Abstract

This chapter explores the genesis and maturation of the GimpGirl community. The community was initiated by disabled women seeking to establish a shared identity and has always been self-governed and maintained. We have collaborated to co-construct safe spaces online, free of ablest judgment, institutional bias and misleading preconceptions of disabled women to help our community transcend the infantilizing oppression of medical and institutional models of disability. Our journey has taken us across many ICTs, from MOOs to Second Life, Blogs to Facebook, as the interest and needs of our community have grown and changed, charting paths for others to explore.