The children’s book author behind #disabledandcute on her favorite corners of the internet
September 7, 2022
Here at Mozilla, we are the first to admit the internet isn’t perfect, but we are also quick to point out that the internet is pretty darn magical. The internet opens up doors and opportunities, allows for people to connect with others, and lets everyone find where they belong — their corners of the internet. We all have an internet story worth sharing. In My Corner Of The Internet, we talk with people about the online spaces they can’t get enough of, what we should save in Pocket to read later, and what sites and forums shaped them.
This month we chat with writer Keah Brown. She created the viral #disabledandcute hashtag and just published “Sam’s Super Seats,” her debut children’s book about a girl with cerebral palsy who goes back-to-school shopping with her best friends. She talks about celebrating the joys of young people with disabilities online, her love for the band Paramore, other pop culture “-mores” she’s obsessed with and a deep dive into a TV show reboot that never was.
What is your favorite corner of the internet?
Film and TV chats with my friends, the corner of the internet that loves Drew Barrymore (because duh!), the new “A League of Their Own” discussions corner, the Paramore fandom because they are the best band in the world, and the rom-com corner of the internet.
What is an internet deep dive that you can’t wait to jump back into?
The deep dive into why we won’t see “Lizzie McGuire” the reboot.
What is the one tab you always regret closing?
The YouTube video I [opened] in a new tab so I wouldn’t lose it when the video I was watching ended.
What can you not stop talking about on the internet right now?
My new children’s book, “Sam’s Super Seats,” Paramore, Drew Barrymore, “A League of Their Own” the series, getting ready to move into my first apartment, Meg Thee Stallion, and Renaissance, Beyonce’s [new] album.
What was the first online community you engaged with?
The “Glee” fandom on Tumblr.
What articles and videos are in your Pocket waiting to be read/watched right now?
Abbi Jacobson on “The Daily Show,” apartment tours on the Listed YouTube channel, “10 Renter-Friendly Fixes for Your First Apartment,” Tracee Ellis Ross on “Hart to Heart,” and Meghan Markle’s podcast interview with Serena Williams.
How can parents or other caretakers of young people with disabilities use the internet to fight stigma and celebrate their joys?
By being aware that the disabled people in their lives are people first and deserve to be treated as such. Ask them for permission before posting about them online. Fight for them like you would anyone else you love and treat them like fully realized human beings 🙂 What I think is also important is that we center disabled people themselves and give them the space to share their own stories and celebrate joy while fighting stigma, too.
If you could create your own corner of the internet what would it look like?
The really cool thing is that it looks exactly like the one I have now. I talk about all my favorite things starting with the more’s: Drew Barrymore, Mandy Moore, Paramore and then there is what I’m watching for film and TV, then we have house tours, book promotion (buy “Sam’s Super Seats”!) and people who love cheesecake and pizza.
Keah Brown is a journalist, author and screenwriter. Keah is the creator of the viral hashtag #DisabledAndCute. Her work has appeared in Town & Country Magazine, Teen Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire UK, and The New York Times, among other publications. Her essay collection “The Pretty One” and picture book “Sam’s Super Seats” are both out now. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
