Laura Hershey

“Remember, you weren't the one who made you ashamed. But are the one who can make you proud.” - Laura Hershey

Introduction:

was a Colorado-based writer, poet, activist, and consultant. Her poems and essays explore diverse topics including body, nature, community, activism, social justice, disability rights, equitable health care, community inclusion, feminism, and nonviolence. She authored Survival Strategies for Going Abroad: A Guide for People with Disabilities, and more than 100 of her articles and essays have been published in journals, anthologies, magazines, and on websites worldwide. She earned a BA in history from Colorado College, an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Colorado College.

For more of Laura Hershey’s biography, writing and poetry, go to her website: http://www.laurahershey.com

"You Get Proud by Practicing" is one of Hershey's best-known poems, exploring disability pride as something built and practiced over time rather than simply felt.

"You Get Proud by Practicing" is one of Hershey's best-known poems, exploring disability pride as something built and practiced over time rather than simply felt.

You can read the entire poem here: http://www.thenthdegree.com/proudpoem.asp

Below is a short text excerpt of the poem:

You do not need

a better body, a purer spirit, or a Ph.D.

to be proud.

You do not need

a lot of money, a handsome boyfriend, or a nice car.

You do not need

to be able to walk, or see, or hear,

or use big, complicated words,

or do any of those things that you just can’t do

to be proud. A caseworker

Cannot make you proud,

or a doctor.

You only need more practice.

You get proud

by practicing.

–Laura Hershey, 1991