Re-Introductions...It’s been awhile!

Its been years since I last introduced myself properly, so why not do it now?

Hello dear readers of Disability Diaries, I’m glad you’re here and hope you’ll stick around. My name is Max, and I’m the author of this blog (along with a few friends who sometimes guest write) and have been writing on it for the past not quite six or so years.

I am a 20 year old first year university student majoring in neuroscience and minoring in art, with a concentration in illustration. I go to school just outside of Chicago Illinois but am originally from the Boston Massachusetts area. I have multiple disabilities including Autism Spectrum disorder, hearing loss, Hemiplegic Migraine, Vocal cord paralysis/dysfunction, an unknown/poorly understood genetic disorder, and others. I use they/them/their pronouns and identify as Non-binary, Asexual, and Aromantic.

If you scroll through my blog you may see a title and then (*insert name here*) those works are my creative writing pieces, fan fic of sorts, though they almost exclusively center around disability and it’s effects on the characters, how they interact with others, and the lives of the characters themselves while taking into account their disabilities. There are four main series I write about; The Elder Scrolls (fOunD under the label TES) Dragon Age, Star Wars; Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter. You can find in depth character references of almost all main characters of mine under the tag Character Reference, as well as a blank template for you to use should you want to make your own character references. Creative writing is what makes up a bulk of my blog posts nowadays as it gives me a creative outlet, and allows me to explore topics about disability in a fantasy setting, such as consent between two characters with disabilities, and how their relationship works. In addition to exploring disability in my writing I explore gender and sexuality, both in relation to disability, and their broader effects on the characters and their worlds. I have maybe one cishet oc, a majority are asexual (and many are also aromantic) some are bisexual or biromantic, pansexual or panromantic, and homosexual or homoromantic. While many are cis there are others who identities lie outside the gender binary and those who are genetically intersex despite “typical” anatomy. In addition to writing you can view my art and illustrations on my Instagram @thedisc0panda where much of my art is posted.

In addition to creative writing I also write from my own personal experience with disability, including ableism, bullying/prejudice, things that have helped and hurt me in the past such as accommodations, and my experience with trying desperately to figure out the incredibly complex mystery that has been and continues to be my health situation. I was born at 27 weeks 2 days and weighed 1 lb 5 oz, and suffered a brain bleed in the NICU causing developmental delays. But the time where my health really started to go downhill was when I was 13 and just finishing up my sixth grade year. I caught a virus that devastated my upper respiratory system (vocal cords specifically) and parts of my nervous system, including my senses of taste, smell, and hearing. I write about it each year usually on the day it all began, June 13th, it was specifically Friday, June 13th, 2014...ironic right? Since then my health has been very up and down, with many different issues, all likely linked to a genetic syndrome of sorts, it’s still very much a puzzle.

I hope you enjoyed this reintroduction, and will stick around, and perhaps read some of my writing. Comments are always greatly appreciated, they truly make my day and I love getting to know people. You are always welcome to come and strike up a conversation!

Until next time,
Max