Layers of Us | Vol. 1 No. 2
Welcome to August - Intersectionality Awareness Month: Let’s Go Deeper
We’re so glad you’re here for the August edition of The Ability Dispatch. This month is especially meaningful to us as we explore the theme of intersectionality — a powerful lens that helps us understand how our identities overlap and shape our lived experiences.
Thanks for continuing this journey with us. Let’s go deeper — together.
— Trish & Jen
What is Intersectionality?
August is Intersectionality Awareness Month, and at The Ability Company, we’re leaning into the power of this concept because we live it every day. Our community is beautifully diverse—not just in the identities we hold, but in the ways those identities overlap, intersect, and shape our experiences. Whether it's disability, caregiving, race, gender, neurodiversity, age, or sexual orientation, no part of someone’s life exists in isolation. Intersectionality reminds us that we must consider the whole person if we’re serious about equity and inclusion.
The term "intersectionality" was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to describe how people can face layered discrimination based on multiple aspects of their identity. Crenshaw’s work centered on Black women whose challenges were being missed by systems focused only on race or only on gender. At The Ability Company, we see this same pattern playing out in countless ways—when systems aren't built to support real lives, people fall through the cracks.
We’ve felt that firsthand. Trish, for example, lives with a disability and doesn’t drive—not because she doesn’t want to, but because a modified vehicle is financially out of reach. Many jobs require applicants to have their own transportation, which becomes a major barrier to employment. Another example of intersectionality is that Trish has struggled for years to find a dentist willing to work with her—often turned away due to liability concerns or lack of accessibility readiness. These are not gaps in motivation or effort—they are systemic gaps that exclude disabled people from basic services and opportunities.
Her sister, Jen, is her caregiver and advocate. While the barriers she faces are different, they are deeply connected. As a caregiver, Jen navigates medical appointments, supports decision-making, and manages the emotional and logistical weight that comes with caregiving. That labor is rarely visible and often under-acknowledged—particularly for women, who disproportionately take on caregiving roles without formal support. Jen’s experience shows us that caregiving itself is an identity shaped by gender, work, and social expectation. It intersects with her professional life, her time, and her sense of self.
Intersectionality helps us understand how these challenges don’t exist in isolation. In Trish’s case, her disability intersects with economic limitation, healthcare bias, and social exclusion. In Jen’s, the intersection of caregiving, gender, and workplace expectations reveals how layered identities create distinct struggles. These stories reflect how real life resists neat categories—and why our work must be designed to honor that complexity.
To deepen this reflection, we’re also sharing a visual tool that helps make intersectionality more tangible: the Wheel of Power/Privilege, created by educator Sylvia Duckworth. This graphic maps out how different social identities—like ability, gender, race, neurodiversity, body size, and more—intersect with systems of power. The closer an identity is to the center of the wheel, the more societal privilege it tends to carry; the farther out, the more likely it is to be marginalized.
This tool helps us ask better questions about inclusion: Where do we sit on the wheel? Where do our colleagues, clients, and community members sit? And how do those positions shape access, opportunity, and voice?
You can explore the wheel and its context in this educational resource from eCampus Ontario, which includes Duckworth’s graphic and a breakdown of how it connects to intersectionality and positionality.
At The Ability Company, we choose to celebrate complexity. We design with flexibility. We listen, we learn, and we commit to supporting the whole person. Because no one should ever feel like they have to leave part of themselves at the door just to fit in.
Quote of the Month
“We have to recognize the intersectionality, the interconnectedness of all of these institutions and attitudes.”
This Month in The Ability Journals
There’s more where this newsletter came from — our blog is warming up with fresh ideas, bold perspectives, and an Intersectionality lens on accessibility. Coming on:
August 1 - Welcome to The Drop Zone: Where Bold Meets Purpose
August 13 - Caregiver, Sister, Advocate — And Still Me
August 21 - Circles Within Circles: How Community Grows at the Intersections
August 29 - More Than Meets the Eye: Intersectionality, Identity, and the Wisdom of Dogs
Journal of the Month: Welcome to The Drop Zone: Where Bold Meets Purpose
This month’s journal kicks off Intersectionality Awareness Month and introduces something new: The Drop Zone, our space for intentional, limited-edition releases rooted in purpose.
We’re spotlighting everyday intersectionality—from the layered realities of disability and employment to the caregiving roles that shape how we show up. These real stories drive our mission to design with empathy and honor complexity.
Our first drop, “Too Layered for One Label,” is a bold reminder that people can’t be simplified—and inclusion must meet us where we truly live.
The Drop Zone is more than products. It’s a movement. And we’re just getting started.
Read more here.
Behind the Scenes
We’ve been busy — in the best way. While you're reading this, we’re laying the groundwork for some exciting next steps behind the scenes.
Fall for All clothing drop. A warm, inclusive collection under our Celebrations category—designed for everyone who loves autumn and believes fashion should reflect real life. This drop celebrates seasonal joy and accessibility, hand in hand.
Winter Holiday/Christmas Drop (In Progress) Coming later this year, our festive releases will offer designs that honor all kinds of celebration—full of heart, culture, and inclusive flair.
Keynote Outreach and Speaking Engagements. We’re reaching out to businesses and organizations ready to hear real stories and bold truths. Our keynotes spotlight disability, caregiving, and intersectionality through honest, human conversation.
Coloring Book Concept for Kids. We're exploring a creative, kid-friendly addition to our Fall for All line—a coloring book that brings accessibility and disability awareness to young minds in playful, thoughtful ways.
Word of the Month: Intersectionality
Intersectionality is a term used to describe how different aspects of a person's identity — such as race, gender, disability, class, sexuality, and more — interact and overlap to shape their experiences, especially in relation to systems of power, privilege, and oppression.
Service Spotlight: Ability Circles
Ability Circles are vibrant, supportive communities created by The Ability Company—one for adults with disabilities and one for their caregivers. Through monthly live virtual sessions, guest speakers, workshops, networking, and even a book club, these circles offer connection, education, and empowerment. It’s about building spaces where lived experience is valued, voices are heard, and no one feels alone.
Learn more here.
Product Spotlight: Too Layered for One Label
Our first-ever Campaigns: Limited-Edition release is here, honoring Intersectionality Awareness Month with a product that speaks volumes.
“Too Layered for One Label” is more than a shirt. It’s a statement—about disability, caregiving, identity, and being seen as whole. Designed to spark conversation and celebrate complexity, this bold piece invites others to rethink the boxes we’re placed in.
Grab yours now.
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