GET ENGAGED

GETTING ENGAGED

KATIE CAMPBELL

Looking for something to do in that weird time between Christmas and New Year? Get cozy on the couch and check out some of these disabled, chronically ill and neurodivergent YouTubers.

JESSICA KELLGREN-FOZARD

The absolutely fabulous Jessica Kellgren-Fozard is a deaf YouTuber who creates a wealth of content about a host of subjects she’s passionate about: LGBTQ+ issues, disability and chronic illness, vintage fashion, and her experiences with motherhood. Yes, she does dress in vintage fashion every day, and yes we know it’s beautiful! A recent video explored how she’s raising her son Rupert to be bilingual as a speaker of British Sign Language (and an exploration of how Sign Supported English is different and not interchangeable with BSL) and English. Her channel is uplifting, educational, and outrageously stylish, so there’s bound to be a little something for everyone in her videos!

youtube.com/@jessicaoutofthecloset

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard

THE TRY GUYS

YouTube stalwarts The Try Guys found themselves in the midst of a bit of a media furore recently after a quite public split with founding member Ned Fulmer, but their content remains fun, funny and irreverent. The Try Guys are comprised of Keith Habersberger, Eugene Lee Yang, and Zach Kornfeld, the latter of whom lives with ankylosing spondylitis (an autoimmune condition which causes inflammation of the spine) and chronic pain. Zach’s videos exploring how he lives with chronic pain and continues to navigate the pandemic are excellent. His video “Why Don’t We Care About Disabled People” is a fantastic exploration of his own anger regarding attitudes towards disabled people as he’s come to terms with being a disabled person, and features interviews with other fantastic disabled creators, including the wonderful Imani Barbarin.

youtube.com/@tryguys

The Try Guys

MOLLY BURKE

Molly creates fantastic content exploring her life as a blind woman with her guide dog, the spectacularly named Elton John. Molly’s content is a fantastic exploration of her own life, helping others to understand the nuances of vision loss. Her video explaining how her previous guide dog Bennix had to retire is one of her most moving, emotional videos; it’s a raw, loving portrait of how important service animals are to the people who love and rely on them, and the heartbreak that people can experience when they’re separated from an animal who they not only adore, but is also a mobility aid.

youtube.com/@MollyBurkeOfficial

Hannah Witton Molly Burke

HANNAH WITTON

Calling Hannah “brilliantly honest” would be a complete understatement: Hannah creates content surrounding sex, relationships, and bodies with Mona - her ileostomy! Her videos are educational and fun, delivered in her friendly, straightforward style, that highlights the importance of taking an intersectional viewpoint and ensuring that the views of lots of different people - LGBTQ+ people, disabled people and many others - are considered and included. Her videos on what her stoma taught her about sex and relationships are incredibly eye-opening, as are her videos about her pregnancy, including an hour-long deep-dive into what pregnancy was like with her as an ostomate. If there’s ever been a question you wanted answered about sex and pleasure, Hannah likely has a video that will not only answer it, but make you feel like you’re not alone for wanting to find out.

youtube.com/@hannahwitton

YOU LOOK OK TO ME

Jameisha Prescod makes the most phenomenal videos exploring chronic illness. Almost all of the videos are under ten minutes, but the education that you’ll receive in those ten minutes could not be more invaluable: “How Medical Racism Changed How Doctors Test Our Lungs” explores the racism that permeates the medical field, and the racist myths that originate from the 1700s and continue to affect Black patients to this day and perpetuate health inequality. “Why Dr House Says ‘It’s Not Lupus’” is a brilliant exploration of Dr House’s insistence across the show that his patients categorically do not have the autoimmune condition, and how lupus has become a meme outside of the TV show. Jameisha’s videos are absolutely fascinating, and take a measured, easily digestible view of how pop culture represents chronic illness.

youtube.com/@YouLookOkayToMe

You Look Ok To Me