Access Intimacy: The Missing Piece

In 2011, writer and disability justice activist Mia Mingus, in her blog Leaving Evidence, described “access intimacy” as an, “elusive, hard to describe feeling when someone else gets your access needs” and a sense of “comfort that your [entire] disabled self feels” (Mingus, 2011). Since the coining of the term in 2011, various disabled bloggers have written about access intimacy, but academic writings on the term remain sparse. McNamara (2013) calls access intimacy the “missing piece” of the disability community. Due to the sparse amount of academic literature and the power behind the words used to describe access intimacy, this qualitative research study explored the defining features of access intimacy, its importance, and the relationship between access intimacy and community building. Through blog posts and semi-structured interviews, participants expressed that access intimacy was an important and unique form of intimacy that allowed them to view their disability as a natural part of the human experience, helping them to combat internalized stigma and shame. As a result, in these moments they were able to be vulnerable, hold space for another, and just be in the moment. Being in these moments also allowed participants to utilize the lessons learned to develop healthy interpersonal relationships and community with others.