NARRATOR: Next up, Jonathan Murray on Crip Time and The Disability Time Tax.
JONATHAN MURRAY: I’m Jonathan Murray, I’m white, non-binary, with long brown hair in a ponytail, glasses, wearing a purple dress shirt. I use any pronouns. I work with non-profit strategy and social return on investment in disability policy. I’m also multiply disabled and autistic. We often hear about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. But for disabled people, this ignores the reality of the disability tax.
This hidden tax, combined with the impacts of Crip Time, erodes our financial security and social capital. Crip Time refers to how disability impacts our experience of time. The system demands we conform to a rigid schedule, leaving us constantly behind. The disability tax compounds hitting some harder. Femmes, people of color, queer folks, rural communities, and those of us mandated to live in poverty to get health insurance face greater costs.
We need solutions that address this compounding effect. Disabled people must lead in crafting and enforcing disability policy. Policies without our input fall short, leading to fractional value, inefficient services and budgets that limit us. Those who live the barriers see them best. In Minnesota, social capital can be a weakness. If you’re a mayor or Governor, your street probably gets plowed first. This makes it harder to grasp the experiences of friends who can’t get their power wheelchairs over ice to get on the bus.
This isn’t about handouts, it’s about being our active allies in powering our resilience, innovation, adaptability, and problem-solving. It’s about sharing power and building together on our journeys, handing off so the torch never hits the ground during our Crip Time. Our curb cuts help move your loads. Without us doing things differently out of necessity, your journeys get longer and harder. Envision a world where we recognize the disability tax and it’s automatically reimbursed.
We run disability co-ops to group buy supports that fit us. Employers and service providers understand Crip Time and offer flexible schedules and accommodations. What will the world look like when we teach the next generation not to leave each other behind? Let’s build a world where disability is a strength, not a burden. Our resolve to leave no one behind can build a world where no one is left behind.