Note: This interview was originally published on Audible.com.
As the founder of disability advocacy organization Diversability and the creator of the viral Anti-Ableism Series on TikTok, Tiffany Yu has spent years educating and expanding conversations on ableism, accessibility, and disability pride.
With The Anti-Ableist Manifesto, Yu takes her prior work a step further—exploring the framework of ableism and oppression, and offering disabled people and nondisabled allies a step-by-step guide to breaking down ableism, identifying microaggressions, and proposing real actions that we can all take to dismantle structures of inequality and join in the fight against ableism.
Michael Collina: Intersectionality is integral to your work and advocacy, and The Anti-Ableist Manifesto is both an examination of ableism, and a how-to guide for allyship and dismantling ableist structures and systems. Why do you think it’s taken so long for this kind of examination and guide to be published?
Tiffany Yu: Disability has historically been overlooked in broader conversations around social justice, which is why intersectionality is so crucial. Ableism often intersects with racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, but disability is still largely absent from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. One reason it's taken so long for a book like The Anti-Ableist Manifesto to be published is the persistent invisibility of disabled voices in mainstream media and publishing. Ableism is deeply ingrained in societal structures, often operating in subtle, insidious ways, and it takes deliberate effort to not only recognize it but also to dismantle it.
Having been disabled for almost 30 years and active in the disability advocacy space for 15 years, I have seen change. Fifteen years ago, many were just barely grasping the concept of disability pride. I’m excited to see so many more of my disabled friends publishing books and sharing our narratives authentically. I can’t wait to see all of our books shining on the “shelf” together.
As the largest minority group, with over 1 billion of us globally, the disability community is still one of the most isolated and excluded groups and left out of important conversations on equity. I wanted to write this book to address that oversight while meeting people where they were on their disability inclusion journey. This book has practical steps for everyone—disabled people and nondisabled allies alike—to actively work toward dismantling ableism.
The Anti-Ableist Manifesto is partially inspired by your viral Anti-Ableism Series on TikTok. How did you approach adapting and expanding that video content into an audiobook? What are your top tips for folks who are working toward dismantling their own biases and making the world more accessible for everyone?
Creating the Anti-Ableism Series on TikTok was about sparking conversations and breaking down complex topics into digestible pieces. The short-form video series currently has over 270 parts and 5 million views. Expanding that into the audiobook The Anti-Ableist Manifesto allowed me to dive deeper into these issues. I had the space to unpack the frameworks and personal stories that shaped my journey, while also incorporating insights from other disability advocates.
The audiobook follows a framework called “Me, We, Us” to highlight the anti-ableist change we can make as individuals (me), in our communities (we), and on the world (us). I wanted the audiobook to be conversational, like a friend talking to you. I also wanted to ensure that the content was accessible and engaging for listeners who may be encountering these ideas for the first time, empowering them to reflect, unlearn, and take action.
In terms of top tips, there is a reason why the TikTok series has 270+ parts and the audiobook is 9+ hours—there is no “one way” to show up as an ally. Depending on who you are, the tip might be different. But I would encourage listeners to challenge and unlearn any assumptions they might be making about disabled people or our experiences. Are you unintentionally using ableist language and what alternatives can you use instead? If you are in a position to hire, are there ways you might be discounting disabled talent from your applicant and candidate pool? Are you actively listening to disabled voices (in your own community or by following diverse disabled voices online)?
I also remind people that accessibility benefits everyone. I might even go as far to say that it can be your competitive advantage. Even a question like “Do you have what you fully need to participate?” when organizing events or meetings can go a long way to supporting everyone’s access needs.
All of these actions, taken together, can lead to larger shifts in culture. Overall, I’m hoping that people take away that disability is a human experience and that we as disabled people want to be respected rather than pitied. After finishing this audiobook, I want you to feel hopeful that creating a disability-inclusive society is possible.
How have your own experiences as an Asian American woman with a disability informed this audiobook? Was there anything you learned about yourself while writing and adapting this content?
Being the daughter of a Taiwanese immigrant and refugee from the Vietnam War shaped many of my early views of what it meant to be disabled. My cultural background viewed disability as a “shameful” thing and “back luck” in my family lineage through the moral model of disability. While I have done a lot of unlearning of that to view being disabled as a source of pride and empowerment, writing The Anti-Ableist Manifesto helped me explore how intersectionality influences our experiences of oppression. I sit at the intersection of racism, misogyny, and ableism.
Through the process of writing this book, I learned how important all of our stories are. I’m so excited that so much of the change I’ve been trying to make in the world can exist in audiobook form. I’m extremely proud of this audiobook and hope that it will play a part in making an impact on current and future generations to come.
As a three-time TEDx speaker, social media star, and podcast host, you’re no stranger to spoken-word advocacy. How did those prior experiences compare to narrating this audiobook?
One thing that I pride myself on in my work as a speaker and podcast host (thank you for calling me a social media star!) is that I want to be conversational, approachable, and relatable. I’m so grateful that I got to narrate my own audiobook, and I have so much respect for those who do this professionally! What I loved is that the audiobook content felt similar to talks and content I’ve created over the years. But there is something about speaking to an audiobook listener that feels more intimate. I wanted to make sure that my voice conveyed the passion and urgency behind my words and that listeners could feel connected to the material and empowered and hopeful that they could take action in their own lives.
What other audiobooks or podcasts would you recommend for listeners after they finish The Anti-Ableist Manifesto?
For audiobooks, I would recommend Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judy Heumann and read by Tony Award winner Ali Stroker, and Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong.
For podcasts, I would recommend Thriving Together hosted by chronic illness advocate Nitika Chopra where she explores resilience and the path to thriving, and Jennifer Brown’s podcast The Will to Change, which explores ideas and strategies to drive positive change through DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
