Quinn

26 | She/Her

Quinn is a graduate student getting her degree in Disability Studies. Not entirely decided on what her longer-term goals are outside of her education -- kind of considers her Master's degree a stalling technique for now. Entertaining the idea of remaining to work in academia or going to law school after getting her degree, or keeping her options open and doing something else entirely. She tries not to worry about it too much and focus her energy on enjoying the highs of academia and muddling through the epic lows of being a disabled student on a college campus.

When she's not studying, Quinn spends a lot of her time painting and sketching. She does mostly portrait work, and tries to make a personal point of working with other disabled people as models primarily -- most of which she meets on access-a-ride trips or OT appointment waiting rooms. Prefers to work on smaller pages and canvases to limit the strain on her shoulders, and tends to prefer doing pen and ink sketches and working with acrylic paints. Once the paintings are finished, they'll frequently be gifted back to whoever modeled for them, or posted on social media if they're amenable to that. Occasionally sells or submits work to galleries, but often considers it a hassle, so she's not super interested in art as a career.

Otherwise, Quinn is also fond of horror -- particularly horror comedies. She gets a kick out of the crossroads between the horrifying and the absurd, and loves a well-executed gore fest. Has a lot of thoughts about the way certain movies utilize tension, and just as many on the "mindless" enjoyment of schlock entertainment. Also has a genuine soft spot for mediocre CW TV shows, particularly fond of the Riverdale show. Some of her favorite movies are: Slither, The Cabin in the Woods, Nope, and The Evil Dead 2.

Quinn has the connective tissue disorder Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which leans towards the more severe end of Type 4 for her. She was born with pretty severe scoliosis and dwarfism, nad has spent a lot of her life in and out of hospital stays caused both by frequent injuries and complications from the condition. She's been a full-time wheelchair user since she was a child, and relies on a lot of supportive care from aides and nurses in her day-to-day life.

Her physical health has largely stabilized as an adult, however. She has to be careful about air quality and flu season since she can have some trouble breathing, and even minor illnesses can wind up developing into pneumonia. Her joints cause her daily chronic pain, which is typically manageable, albeit exhausting. She struggles a lot with anemia and low blood pressure, and has to make sure she's keeping track of electrolytes and hydration to minimize those associated symptoms -- like nausea, headaches, and dizziness. She's gotten less prone to fractures as she's gotten older, but still has to carefully monitor her surroundings and be uncompromisingly firm with people sometimes, as anyone unexpectedly moving, jostling, or pushing her or her wheelchair can be dangerous.

She is outspoken and social and enjoys meeting new people -- makes new friends fast and acquaintances faster, often going out of her way to strike up conversation whenever she can. Quinn doesn't struggle much in social settings -- she's good at reading people and adept at getting a conversation started and keeping it going. She's curious and patient, and makes an effort to look out for people and include those who are more prone to being lest behind. She's an avid participant in local disability support and advocacy groups and does what she can to get the ball rolling. Is especially good at organizing -- she has a lot of social energy and the confidence to maintain it, making her good at stressing the importance of access for all and pestering the wheels of bureaucracy into turning a little faster.

That said, for every person out there who loves Quinn and appreciates her efforts, there's usually at least one who considers her abrasive and difficult to work with. While she has patience with people as a general rule, she loses it entirely the moment someone pushes her buttons and makes it clear that they're more of an obstacle than a help. The "my other disability is a bad attitude" poster child; she's blunt and utterly unafraid to speak her mind, even if there's no one around open to hearing it. She'll talk over people if she doesn't agree with them and doesn't shy away from insulting people she thinks have earned it. the combining constraints of "crip time" and chronic pain means she considers a lot of social niceties a waste of time when it comes down to the wire and isn't particularly shy about letting people know it. Even when she's not being outright abrasive, the fact that she can be blunt and no-nonsense rather than coddling people means that many strangers find her off-putting and rude (Even when they were the one who overstepped with her to begin with).

While Quinn is an adamant supporter of an emphasis on interdependence (the fact that not even able-bodied people are "truly" independent, and that all people have things they can and cannot do and ways we can help each other), she is not a fan of any proposals that depend on people getting support entirely via goodwill, volunteers, or charity -- she will always advocate fiercely for government programs, support, and paid positions. She is all too aware of the implicit power dynamic involved in support work, and never feels comfortable tying her physical health and basic needs to her ability to be considered "likeable" or easy to work with (let alone anyone else, who may not have her social skills or ability to self-advocate). She has a couple of support workers who stop in throughout the day to help her with things like getting out of bed and into her chair, using the bathroom, cleaning her apartment, etc. although she doesn't mind teaching people (like Lenore) how to assist her in a pinch.

Quinn is aware of the fact that some people find her grating but does not care. She's never rude to people who haven't 'earned' it in one way or another, and has a firm conviction that "getting along with others" can only come After advocacy, accessibility, and accommodations. She's not always great at tailoring an approach to an argument, but when most people expect her to be a meek doormat and are taken aback by even mild pushback, she doesn't see a point in dialing herself down -- it can only Really make her easier to ignore in the end, and she doesn't have time for that. Take it or leave it, that's all she'll offer.

Quinn has a fairly positive relationship with her family, although it is occasionally prone to being strained. Her parents were fierce advocates for her growing up -- in casual, education, and medical settings -- and were a big part in developing Quinn's ability to self-advocate. Her mother came with her to college when she was pursuing her initial Bachelor's degree, since Quinn was struggling to get adequate support from both the school and the government, which went about as well as you could expect it to. Still, the fact that Quinn was finally able to get her own support workers and a bit of distance while getting her Master's degree was something of a relief. They still keep in contact, and Quinn's mom stops by every once in a while to help out around the apartment or to step in if Quinn is having trouble coordinating access-a-ride transportation in a pinch.

Lenore happened to respond to Quinn's need for a new roommate, and the two of them hit it off pretty quickly. At first, Quinn was a little more worried on Lenore's behalf -- worried that someone else Lenore might move in with might take advantage of her or put her in danger by reacting poorly to her demeanor -- but Lenore's affable and relatively unflappable attitude also helped to make Quinn feel comfortable with the idea of depending on her in an emergency. Quinn tends to look after Lenore a bit, and appreciates that her blunt demeanor means she never has to worry about Lenore being secretly upset with her. Lenore models for Quinn fairly often -- is comfortable with letting Quinn draw her around the apartment, although she does request for them to not be shown or sold to the public. The fact that Lenore is also comfortable being told what to do (and then actually following through without any improvisations) also does a lot for their dynamic.

Quinn isn't as close to Ghost yet, but she would like to be closer. The fact that Ghost is so willing to blame herself for accessibility issues makes Quinn worry about her so much, and she's always trying to push Ghost into being a more stalwart self-advocate, but isn't actually that great of a teacher sometimes LOL. She thinks Ghost's poetry is amazing, and the fact that Ghost is so adamant about avoiding an audience for now drives Quinn a little bonkers, but she doesn't push as hard on that side of things. They're still figuring out how to talk to one another without Lenore there as a buffer, but Quinn is determined to figure it out.