Disabled is a Noun
Forward Found was created by two women with a passionate dream to help aspiring and new BCBAs. We filed our LLC, opened a bank account, and created a website. What neither of us saw coming was my disability.
When my debilitating back pain started in December, I chalked it up to an old whiplash injury and waited out the pain. When my knee started hurting in January, I thought it was weird. When my hand randomly dislocated, I knew something was wrong. I went to my doctor with a hypothesis about what was going on, and we’re in the diagnosis process right now. I won’t be publicly sharing my diagnoses (at least not now), but I do want to talk about running a business as a disabled business owner.
I feel inclined to acknowledge that running a business is hard no matter how you look at it. I don’t want my experiences to negate or downplay anyone else’s. But I can only speak directly to my own experience, and my story involves disability.
I was so excited to start Forward Found. I’m passionate about dissemination and mentorship, and I couldn’t wait to bring my many ideas to life. I started my marketing efforts with what I thought were reasonable expectations. 3 posts and 1 blog a week should be easy, right? We kept it up for almost 6 months before I just couldn’t do it anymore. All the marketing resources say consistency is better than quantity, but I don’t know what’s realistic at this point. And I’m trying to be okay with that.
You see, I started tracking my pain at the end of March 2026. I’m writing this in mid-June 2026. Since that time, I’ve woken up in excruciating pain at least twice a week. I’ve learned to work while laying on my couch because it hurts too much to sit up. I’ve bought wrist braces, neck braces, and back braces. I’ve canceled plans, attended events wearing my neck brace, and left activities early because of the pain. I’ve gotten comfortable with the word disabled.
Society doesn’t like the word disabled, but it’s not a bad word. It’s just a noun. Growing up, my family and I always called my disabled siblings “special needs”. Why couldn’t we use the most specific and accurate word? Ableism. Society says it’s nicer to be “special” and shameful to be disabled. The more disabled I become, the more I believe that there’s nothing “special” about my needs. I’m disabled. I need accommodations. And that’s not shameful, bad, or asking for special treatment.
So where do I go from here as a disabled business owner? Well, I lean on my business partner. I do what I can and don’t shame myself for what I can’t accomplish. I put my clients above my marketing dreams. I set realistic goals. And most of all, I acknowledge that I’m disabled. After all, disabled isn’t a bad word, it’s just a noun.
