Owning Disability: How Jennifer Sarche Found Strength in Identity
Jennifer Sarche, MPH, spent years navigating the quiet burden of internalised stigma around her disability. Like many others, she once felt the pressure to downplay it — to stay silent in order to be accepted, included, or seen as capable.
By Jennifer Sarche – Psychology Today SA
But her journey took a transformative turn when she began to fully embrace her disability not as something to hide, but as a defining and empowering part of her identity. In doing so, Sarche discovered a deep well of self-confidence, purpose, and pride.
This shift was not instant. It came through introspection, advocacy, and connection to a wider disability community. Sarche came to understand disability not just as a medical category, but as a vital social identity — one that links her to generations of resilience, activism, and leadership.
Owning that identity gave her new language, new confidence, and the power to advocate for herself and others. It allowed her to stand taller, speak louder, and push back against exclusion — not despite her disability, but because of what it taught her.
Jennifer Sarche’s story is a powerful reminder: embracing disability identity is not a burden — it’s a breakthrough. It’s a step toward visibility, dignity, and social change. True inclusion begins when people with disabilities are seen, heard, and empowered to live as their full, authentic selves.
