78 DIVERSEability Magazine www.diverseabilitymagazine.com
COMMUNITY
D
uring the Summer of 2020, Jennifer Lee was diagnosed with Crohns disease, becoming one of the 1.3 Asian Americans who identify with having a disability. Before officially being diagnosed, Lee was told by her doctor that Asians dont get Crohns and was often the only Asian person or even the only person of color in attendance at her support groups for chronic illness. On her journey to diagnoses and treatment, Lee dis- covered limited educational information and resources exist for Asian Americans experi- encing a disability. In other words, Lee discovered that the exploration of intersectionality, the relation- ship between multiple identities, for Asian Americans with disabilities was severely lacking. Lee decided to found the youth-led group, Asian Americans with Disabilities
Increasing Visibility for Asian Americans With Disabilities
Initiative (AADI). AADI is a space for Asian Americans with disabilities to explore their intersectional identities. It provides access to resources to combat ableism and anti-Asian racism and creates a platform for issues sur- rounding misinformation on Asian Americans with disabilities. Oftentimes colleges or social circles like to box you saying you can either care about disability or Asian American advocacy or gen- der issues, Lee told NBC of her discovery of intersectionality, What Ive learned is its not only important to talk about all of these, but in fact they play into each other. Less than a year after their founding, the group is introducing the Asian Americans with Disabilities Resource Guide, an 80-page online guide designed to help its readers understand the experiences, research and information that exist for Asian Americans with a disability. The guide includes a pleth- ora of resources that range from personal experiences and data, plus access to support groups and questions for self-discovery. The
MEGAN LIANG
Above: Zoom screenshot of the AADI members; inset: The Princeton branch of the AADI
JIYOUN ROH
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