People with disabilities can feel sexy in their bodies and we do.
It's just so important for people with disabilities
to be represented in this movement. And I feel like they really aren't.
All right, can you help me, like, do my hair a little bit?
Make it beautiful? Sure.
Because you know how... I mean, it already is beautiful. ..you know how good I am at that.
This is called the sex kitten look.
I'm kind of digging it, though, to be honest.
Wow, why don't you always do this?
I'm really surprised, because you usually don't like anything
I do with your hair.
Wheelchair Rapunzel is a little edgy.
So... How edgy am I? Gosh.
So, there's different types of SMA, I have type two.
Just a genetic disease that I was born with
and it's just affects all my muscles.
I was always in a wheelchair.
I was never able to do walk.
I thought maybe she just had, maybe, a dislocated hip
or some orthopaedic problem.
The doctors kept telling me, "Um, she's just, you know,
"a little delayed in walking. No problem, it'll all,
"it'll all come together."
Until finally, a doctor diagnosed her with spinal muscular atrophy.
We were shocked, we didn't know what it meant.
He, he went on to say what they meant...
..and gave her, um...
..so many years to live.
SMA is a very serious disease.
She did very well and continued to thrive without much complication.
Yeah, and then... And I got your corn tortillas. ..OK.
I used to be very, very, very thin.
I almost needed a feeding tube, um, because with my disease,
you lose the ability to swallow.
So, I, kind of, was losing that ability as a teen
and I was not able to eat food.
SMA affects the muscles that control...
..um, head and neck control, as well as swallowing. Mm-hm. Breathing...
..things like that.
Anything that's really a muscle and the amount of muscles
in your throat and your tongue that push food down, that we take
for granted, is, is really affected by SMA. Mm-hm.
Yeah. But you somehow learned...
..a way around it.
My trick is adding tonnes of sauce to everything.
Wait, you could hand me, I could stir it a little bit.
Yeah, and you know what? Here, let me turn it down.
An SMA stir. Yeah, do your famous SMA...oh, wait.
You need the wooden spoon for that.
Oh, my wooden spoon. Your favourite wooden spoon.
All right, let's do this.
Oh, yeah.
You got it, girl. We're making big moves over here. Yeah, we are.
We're making some moves.
I sense an incident, but that's OK.
Now, thanks to Spinraza, the new drug for SMA, um,
hopefully my quality of life will remain how it is.
Doctors can't really say, "It's going to make you better,"
but they do say, like,
"If anything, it'll stop the progression of the disease."
For me, I felt a lot of improvements.
Changes with my arm, the strength has improved.
Um, which, for someone with SMA, is huge,
I could pretty much do all my make-up by myself.
But sometimes, I do have someone help me with my foundation,
because it does get pretty tiring,
um, with my little disabled hand, to do my entire face.
I haven't always been super confident about my body.
I have scoliosis, so my body is twisted and my ribs protrude
and, you know, I have a different body than most people.
There is this body positive movement happening today,
and it's just so important for people with disabilities
to be represented in this movement
and I feel like they really aren't.
So, I started, um, Instagramming, kind of, more formally
about a year ago.
I just love having the ability to advocate for everyone
on a large scale, like Instagram.
You want to help me swipe through some things, over here? Sure.
OK, so... How about your "going out" stuff? Yeah.
I post pictures of me, kind of, you know, more risque.
People with disabilities can feel sexy in their bodies and we do.
So recently, I posted a picture of myself in a thong.
Um, kind of, exemplifying that people with disabilities
have booties that we want to show off.
It got, you know, a lot of attention and most of it was positive.
It paid off, so that's good.
I'm not a designer, by any means,
so I, kind of, had to learn everything myself.
Um, but it's mainly all me with the help of some of my friends.
I sell merchandise that is aimed to make people feel positive
about their bodies and just their self.
So, I sell t-shirts and hoodies and bracelets
saying all sorts of really cool things.
Hey! Hi.
Hey, babe.
I missed you.
I like to dance, like, I'm going to be moving my wheelchair around.
She likes to, kind of, toss in people's faces,
like, "Hey, like, I'm edgy." And, um...
Totally. I'm just like everyone else.
I'm just like everyone else and I think that's,
really, how she handles it.
And once you get to know her you forget
that she, like, is in a wheelchair.
Yeah, no, I never even think about that. Yeah.
I have to go. No! I'm going to work soon.
Love you. All right, bye. Enjoy your pizza.
Have a fun night at work.
I will, I will.
Every day Alex makes me proud, watching her happiness
as those orders roll in. Watching her, her face light up
when her followers have something beautiful to say to her.
All of those things are the joy in my life.
All right, are you ready to go get some drinks?
Yeah, you want to go? Yeah.
Bye. Bye! Be back soon.
All righty. Love you. Love you.
Love you, girls.
Let's ride.
A huge misconception about disability,
oh, my gosh, where do I begin?
That people with disabilities...
..don't feel sexy or have romantic relationships.
Even though I haven't really ever been, like, in a serious one, like,
I make out with guys in clubs, regularly.
Excuse us.
Thank you, gentlemen.
I never really thought about my disability that much.
I just always, kind of, knew I had this thing and, if, you know,
Paige, my friend, has to, like, drag me by my ankles
to get from A to B,
then that's what we've got to do.