially. I once wrote for a national newspaper published by the Communication Service for the Deaf. Even though I did not work there nor live in the area, I was asked if I was interested in joining the staff.

Most newspapers focused on disability issues are not able to pay writers. However, national newspapers such as USA Today and The Daily Star are always interested in this topic and accept submissions.

Essays

Personal essays as well as creative nonfiction pieces shed light on what it’s like to be in your shoes. Markets you can submit personal essays to include The Unwritten and Kaleidoscope.

Disability Activism

Because people with disabilities continue to face discrimination and barriers, disability activism is fast becoming a strong force. These topics can include experiences of discrimination, a story of a person’s fight for disability rights as well as profile pieces. You may have luck placing such pieces with sites such as Rooted in Rights.

Sharing True Stories

You may write writing profile pieces or excel in conducting interviews with individuals who are also living with a disability. These pieces could find a home at Breath and Shadow. This market is also open to poetry, fiction and reviews.

Columns and Op-Eds

I know one writer with Asperger’s syndrome who writes a monthly column on life as an Aspie. Op-Ed pieces on a topic related to current events about any disability can hold potential. The Washington Post (here and here) pays writers for Op-Ed pieces.

Disability-Focused Publications

While there are many markets open to specifically disabled writers, several of them focus on disabilities as a whole. Writers who live with certain illnesses or conditions can find publications and websites devoted to them, and they may welcome submissions. Check out Mobility Deck, Abilities Magazine, SICK and Able News to learn more.

One way to stay updated on any issues which people with disabilities are facing or new programs for those with disabilities, is to subscribe to a disability topic through Google Alerts. I do this to receive news about the Deaf community, and it has helped me come up with articles to write for certain markets. You can also subscribe to publications focused on a specific disability. Open Secrets, issue calls for disability-focused pieces for Disability Pride Month or Deaf Awareness Month, for instance. Publications are hungry for new material, especially from new voices.

Your disability is your superpower. It’s your voice to the world. Use that voice in your writing to share your experiences so that those without the disability can walk away from your piece with a little more awareness.

BIO: Dawn Colclasure is a Deaf writer living in Eugene, Oregon. She is a book reviewer, freelance writer and columnist. She’s the author and co-author of several books, among them her collection of essays, Parenting Pauses: Life as a Deaf Parent. She has written about being Deaf and a Deaf parent for Disability, Pregnancy, Parenting International, Mothering, Mutha Magazine and The Ability Toolbox. Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, websites and anthologies. She publishes The SPARREW Newsletter, a monthly newsletter for writers. https://dawnsbooks.com/ and https://www.dmcwriter.com/  X: @dawnwilson325 / Instagram  dawn10325.