April 5, 2022 • 33 mins
To listen with full transcript, go to https://truetalesbydisabilityadvocates.buzzsprout.com/
In this episode, our storytellers share two very different experiences of dressing up and playing different characters, while using a wheelchair. Host Kamand Alaghehband talks to Jessica Guerrero and Renee Lopez. They talk about their journey with Cosplay and Halloween in their stories Cosplay and Witchy Woman.
Renee Lopez
Renee Lopez a 60-year-old woman with a physical disability and uses a wheelchair. Renee was born and raised in Austin, Texas where she has lived her entire life. Renee graduated from the University of Texas in 1984 and 1986 with a BA and an M.Ed. respectively. Renee worked for the State of Texas for 30 years and is now retired. Renee has a long history of advocating for the rights of people with disabilities since 1982 when she was a student at The University of Texas. As a student with a life-long physical disability, Renee joined other students with disabilities for campus accessibility. She continues to advocate to this day. Renee is on the Advisory Board for SAFE Disability Services since 2010. She has attended conferences on behalf of SAFE as a workshop presenter teaching and informing conference attendees on issues of violence and abuse against persons with Disabilities. Renee is also a member of a core group of a coalition put together by the VERA Institute of Justice on ending violence against people with disabilities.
Jessica Guerrero
She has lived independently in Austin for around 10 years and has been with the Speaking Advocates program from its very first class. She told us, “I have a mild case of Cerebral Palsy but my wheelchair has opened the door to cosplay, martial arts, traveling, adaptive sports and so many other adventures.”
She also really enjoys helping out in the community.
HOST
Kamand Alaghehband was born in Austin, TX and has Autism. In 2020, The CDC reported approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. were diagnosed with autism. This ratio is more than all cancer patients combined. Kamand has spent her life supporting all generations with disabilities. Kamand loves the Special Olympics and her favorite sports are swimming, basketball, and track. Kamand is a member of the executive committee of Special Olympics Athletes Leadership in Texas. I have created podcasts, Tik Tok videos, video games, and a variety of health activities during the pandemic to keep the athlete’s mind occupied in a healthy way. Kammand’s mission within her population is to bring peace today and create a vision for tomorrow’s disabled population. Kamand hopes that she’ll be able to teach others to turn denial into acceptance.
Instagram: Ka.special
Tik Tok: KAspecialglobal
MUSIC CREDITS
1. scandinavianz-sunbathers-7385/ - Music by Scandinavianz - Pixabay
2. spookymagic-7050 – from Pixabay
3. old-church-bel
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For more details about our programs go to Art Spark Texas, True Tales Podcast Page.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kristen Gooch (00:09):
Welcome to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Authentic voices of peoplethriving with disabilities.
Were individuals use the art ofstorytelling to change the
world.
True Tales by DisabilityAdvocates podcast is produced by
Art Spark Texas SpeakingAdvocates Program.
(00:30):
Keep listening to hear how liveschallenges can spark a desire to
speak out and advocate forourselves and others.
MsBoye (00:48):
You're listening to The Power of Dressing Up, episode
Six of True Tales by DisabilityAdvocates.
The podcast where advocatesharness the power of
storytelling to build communitywith their peers and hope to
develop empathy in others.
A team of disability advocatescreates True Tales to give voice
to the personal stories andlived experience of disabled
(01:10):
storytellers.
We offer our unique and oftenunderrepresented perspective to
the growing community of podcastlisteners worldwide.
According to the CDC.
One in four Americans live withsome kind of disability that 61
million adults with 61 millionexperiences and points of view
about what it means to live witha disability.
(01:33):
Everyone's life is enriched bythe inclusion of multiple
voices.
So Art Spark Texas has beentraining disability, advocates
as storytellers for over 20years.
In this episode, ourstorytellers share two very
different experiences ofdressing up and playing
different characters while usinga wheelchair.
(01:53):
Some people love costumes,dressing up, fancy dress
parties, and Halloween,Halloween is their favorite
holiday.
Dressing up, allows us to shiftout of our every day and become
someone else.
As kids playing dress up andbecoming different characters
allows us to express ourimaginations and and have the
(02:15):
experience of being a hero oreven the bad guy.
For most kids, Halloween andtrick-or-treating is the
ultimate expression of this formof play.
They really believe in the powertheir costume has to turn them
into someone else and they goout into the night secure in the
magic of their fantasy.
(02:35):
But what if ableism extinguishesthe glamor and the rest of the
world sees only your wheelchairand not the magic of the
character you're playing?
What if all the houses on yourstreet have steps up to the
porch?
The porch that holds the kingdomof free candy.
In her story,"Witchy Woman"Renee Lopez tells us how ableism
(02:59):
took the shine out of herchildhood Halloweens, despite
her father's best efforts togive her a magical experience.
And then as adults dressing upallows us to get out of our
selves, you know, try on hiddenaspects of our personality, uh,
safely challenge, other people'sperceptions of who we are.
For a few wonderful, magicalhours we could become our heroes
(03:24):
or be freed from being nice andbecome someone evil.
Being someone else can allow shyfolks to experience being
outgoing, loud, outrageousbehind the protection of their
costume and the personality ofthe character they're playing.
Our second storyteller, JessicaFerraro has found acceptance and
(03:44):
inclusion in the Cosplaycommunity, where the focus is on
her costume and her wheelchairis just part of an unknown plot
twist.
After hearing Jessica's storyand her obvious enthusiasm for
Cosplay, I wanted to know more.
So I asked her some bonusquestions when Kamand had
finished her interview.
(04:05):
Ultimately, this episode isabout being allowed to play and
have fun and allowing yourselfto be willing to do whatever it
takes to welcome everyone intoyour playground.
Kamand (04:23):
Welcome to The True Tales by Disability Advocates,
the podcast where we change theworld one story at a time.
I'm Kamand Alaghehband, and I'myour host.
Our first storyteller today isRenee Lopez.
So welcome Renee, before youshare your story, can you tell
our listeners a little bit aboutyourself?
(04:45):
And how you got involved withOpening Minds, Opening Doors?
Renee (04:50):
Yes, good afternoon Kamand.
As you said, my name is ReneeLopez and I've been with OMOD
for about six years now.
I first became aware of ArtSpark when I saw Actual Lives
put on by people withdisabilities and I was so
enthralled that I,I wanted to bea part of it, except that I was
working at the time and didn'thave the time to do it.
(05:13):
But when I retired, I noticedthat OMOD was having a class and
I signed up and took about twoclasses, I guess, which is where
I wrote my stories.
Kamand (05:23):
I'm so glad you could join us today.
I can't wait to hear your story.
Renee (05:58):
Again, my name is Renee Lopez, and I wrote this story
when I was in Opening Minds,Opening Doors, class.
I wrote this around Halloween.
I wrote it on October 11th of2017.
So I'm here to share it withyou.
And I have titled this WitchyWoman.
(06:19):
Halloween has always been one ofmy favorite holidays, even more
than Christmas.
I think it's because we get todress up as characters and we
get candy.
One of my favorite characters tobe on Halloween was a witch.
I think it all started when Iwas little and I was watching
the TV show Bewitched.
When I was about six years old,I got a witch costume.
(06:42):
I was so excited, as was mybrother who was going to be a
pirate.
We headed out at dusk toTrick-or-Treat in our
neighborhood.
All the houses in ourneighborhood had four to five
steps to get to the front door.
My dad would lift me up onto theporch and for, I don't know how
many houses for at least twoblocks.
(07:04):
I never realized what an act oflove that was from him, to have
to carry me up every singlehouse, up four or five steps,
and take me back down again.
We arrived at one house with abunch of other kids and we line
up at the door yelling,"Trick-or-Treat!" in unison.
One by one each kid gets candywhile the server commented on
(07:24):
the costumes.
Like,"What a scary ghost." Or"Ooh, a scary pirate!" Or"What a
beautiful princess." And then Iget to the door and what does
she say?
But,"Oh, hi Renee." My heartsank.
She didn't recognize me as awitch.
I am not Renee." I wanted toyell, I am a scary witch," but I
(07:49):
didn't.
It would have beendisrespectful.
I felt something change in me,but I didn't know what it was at
the time.
I continued to enjoy Halloween,but eventually Trick-or-Treating
lost its luster and I stoppedgoing out to Trick-or-Treat soon
afterwards.
I came to realize my body wasthe costume, as was my
(08:09):
wheelchair.
I could never hide it or coverit up.
I was always going to be just a,"Hi Renee." Fast-forward to
present day.
I say, forget it! I'm a Witch,even if I do look more like
Brunhilda than ElizabethMontgomery.
Thank you.
Kamand (08:48):
Welcome back.
I'm here with Renee.
Thank you for sharing your storywith us.
Renee, it seems like you have avery nice and supportive dad.
Do you have any other goodmemories with him you would like
to share with us?
Renee (09:05):
Yeah, you know, my dad was really, really was a very
kind and supportive man.
He was always very fair.
And he wasn't judgemental atall.
Um, he was also a musician so Igrew up listening to a lot of
music in the home so you know Ihave some really fun memories of
my dad, uh one of my fondestmemories is that he had an old
(09:27):
Chevy truck and he would takeour family all the kids There
were four of us in the familyand some of the neighborhood
kids and throw us all into theback of his old Chevy truck and
take us to the drive-in we wouldgo and either see a scary movie
or a Kung Fu movie because backthen in the seventies kung-fu
was really popular and we likedseeing Bruce Lee You know all
(09:50):
those uh martial arts guys.
And we really had a lot of fundoing that he would buy popcorn
and Cokes for everybody.
So that was one of my fondestmemories.
Kamand (10:00):
Renee Halloween is my favorite holiday as well.
On behalf of all of us do youhave any special advice for
giving out candy This Halloween
Renee (10:10):
Well, what I would advise people who are giving out candy
is if a child shows up andthey're in a wheelchair Or an
adult uh and you have stepsheading to your heading up into
your house I recommend that youcome down the steps and go over
to the person in the wheelchairor the person with a disability
(10:32):
so that they don't have to climbthe steps or have to be carried
up the steps I think that wouldbe a good way of accommodating
the second thing is um alwaystry to recognize the costume
that person has on Even if youdon't know what it is exactly
Just say something like,"Wellthat's a very interesting
costume," or"You lookwonderful." Or"You look scary,"
(10:54):
you know, because it's all aboutthe costume and who you're
trying to be, and not thatyou're just a wheelchair.
So that would be my advice to,ah, people.
Kamand (11:04):
What special advice do you have to our fellow disabled
kids or adults around HalloweenRenee?
Renee (11:11):
Well, I say that if you have a disability and you want
to participate in Halloween bywearing costumes, just go ahead
and do it, have fun with it.
It's, it's really about youhaving fun more than it is
trying to convince others ofwhat your costume is about.
Um, unfortunately, people arealways going to see our
(11:32):
disability first and if you'rein a wheelchair, then they're
going to see the wheelchairfirst before they look at your
costume.
I say, well, go ahead and letthem, and don't get a chip on
your shoulder about it, just letit be and enjoy who you are.
And if they don't know who youare just say, I mean, they don't
know what costume you have goton to say, oh,"I'm playing a
(11:52):
hobo!" Or"I'm, I'm, uh, I'm apirate," you know, let them
know.
But Halloween to me is abouthaving fun and wearing costumes
and being somebody else.
And just go ahead and do it.
They may not realize it rightaway.
But people will either accept itor not, it doesn't really
matter.
It's about you having fun.
Kamand (12:13):
That is so true.
What a gift that would be.
Renee (12:17):
I enjoy Halloween, but because I'm much older now, I
don't, and don't like beingaround big crowds, like on Sixth
Street.
I usually don't do anything.
I've become the kind of personwho goes outside to give out
candy now.
But back in the day, we woulddress up in costumes.
I know I was a rabbit once and aclown another time and we would
(12:37):
go down to Sixth Street andparty,[laughs] but I don't need
that anymore.
Now I give out candy[laughs].
Kamand (12:46):
That's great! Great chatting with you, Renee.
Thank you for being willing toshare your story and insights
with us.
I hope you have fun giving outcandy this Halloween.
Stay with us for a second story.
Jessica Ferraro shares her storyabout Cosplay.
(13:16):
Welcome back, our second guestJessica Ferraro shares her story
about Cosplay.
She has lived independently inAustin for around 10 years and
has been with The SpeakingAdvocates Program from its very
first class.
She told us," I have a mild caseof Cerebral Palsy, but my
(13:37):
wheelchair has opened the doorto Cosplay, martial arts,
traveling adaptive sports in somany other adventures." She also
really enjoys helping out in thecommunity.
Welcome Jessica, before youshare your story, can you tell
our listeners how you gotstarted with Opening Minds,
(13:57):
Opening Doors?
Jessica (13:59):
Sure I think I learned about about Opening Minds,
Opening Doors after a littleSummer volunteer work that I did
with Art Spark.
I've always loved storytellersand their, and their powers to
teach and entertain.
That said, Public Speakingwasn't my strong point in
school, so OMOD looked like afun opportunity to learn how to
(14:24):
handle my nerves and share myperspective.
Kamand (14:27):
Let's hear your story.
MsBoye (14:44):
Note to listeners here.
Jessica starts her story in thevoice of Ichigo, one of her
Cosplay characters, who is theprotagonist of the manga and
anime series Bleach.
And she even recorded it dressedup as her character.
Jessica (15:05):
My name is Jessica Guerrero and here's my story.
Yo! Name’s Ichigo Kurosakisubstitute soul reaper..., high
school student, how's it going?
What are you staring at, thisginger hair of mine?
sighs) Hey! It's natural! WhereI come from, I stand out in a
(15:28):
crowd like it or not.
Bleached hair labels ya a punk.
Well, I ain't no punk.
My schoolwork is top-notchstill, let's just say I'm a
magnet for weird attention." Myreal name is Jessica Guerrero.
Mild-mannered gentle woman.
I'm also a Cosplayer.
(15:49):
That means I dress in costume toplay my favorite characters from
TV shows, video games andmovies.
Take Ichigo, the hero of theJapanese animated series called
Bleach.
I've loved costuming and actingsince I was a little kid, but by
the time I got to college, let'sjust say I was a little too shy
(16:11):
and quiet for my acting coach.
"Come on Jessica, just saysomething!" She would heckle me
in every class.
Until one day I was finallylike,"Okay! I said something,
SHISH!." But the satisfactionthat I've got from snapping back
at her that day ignited a sparkthat brought me out of my shell.
(16:33):
That brought me to life.
With encouragement from anotherprofessor, I did my first
Cosplay as Goku, a well-knownfighter from a TV show called
Dragon Ball Z.
I wore this bright orange gi topand pants with these blue
accents like this blue, t-shirtunder the top, blue wristbands,
(16:57):
blue belt, blue boots.
And to top it all off this blackwig, of unruly spikes, one side
sticking up the other kind ofout flat, basically a serious
case of bedhead.
(laughs).
Pulling up to my first Animeconvention, which is a gathering
for fans of Japanese comics,animation and pop culture.
(17:20):
I saw all these other characterswith equally colorful clothing
and wild hair, but suddenly mystomach was in knots.
How would they see me?
Could I really pull off theflamboyant awesome fighter that
was Goku?
Well, it was too late to turnback now! So I unloaded and went
in.
(17:42):
And as I was sitting in a linewaiting to get my badge, three
Ninja came up to me and one ofthem asked, Goku, what happened
to you, man?" And a second pipedup,"Come on, just tell us who
did this to you.
We'll take care of them!" Ohguys, Vegeta and I and I and got
into a fight because I think I,the last piece of his favorite
(18:04):
sushi, that's all." I laughed.
They thought my wheelchair was aprop, but as soon as it became a
part of my story, I owned it.
It isn't like I'm just acting,being in costume makes me
someone else, but still myself.
For example, back to Ichigohere, his hair renders him
(18:24):
different at first glance.
Well, my chair often has thesame effect on me in the crowd.
His hair labels him and theappearance of disability can
label me.
Ichigo keeps his grades up inorder to challenge those labels
and expectations.
Well ditto me when it came toschool.
As for the weird attentionthere's nothing like difference
(18:48):
to bring that on.
But you see Ichigo and I we'reboth fighters, whatever
challenges our lives throw atus, we don't back down.
At university commencement thespeaker instructed us to"Shake
the gates of Hell.
To make a difference." Well,showing up in the mainstream on
(19:09):
a regular basis to demonstratemy ability and significance is
how I shake those gates.
Cosplaying my favorite fighterssparks up my own laughter
courage and vitality, as I goforth on my own.
In the words of Howard Thurman,"Don't ask what the world needs,
(19:30):
ask what makes you come aliveand go do it.
Because what the world needs ispeople who have come alive."
Thank you.
Kamand (19:56):
Okay.
Welcome back.
I'm here with Jessica.
Thanks for sharing yourfascinating story.
I really believe all of us withdifferent disabilities are
fighters.
I can see your boldness andbravery.
You have a talent for turningany negative attitude into a
(20:18):
positive one?
What message would you like youraudience to get from this story?
Jessica (20:25):
Well, hmmm! You say?
I have a gift for turning in anegative situation, into a
positive one.
Well, I'd say, that love isalways been a factor in that.
Whether it's a, whether it's alove for learning or a challenge
or the joy that Cosplay bringsmyself and others.
(20:45):
Another big thing is that, Iprobably wouldn't have gotten
where I am today without thelove and support in my family
has always been, I mean, I meana a big factor that really has
helped me stay in the game whentimes get tough(laughs).
Um, But again, this has alsobeen very much about doing what
(21:06):
I love and being accepted forit,(laughs).
Yeah, I would say.
Do what you love,(laughs) yeah!
Kamand (21:12):
Okay.
Cool, thank you.
I also noticed you've beentraveling a lot and you spend
some time in Japan, am I right?.
Jessica (21:22):
You're right.
I did travel to Japan.
It had been a dream of mine.
I did so as part of a delegationsent to share our perspectives
on disability, rights andculture.
I remember being amazed by thelevel of accommodation we were
given as we explored Tokyo andthe surrounding area, only to
learn that it was mostly becausewe were guests.
(21:44):
Guests are a big deal in Japan.
Our mixed ability group ofdelegates and volunteers drew
quite a few weird looks as weexplored Tokyo, because I don't
think they were used to seeingsuch a big group of people with,
ah, disabilities out and aboutjust enjoying things, back then.
Disability seemed a bit morebehind closed doors then, but
(22:10):
this cultural exchange seemedaimed at changing that.
Challenging it by, you know,sometimes just, just going about
exploring the city and hangingout(laughs) together.
As well as discussing, as wellas discussing what could be
done.
Yeah! Mmm! It was a realdelight, exploring, seeing the
(22:32):
sites, exploring the parks, um,actually getting to see Taiko
drum performances.
Every day was a new discovery,yeah.
I was exploring different partsof the city, as we were again,
taking in, um, culturalperformances, or as we were
(22:54):
helping out, as we actually werejust helping out with our
volunteer work at a local birdpark.
Just, just to, just as a bit ofan act of goodwill and things
like that.
I mean, there's so much, it wassuch an exciting place, it was a
real delight, and people weredefinitely very, um, we're
(23:14):
definitely happy to try andpractice their English with you,
I noticed(laughs), when we werein Japan.
MsBoye (23:22):
Would you go there again?
Jessica (23:23):
Ah, I've been dreaming about going back for years
(laughs).
Of course, traveling is a littlebit more difficult these days.
But I would definitely go back,and, and check it out again.
There were just so manybeautiful places that I wanted
to take my mom back theresomeday and show her a lot of
the beautiful scenery.
(23:44):
Um, the beautiful temples andgardens and things like that or
of course, places like Akihabarawhere someone like me who's into
anime and cosplay is just in hogheaven, because they have so
many shops and arcades andthings there, yeah.
MsBoye (24:02):
Did you see many other people with disabilities?
Japanese, folks withdisabilities?
Jessica (24:07):
No, I, I can't say that we really did.
That's the thing, that's whysometimes it seemed a little
shocking to most of the peopleor to some of the people around
us to see us out and about like,that.
As I said before, it's kind of,I got the feeling that maybe
disability was a little bit morebehind closed doors.
I don't know, I haven't beenback there, so I don't know how
(24:28):
it's changed.
They certainly seem to beshowing more people with
disabilities in their media.
Um, um, and even their Manga andstuff like that.
That's something that I'venoticed in recent years, but
when I went in 2005, I don'tthink they had anything like ADA
or anything like that, yeah..
MsBoye (24:47):
Jessica, what I loved about your story was how you
really showed how the Cosplaycommunity is really inclusive
and that's been your experience?
Jessica (25:00):
It is very warm, because you have to understand
that these conventions, thesepeople are very passionate about
the shows and the comics and themovies and they just want to be
with other people who lovethings the way they love them.
MsBoye (25:15):
Right, I love that!
Jessica (25:17):
Yeah, as, as I pointed out in the piece, I was nervous
when I got to the convention,because I didn't know how I
would be seen, but they justwelcomed me right in...
MsBoye (25:28):
mm-hhh!
Jessica (25:28):
...without skipping a beat.
MsBoye (25:30):
And even though, um, up until more recently, there
haven't been many characters inmanga or anime that were
disabled, right?
Or their journey is aboutbecoming undisabled, or getting
fixed in some way.
Jessica (25:45):
Although there are, there are Manga that do now,
cover topics like, yeah, I knowthat one that I came across as
something called"Real", that wasall about wheelchair basketball.
MsBoye (25:56):
Oh,?
Cool!
Jessica (25:57):
It's been a few years since I've saw it, but it was
beautifully done.
I mean, the artist reallycaptured the, the speed and the
motion of the, of the game play,ball.
Also, but also having someonewho was, able-bodied kind of,
um, learning about this, erwhole new world that kind of
opened up to him.
MsBoye (26:19):
Right!
Jessica (26:21):
Or even there was another person in this, in that
same Manga who sustained aninjury, a spinal cord injury at
the beginning of the Manga andthey were a star player, but
they had to learn to adapt.
MsBoye (26:33):
Mm-hmm.
Jessica (26:33):
Yeah.
MsBoye (26:35):
So you, would you encourage other people with
disabilities to go be a part of,uh, to investigate joining that
community if they're into thatkind of thing?
Jessica (26:43):
Oh, definitely!
MsBoye (26:44):
Okay.
Jessica (26:45):
Because, I mean, yeah, part of, um, what I love doing
what I did because I've alwaysliked, as I said, I've loved
costuming and acting since I waslittle.
MsBoye (26:57):
Mm-hmm.
Jessica (26:57):
But the other part of it is I, I get out there and do
it, not just because I love itbecause, but because if there's
anyone on the fence, that'slike, Maybe I'd like to try and
do that?".
Well, maybe I figured that if I,that if I show up to these
conventions, if someone sees apicture of me or maybe they see
me when they they're at theconvention, but they're not in
(27:20):
cosplay or something like that,Hey, maybe I can, maybe I can do
this too?".
MsBoye (27:25):
Right!
Jessica (27:26):
"Maybe I can do this too?" And it's not just people
with disabilities, I'm around,I've seen other people that were
shy about...
I've met other people that wereshy about cosplay, but seeing me
get out there and jump in and doit, helped them get up.
MsBoye (27:41):
Is there something about Cosplay that because you're
playing a different characterand this relates to the other
question, the second question Ireally wanted to ask you, when
you're playing anothercharacter, your real self
doesn't have to be asvulnerable, you know?
That's why shy people can do it.
And I, what I'm interested in ismost of the characters, I see
(28:01):
pictures of you playing, are,male, what's that experience
like, um, and why is that?
Jessica (28:07):
Why Cross Play?
Well, initially, one of thereasons why I wasn't playing a
lot of the female roles issometimes the outfits.
I don't like the style ofclothing.
(They laugh) They can be theycan feel skimpy and things like
that sometimes.
Um, I guess I haven't found theright character yet in that
(28:28):
respect.
That doesn't mean I'm notlooking.
It's also fun to just get outthere and play.
I don't know.
I have a lot of fun playingthese roles and somehow I can
pull them off rather well.
(laughs).
MsBoye (28:39):
It is yeah, yeah!.
Jessica (28:41):
And just, I guess also just exploring those energies
and things like that too.
And the thing about cosplay is,yeah, it, it does put you in a
position where you can kind ofget out of your shell, but it
also helps you to find parts ofyourself that maybe you didn't
even know, you had.
MsBoye (28:59):
Right.
Jessica (28:59):
Like, in taking on other roles that you can then
pull out in other circumstancesoutside of Cosplay.
MsBoye (29:05):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I see that.
Have you noticed that you feeldifferent in the world when you
play, uh, when you're being aboy, you know, like just, I'm
going to take this on and I, doI talk to people differently?
Do I engage more?
Jessica (29:20):
Well, I do.
I do well in general I tend toengage more.
The other thing is I've neverreally come up against it,now,
I've never really come upagainst any criticisms or
anything like that.
Or if anyone thinks, if anyonehas any problems with my
Cosplay, they've never been ableto, they've never come up and
said anything.
MsBoye (29:37):
Right.
Jessica (29:39):
But that's probably because when I'm sitting around
in these Cosplays, if anyone hasany criticisms, they probably
think,"If I say anything to thisperson, they're going to kick my
ass."(They both laugh) Yeah,that character in a wheelchair
is gonna probably kick my ass!
MsBoye (29:55):
Yeah, really?
As an actor, I've played rolesthat were written for men and,
and I just got cast in them and,and it's, it's a different way
of inhabiting your body.
And, and when you're trying toget into that character, you
have, like you said, thedifferent energies of yourself
that you get to find.
Jessica (30:12):
Yes.
And it's also been interestingthat, that when I first started
doing Cosplay, it was verycommon that no matter what, the
character that I was playing, Iwould get that question,"What
happened?" When I first startedgoing to conventions, which I
think I've been going sinceabout 2007.
MsBoye (30:31):
Mm-hmm!
Jessica (30:32):
Um, there weren't as many people with disabilities,
not many, as many people inchairs at the conventions when I
first started going, but I'veseen the numbers steadily
increase, more with more peoplebeing in cosplay.
MsBoye (30:46):
Right, that's cool.
Jessica (30:47):
And some of us incorporate the chairs and will
find roles that incorp...thathave chairs or incorporate the
chairs into the costumes thatthey make, the props that they
make.
I guess the chair's just the wayI get around(laughs).
MsBoye (30:59):
Right! Yeah.
The episode is called dressingup so, is there any last thing
you want to say?
Jessica (31:05):
I don't know where this fits in, but I was just thinking
about the other reason why I doit is I just love the reactions
that it gets from people of allages.
All the way from, from littlekids, all the way their parents.
I'm seeing little kids just runup, ask for my, ask for a
picture or ask for a hug orsomething like that.
(31:26):
But I've also seen their parentsturn into little kids at the
sight of my characters too and,and that's one of the major
reasons why I do it.
It's just how much joy it bringsto so many people of all ages.
MsBoye (31:39):
Perfect!
Kamand (31:41):
Well, great chatting with you, Jessica.
I'm so glad you were able tocome and share your experience
and enthusiasm with ouraudience.
MsBoye (31:49):
Thank you so much, Jessica.
Bye!
Jessica (31:52):
Bye!
MsBoye (31:52):
Bye!
Kamand (31:54):
You've been listening to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Our show was hosted by me KamandAlaghehband.
This episode is produced by KayeLove and is edited and mixed by
Ms.Boye and Brittany Sessum.
Special thanks to our guests,Jessica Guerrero and Renee
(32:15):
Lopez.
And don't forget to like us onFacebook, Instagram, and
Twitter.
Kristen Gooch (32:23):
All episodes of The True Tales by Disability
Advocates are free on Applepodcast, Spotify and anywhere
you get your podcast thisprogram is funded in part by a
grant from the Texas StateIndependent Living Council, the
Administration for CommunityLiving and individuals like you.
(32:46):
To learn more about The SpeakingAdvocates Program, sign up for
our newsletter atartsparktexas.org, that's A R T
S P A R K T X dot O R G.
This free virtual trainingprogram is open to people of all
(33:08):
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
Welcome to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Authentic voices of peoplethriving with disabilities.
Were individuals use the art ofstorytelling to change the
world.
True Tales by DisabilityAdvocates podcast is produced by
Art Spark Texas SpeakingAdvocates Program.
(00:30):
Keep listening to hear how liveschallenges can spark a desire to
speak out and advocate forourselves and others.
MsBoye (00:48):
You're listening to The Power of Dressing Up, episode
Six of True Tales by DisabilityAdvocates.
The podcast where advocatesharness the power of
storytelling to build communitywith their peers and hope to
develop empathy in others.
A team of disability advocatescreates True Tales to give voice
to the personal stories andlived experience of disabled
(01:10):
storytellers.
We offer our unique and oftenunderrepresented perspective to
the growing community of podcastlisteners worldwide.
According to the CDC.
One in four Americans live withsome kind of disability that 61
million adults with 61 millionexperiences and points of view
about what it means to live witha disability.
(01:33):
Everyone's life is enriched bythe inclusion of multiple
voices.
So Art Spark Texas has beentraining disability, advocates
as storytellers for over 20years.
In this episode, ourstorytellers share two very
different experiences ofdressing up and playing
different characters while usinga wheelchair.
(01:53):
Some people love costumes,dressing up, fancy dress
parties, and Halloween,Halloween is their favorite
holiday.
Dressing up, allows us to shiftout of our every day and become
someone else.
As kids playing dress up andbecoming different characters
allows us to express ourimaginations and and have the
(02:15):
experience of being a hero oreven the bad guy.
For most kids, Halloween andtrick-or-treating is the
ultimate expression of this formof play.
They really believe in the powertheir costume has to turn them
into someone else and they goout into the night secure in the
magic of their fantasy.
(02:35):
But what if ableism extinguishesthe glamor and the rest of the
world sees only your wheelchairand not the magic of the
character you're playing?
What if all the houses on yourstreet have steps up to the
porch?
The porch that holds the kingdomof free candy.
In her story,"Witchy Woman"Renee Lopez tells us how ableism
(02:59):
took the shine out of herchildhood Halloweens, despite
her father's best efforts togive her a magical experience.
And then as adults dressing upallows us to get out of our
selves, you know, try on hiddenaspects of our personality, uh,
safely challenge, other people'sperceptions of who we are.
For a few wonderful, magicalhours we could become our heroes
(03:24):
or be freed from being nice andbecome someone evil.
Being someone else can allow shyfolks to experience being
outgoing, loud, outrageousbehind the protection of their
costume and the personality ofthe character they're playing.
Our second storyteller, JessicaFerraro has found acceptance and
(03:44):
inclusion in the Cosplaycommunity, where the focus is on
her costume and her wheelchairis just part of an unknown plot
twist.
After hearing Jessica's storyand her obvious enthusiasm for
Cosplay, I wanted to know more.
So I asked her some bonusquestions when Kamand had
finished her interview.
(04:05):
Ultimately, this episode isabout being allowed to play and
have fun and allowing yourselfto be willing to do whatever it
takes to welcome everyone intoyour playground.
Kamand (04:23):
Welcome to The True Tales by Disability Advocates,
the podcast where we change theworld one story at a time.
I'm Kamand Alaghehband, and I'myour host.
Our first storyteller today isRenee Lopez.
So welcome Renee, before youshare your story, can you tell
our listeners a little bit aboutyourself?
(04:45):
And how you got involved withOpening Minds, Opening Doors?
Renee (04:50):
Yes, good afternoon Kamand.
As you said, my name is ReneeLopez and I've been with OMOD
for about six years now.
I first became aware of ArtSpark when I saw Actual Lives
put on by people withdisabilities and I was so
enthralled that I,I wanted to bea part of it, except that I was
working at the time and didn'thave the time to do it.
(05:13):
But when I retired, I noticedthat OMOD was having a class and
I signed up and took about twoclasses, I guess, which is where
I wrote my stories.
Kamand (05:23):
I'm so glad you could join us today.
I can't wait to hear your story.
Renee (05:58):
Again, my name is Renee Lopez, and I wrote this story
when I was in Opening Minds,Opening Doors, class.
I wrote this around Halloween.
I wrote it on October 11th of2017.
So I'm here to share it withyou.
And I have titled this WitchyWoman.
(06:19):
Halloween has always been one ofmy favorite holidays, even more
than Christmas.
I think it's because we get todress up as characters and we
get candy.
One of my favorite characters tobe on Halloween was a witch.
I think it all started when Iwas little and I was watching
the TV show Bewitched.
When I was about six years old,I got a witch costume.
(06:42):
I was so excited, as was mybrother who was going to be a
pirate.
We headed out at dusk toTrick-or-Treat in our
neighborhood.
All the houses in ourneighborhood had four to five
steps to get to the front door.
My dad would lift me up onto theporch and for, I don't know how
many houses for at least twoblocks.
(07:04):
I never realized what an act oflove that was from him, to have
to carry me up every singlehouse, up four or five steps,
and take me back down again.
We arrived at one house with abunch of other kids and we line
up at the door yelling,"Trick-or-Treat!" in unison.
One by one each kid gets candywhile the server commented on
(07:24):
the costumes.
Like,"What a scary ghost." Or"Ooh, a scary pirate!" Or"What a
beautiful princess." And then Iget to the door and what does
she say?
But,"Oh, hi Renee." My heartsank.
She didn't recognize me as awitch.
I am not Renee." I wanted toyell, I am a scary witch," but I
(07:49):
didn't.
It would have beendisrespectful.
I felt something change in me,but I didn't know what it was at
the time.
I continued to enjoy Halloween,but eventually Trick-or-Treating
lost its luster and I stoppedgoing out to Trick-or-Treat soon
afterwards.
I came to realize my body wasthe costume, as was my
(08:09):
wheelchair.
I could never hide it or coverit up.
I was always going to be just a,"Hi Renee." Fast-forward to
present day.
I say, forget it! I'm a Witch,even if I do look more like
Brunhilda than ElizabethMontgomery.
Thank you.
Kamand (08:48):
Welcome back.
I'm here with Renee.
Thank you for sharing your storywith us.
Renee, it seems like you have avery nice and supportive dad.
Do you have any other goodmemories with him you would like
to share with us?
Renee (09:05):
Yeah, you know, my dad was really, really was a very
kind and supportive man.
He was always very fair.
And he wasn't judgemental atall.
Um, he was also a musician so Igrew up listening to a lot of
music in the home so you know Ihave some really fun memories of
my dad, uh one of my fondestmemories is that he had an old
(09:27):
Chevy truck and he would takeour family all the kids There
were four of us in the familyand some of the neighborhood
kids and throw us all into theback of his old Chevy truck and
take us to the drive-in we wouldgo and either see a scary movie
or a Kung Fu movie because backthen in the seventies kung-fu
was really popular and we likedseeing Bruce Lee You know all
(09:50):
those uh martial arts guys.
And we really had a lot of fundoing that he would buy popcorn
and Cokes for everybody.
So that was one of my fondestmemories.
Kamand (10:00):
Renee Halloween is my favorite holiday as well.
On behalf of all of us do youhave any special advice for
giving out candy This Halloween
Renee (10:10):
Well, what I would advise people who are giving out candy
is if a child shows up andthey're in a wheelchair Or an
adult uh and you have stepsheading to your heading up into
your house I recommend that youcome down the steps and go over
to the person in the wheelchairor the person with a disability
(10:32):
so that they don't have to climbthe steps or have to be carried
up the steps I think that wouldbe a good way of accommodating
the second thing is um alwaystry to recognize the costume
that person has on Even if youdon't know what it is exactly
Just say something like,"Wellthat's a very interesting
costume," or"You lookwonderful." Or"You look scary,"
(10:54):
you know, because it's all aboutthe costume and who you're
trying to be, and not thatyou're just a wheelchair.
So that would be my advice to,ah, people.
Kamand (11:04):
What special advice do you have to our fellow disabled
kids or adults around HalloweenRenee?
Renee (11:11):
Well, I say that if you have a disability and you want
to participate in Halloween bywearing costumes, just go ahead
and do it, have fun with it.
It's, it's really about youhaving fun more than it is
trying to convince others ofwhat your costume is about.
Um, unfortunately, people arealways going to see our
(11:32):
disability first and if you'rein a wheelchair, then they're
going to see the wheelchairfirst before they look at your
costume.
I say, well, go ahead and letthem, and don't get a chip on
your shoulder about it, just letit be and enjoy who you are.
And if they don't know who youare just say, I mean, they don't
know what costume you have goton to say, oh,"I'm playing a
(11:52):
hobo!" Or"I'm, I'm, uh, I'm apirate," you know, let them
know.
But Halloween to me is abouthaving fun and wearing costumes
and being somebody else.
And just go ahead and do it.
They may not realize it rightaway.
But people will either accept itor not, it doesn't really
matter.
It's about you having fun.
Kamand (12:13):
That is so true.
What a gift that would be.
Renee (12:17):
I enjoy Halloween, but because I'm much older now, I
don't, and don't like beingaround big crowds, like on Sixth
Street.
I usually don't do anything.
I've become the kind of personwho goes outside to give out
candy now.
But back in the day, we woulddress up in costumes.
I know I was a rabbit once and aclown another time and we would
(12:37):
go down to Sixth Street andparty,[laughs] but I don't need
that anymore.
Now I give out candy[laughs].
Kamand (12:46):
That's great! Great chatting with you, Renee.
Thank you for being willing toshare your story and insights
with us.
I hope you have fun giving outcandy this Halloween.
Stay with us for a second story.
Jessica Ferraro shares her storyabout Cosplay.
(13:16):
Welcome back, our second guestJessica Ferraro shares her story
about Cosplay.
She has lived independently inAustin for around 10 years and
has been with The SpeakingAdvocates Program from its very
first class.
She told us," I have a mild caseof Cerebral Palsy, but my
(13:37):
wheelchair has opened the doorto Cosplay, martial arts,
traveling adaptive sports in somany other adventures." She also
really enjoys helping out in thecommunity.
Welcome Jessica, before youshare your story, can you tell
our listeners how you gotstarted with Opening Minds,
(13:57):
Opening Doors?
Jessica (13:59):
Sure I think I learned about about Opening Minds,
Opening Doors after a littleSummer volunteer work that I did
with Art Spark.
I've always loved storytellersand their, and their powers to
teach and entertain.
That said, Public Speakingwasn't my strong point in
school, so OMOD looked like afun opportunity to learn how to
(14:24):
handle my nerves and share myperspective.
Kamand (14:27):
Let's hear your story.
MsBoye (14:44):
Note to listeners here.
Jessica starts her story in thevoice of Ichigo, one of her
Cosplay characters, who is theprotagonist of the manga and
anime series Bleach.
And she even recorded it dressedup as her character.
Jessica (15:05):
My name is Jessica Guerrero and here's my story.
Yo! Name’s Ichigo Kurosakisubstitute soul reaper..., high
school student, how's it going?
What are you staring at, thisginger hair of mine?
sighs) Hey! It's natural! WhereI come from, I stand out in a
(15:28):
crowd like it or not.
Bleached hair labels ya a punk.
Well, I ain't no punk.
My schoolwork is top-notchstill, let's just say I'm a
magnet for weird attention." Myreal name is Jessica Guerrero.
Mild-mannered gentle woman.
I'm also a Cosplayer.
(15:49):
That means I dress in costume toplay my favorite characters from
TV shows, video games andmovies.
Take Ichigo, the hero of theJapanese animated series called
Bleach.
I've loved costuming and actingsince I was a little kid, but by
the time I got to college, let'sjust say I was a little too shy
(16:11):
and quiet for my acting coach.
"Come on Jessica, just saysomething!" She would heckle me
in every class.
Until one day I was finallylike,"Okay! I said something,
SHISH!." But the satisfactionthat I've got from snapping back
at her that day ignited a sparkthat brought me out of my shell.
(16:33):
That brought me to life.
With encouragement from anotherprofessor, I did my first
Cosplay as Goku, a well-knownfighter from a TV show called
Dragon Ball Z.
I wore this bright orange gi topand pants with these blue
accents like this blue, t-shirtunder the top, blue wristbands,
(16:57):
blue belt, blue boots.
And to top it all off this blackwig, of unruly spikes, one side
sticking up the other kind ofout flat, basically a serious
case of bedhead.
(laughs).
Pulling up to my first Animeconvention, which is a gathering
for fans of Japanese comics,animation and pop culture.
(17:20):
I saw all these other characterswith equally colorful clothing
and wild hair, but suddenly mystomach was in knots.
How would they see me?
Could I really pull off theflamboyant awesome fighter that
was Goku?
Well, it was too late to turnback now! So I unloaded and went
in.
(17:42):
And as I was sitting in a linewaiting to get my badge, three
Ninja came up to me and one ofthem asked, Goku, what happened
to you, man?" And a second pipedup,"Come on, just tell us who
did this to you.
We'll take care of them!" Ohguys, Vegeta and I and I and got
into a fight because I think I,the last piece of his favorite
(18:04):
sushi, that's all." I laughed.
They thought my wheelchair was aprop, but as soon as it became a
part of my story, I owned it.
It isn't like I'm just acting,being in costume makes me
someone else, but still myself.
For example, back to Ichigohere, his hair renders him
(18:24):
different at first glance.
Well, my chair often has thesame effect on me in the crowd.
His hair labels him and theappearance of disability can
label me.
Ichigo keeps his grades up inorder to challenge those labels
and expectations.
Well ditto me when it came toschool.
As for the weird attentionthere's nothing like difference
(18:48):
to bring that on.
But you see Ichigo and I we'reboth fighters, whatever
challenges our lives throw atus, we don't back down.
At university commencement thespeaker instructed us to"Shake
the gates of Hell.
To make a difference." Well,showing up in the mainstream on
(19:09):
a regular basis to demonstratemy ability and significance is
how I shake those gates.
Cosplaying my favorite fighterssparks up my own laughter
courage and vitality, as I goforth on my own.
In the words of Howard Thurman,"Don't ask what the world needs,
(19:30):
ask what makes you come aliveand go do it.
Because what the world needs ispeople who have come alive."
Thank you.
Kamand (19:56):
Okay.
Welcome back.
I'm here with Jessica.
Thanks for sharing yourfascinating story.
I really believe all of us withdifferent disabilities are
fighters.
I can see your boldness andbravery.
You have a talent for turningany negative attitude into a
(20:18):
positive one?
What message would you like youraudience to get from this story?
Jessica (20:25):
Well, hmmm! You say?
I have a gift for turning in anegative situation, into a
positive one.
Well, I'd say, that love isalways been a factor in that.
Whether it's a, whether it's alove for learning or a challenge
or the joy that Cosplay bringsmyself and others.
(20:45):
Another big thing is that, Iprobably wouldn't have gotten
where I am today without thelove and support in my family
has always been, I mean, I meana a big factor that really has
helped me stay in the game whentimes get tough(laughs).
Um, But again, this has alsobeen very much about doing what
(21:06):
I love and being accepted forit,(laughs).
Yeah, I would say.
Do what you love,(laughs) yeah!
Kamand (21:12):
Okay.
Cool, thank you.
I also noticed you've beentraveling a lot and you spend
some time in Japan, am I right?.
Jessica (21:22):
You're right.
I did travel to Japan.
It had been a dream of mine.
I did so as part of a delegationsent to share our perspectives
on disability, rights andculture.
I remember being amazed by thelevel of accommodation we were
given as we explored Tokyo andthe surrounding area, only to
learn that it was mostly becausewe were guests.
(21:44):
Guests are a big deal in Japan.
Our mixed ability group ofdelegates and volunteers drew
quite a few weird looks as weexplored Tokyo, because I don't
think they were used to seeingsuch a big group of people with,
ah, disabilities out and aboutjust enjoying things, back then.
Disability seemed a bit morebehind closed doors then, but
(22:10):
this cultural exchange seemedaimed at changing that.
Challenging it by, you know,sometimes just, just going about
exploring the city and hangingout(laughs) together.
As well as discussing, as wellas discussing what could be
done.
Yeah! Mmm! It was a realdelight, exploring, seeing the
(22:32):
sites, exploring the parks, um,actually getting to see Taiko
drum performances.
Every day was a new discovery,yeah.
I was exploring different partsof the city, as we were again,
taking in, um, culturalperformances, or as we were
(22:54):
helping out, as we actually werejust helping out with our
volunteer work at a local birdpark.
Just, just to, just as a bit ofan act of goodwill and things
like that.
I mean, there's so much, it wassuch an exciting place, it was a
real delight, and people weredefinitely very, um, we're
(23:14):
definitely happy to try andpractice their English with you,
I noticed(laughs), when we werein Japan.
MsBoye (23:22):
Would you go there again?
Jessica (23:23):
Ah, I've been dreaming about going back for years
(laughs).
Of course, traveling is a littlebit more difficult these days.
But I would definitely go back,and, and check it out again.
There were just so manybeautiful places that I wanted
to take my mom back theresomeday and show her a lot of
the beautiful scenery.
(23:44):
Um, the beautiful temples andgardens and things like that or
of course, places like Akihabarawhere someone like me who's into
anime and cosplay is just in hogheaven, because they have so
many shops and arcades andthings there, yeah.
MsBoye (24:02):
Did you see many other people with disabilities?
Japanese, folks withdisabilities?
Jessica (24:07):
No, I, I can't say that we really did.
That's the thing, that's whysometimes it seemed a little
shocking to most of the peopleor to some of the people around
us to see us out and about like,that.
As I said before, it's kind of,I got the feeling that maybe
disability was a little bit morebehind closed doors.
I don't know, I haven't beenback there, so I don't know how
(24:28):
it's changed.
They certainly seem to beshowing more people with
disabilities in their media.
Um, um, and even their Manga andstuff like that.
That's something that I'venoticed in recent years, but
when I went in 2005, I don'tthink they had anything like ADA
or anything like that, yeah..
MsBoye (24:47):
Jessica, what I loved about your story was how you
really showed how the Cosplaycommunity is really inclusive
and that's been your experience?
Jessica (25:00):
It is very warm, because you have to understand
that these conventions, thesepeople are very passionate about
the shows and the comics and themovies and they just want to be
with other people who lovethings the way they love them.
MsBoye (25:15):
Right, I love that!
Jessica (25:17):
Yeah, as, as I pointed out in the piece, I was nervous
when I got to the convention,because I didn't know how I
would be seen, but they justwelcomed me right in...
MsBoye (25:28):
mm-hhh!
Jessica (25:28):
...without skipping a beat.
MsBoye (25:30):
And even though, um, up until more recently, there
haven't been many characters inmanga or anime that were
disabled, right?
Or their journey is aboutbecoming undisabled, or getting
fixed in some way.
Jessica (25:45):
Although there are, there are Manga that do now,
cover topics like, yeah, I knowthat one that I came across as
something called"Real", that wasall about wheelchair basketball.
MsBoye (25:56):
Oh,?
Cool!
Jessica (25:57):
It's been a few years since I've saw it, but it was
beautifully done.
I mean, the artist reallycaptured the, the speed and the
motion of the, of the game play,ball.
Also, but also having someonewho was, able-bodied kind of,
um, learning about this, erwhole new world that kind of
opened up to him.
MsBoye (26:19):
Right!
Jessica (26:21):
Or even there was another person in this, in that
same Manga who sustained aninjury, a spinal cord injury at
the beginning of the Manga andthey were a star player, but
they had to learn to adapt.
MsBoye (26:33):
Mm-hmm.
Jessica (26:33):
Yeah.
MsBoye (26:35):
So you, would you encourage other people with
disabilities to go be a part of,uh, to investigate joining that
community if they're into thatkind of thing?
Jessica (26:43):
Oh, definitely!
MsBoye (26:44):
Okay.
Jessica (26:45):
Because, I mean, yeah, part of, um, what I love doing
what I did because I've alwaysliked, as I said, I've loved
costuming and acting since I waslittle.
MsBoye (26:57):
Mm-hmm.
Jessica (26:57):
But the other part of it is I, I get out there and do
it, not just because I love itbecause, but because if there's
anyone on the fence, that'slike, Maybe I'd like to try and
do that?".
Well, maybe I figured that if I,that if I show up to these
conventions, if someone sees apicture of me or maybe they see
me when they they're at theconvention, but they're not in
(27:20):
cosplay or something like that,Hey, maybe I can, maybe I can do
this too?".
MsBoye (27:25):
Right!
Jessica (27:26):
"Maybe I can do this too?" And it's not just people
with disabilities, I'm around,I've seen other people that were
shy about...
I've met other people that wereshy about cosplay, but seeing me
get out there and jump in and doit, helped them get up.
MsBoye (27:41):
Is there something about Cosplay that because you're
playing a different characterand this relates to the other
question, the second question Ireally wanted to ask you, when
you're playing anothercharacter, your real self
doesn't have to be asvulnerable, you know?
That's why shy people can do it.
And I, what I'm interested in ismost of the characters, I see
(28:01):
pictures of you playing, are,male, what's that experience
like, um, and why is that?
Jessica (28:07):
Why Cross Play?
Well, initially, one of thereasons why I wasn't playing a
lot of the female roles issometimes the outfits.
I don't like the style ofclothing.
(They laugh) They can be theycan feel skimpy and things like
that sometimes.
Um, I guess I haven't found theright character yet in that
(28:28):
respect.
That doesn't mean I'm notlooking.
It's also fun to just get outthere and play.
I don't know.
I have a lot of fun playingthese roles and somehow I can
pull them off rather well.
(laughs).
MsBoye (28:39):
It is yeah, yeah!.
Jessica (28:41):
And just, I guess also just exploring those energies
and things like that too.
And the thing about cosplay is,yeah, it, it does put you in a
position where you can kind ofget out of your shell, but it
also helps you to find parts ofyourself that maybe you didn't
even know, you had.
MsBoye (28:59):
Right.
Jessica (28:59):
Like, in taking on other roles that you can then
pull out in other circumstancesoutside of Cosplay.
MsBoye (29:05):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I see that.
Have you noticed that you feeldifferent in the world when you
play, uh, when you're being aboy, you know, like just, I'm
going to take this on and I, doI talk to people differently?
Do I engage more?
Jessica (29:20):
Well, I do.
I do well in general I tend toengage more.
The other thing is I've neverreally come up against it,now,
I've never really come upagainst any criticisms or
anything like that.
Or if anyone thinks, if anyonehas any problems with my
Cosplay, they've never been ableto, they've never come up and
said anything.
MsBoye (29:37):
Right.
Jessica (29:39):
But that's probably because when I'm sitting around
in these Cosplays, if anyone hasany criticisms, they probably
think,"If I say anything to thisperson, they're going to kick my
ass."(They both laugh) Yeah,that character in a wheelchair
is gonna probably kick my ass!
MsBoye (29:55):
Yeah, really?
As an actor, I've played rolesthat were written for men and,
and I just got cast in them and,and it's, it's a different way
of inhabiting your body.
And, and when you're trying toget into that character, you
have, like you said, thedifferent energies of yourself
that you get to find.
Jessica (30:12):
Yes.
And it's also been interestingthat, that when I first started
doing Cosplay, it was verycommon that no matter what, the
character that I was playing, Iwould get that question,"What
happened?" When I first startedgoing to conventions, which I
think I've been going sinceabout 2007.
MsBoye (30:31):
Mm-hmm!
Jessica (30:32):
Um, there weren't as many people with disabilities,
not many, as many people inchairs at the conventions when I
first started going, but I'veseen the numbers steadily
increase, more with more peoplebeing in cosplay.
MsBoye (30:46):
Right, that's cool.
Jessica (30:47):
And some of us incorporate the chairs and will
find roles that incorp...thathave chairs or incorporate the
chairs into the costumes thatthey make, the props that they
make.
I guess the chair's just the wayI get around(laughs).
MsBoye (30:59):
Right! Yeah.
The episode is called dressingup so, is there any last thing
you want to say?
Jessica (31:05):
I don't know where this fits in, but I was just thinking
about the other reason why I doit is I just love the reactions
that it gets from people of allages.
All the way from, from littlekids, all the way their parents.
I'm seeing little kids just runup, ask for my, ask for a
picture or ask for a hug orsomething like that.
(31:26):
But I've also seen their parentsturn into little kids at the
sight of my characters too and,and that's one of the major
reasons why I do it.
It's just how much joy it bringsto so many people of all ages.
MsBoye (31:39):
Perfect!
Kamand (31:41):
Well, great chatting with you, Jessica.
I'm so glad you were able tocome and share your experience
and enthusiasm with ouraudience.
MsBoye (31:49):
Thank you so much, Jessica.
Bye!
Jessica (31:52):
Bye!
MsBoye (31:52):
Bye!
Kamand (31:54):
You've been listening to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Our show was hosted by me KamandAlaghehband.
This episode is produced by KayeLove and is edited and mixed by
Ms.Boye and Brittany Sessum.
Special thanks to our guests,Jessica Guerrero and Renee
(32:15):
Lopez.
And don't forget to like us onFacebook, Instagram, and
Twitter.
Kristen Gooch (32:23):
All episodes of The True Tales by Disability
Advocates are free on Applepodcast, Spotify and anywhere
you get your podcast thisprogram is funded in part by a
grant from the Texas StateIndependent Living Council, the
Administration for CommunityLiving and individuals like you.
(32:46):
To learn more about The SpeakingAdvocates Program, sign up for
our newsletter atartsparktexas.org, that's A R T
S P A R K T X dot O R G.
This free virtual trainingprogram is open to people of all
(33:08):
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
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