Here’s the thing about internalized ableism: it’s a sneaky beast and you’re not always going to know it’s there. I sure didn’t. It took me until my 44th birthday to publicly identify as a person with disabilities.

Spoon Theory is a helpful lens to understand the varying needs of folks in your workplace. Christine Miserandino came up with the phrase in 2003 when writing about her experience with chronic illness, as a metaphor for the energy involved in day-to-day activities. Spoon Theory is now used to represent a wide range of disabilities, mental health issues, and forms of marginalization.