I get to go to a #Book #ReleaseParty in less than a month!! I am so excited to be a #contributor for this book! I'm even more excited that I will get to meet some of my friends in person for the first time at the party.

One of my first thoughts after finding out I was going to go was "what do I wear to a book release party?" I was worried people would judge me based on my lack of nicer clothes. I'm #disabled so I rarely leave my house and have gotten rid of anything more fancy I owned.

Then I started thinking about my shoes. I realized I only own one pair of sneakers. Specific sneakers, because my #neuropathy makes my feet hurt so bad that these sneakers are the only shoes I can wear for any amount of time without too much pain.

It was then I realized that no one would care if I wore sneakers that I could tolerate, they would just be happy I could participate in the events.

Only after it was a need to wear a certain thing could I frame it in my mind that way. Then I realized that that really did apply when my friends told me to wear the clothes I will be comfortable in.

#DisabilityFriendlyEvents means no judgment for doing what you need to do to be there. No one is going to care about what I wear. My presence in the activities is the important part. #Sensory, #medical, #anxiety, it really doesn't matter. Find people and events that let you show up whatever way you are comfortable, and spend your time there.

If your #event claims to be #inclusive but excludes people who can't follow your arbitrary dress code, you need to redefine your idea of #inclusion.