At Vidcon, creator Peet Montzingo was joined by panel Valentine Brothers Imani Barbarin, Briel Adams-Wheatley and Pat Valentine.
Together, the panel discussed her experiences as creators who advocate for the rights of disability. Pat Valentine was born with Down syndrome and made a video with Zack, the brothers who represent the duo on the panel, and Imani Barbaline and Briel Wheatley Adams were able to speak to their experiences.
This is the highlight of this week’s Vidcon 2025.
When asked how accessibility in personal and professional life overlaps, Barberlin said, “I personally see accessibility as imagination and practice. I think people with disabilities are some of the most creative people on the planet.
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Valentine said, “Being accessible as a community and as a society really respects our voices, listens to people with disabilities, and includes them in everyday life and everyday conversations.”
“If everyone wants to admit it to themselves, they have a disability, whether it’s physically, mentally or emotionally,” Wheatley said.
The panel’s conversation focuses on navigating obstacles in the everyday world, and as Barberlin wisely said, “disability mathematics” is necessary every day to navigate the world. Much of the dialogue focused on the importance of visibility, focusing on how the disabled community was institutionalized during the Industrial Revolution and the importance of hearing voices with disabilities rather than speaking for them.
As Barbalin said, “Disabled people are rarely seen as trustworthy narrators of their stories and experiences. It makes it very difficult for everyone else to become our authority and actually defend themselves against the context of society that stole our voices from us.”
