[Image description: A photo of Karin, a blonde, plus size, white woman wearing rose gold glasses and a light pink formal dress. She is laughing and smiling. On her wrist is a pearl bracelet. She is holding her cell phone, and sitting in a power chair.]

I believe telling stories matters because it reminds us that we are never truly alone in an experience.

Karin Hitselberger is a well-known disability advocate, activist, and award-winning blogger whose storytelling and writing can be seen in the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, the Wall Street Journal, and more.

A native of New Jersey, Karin received her Bachelor's in Communications and Religious Studies from the University of Miami. She also spent a year in the UK at the University of Leeds where she studied Disability Studies.

 In 2016, Karin moved to Washington, DC, where she has spent time working for various non-profit organizations, specializing in the referral of resources and crisis counseling and support to address the needs of vulnerable populations in the community - working with volunteers of all ages and worked to reshape a renowned internship program for college and university students.

In 2019, Karin began her journey to become a social worker, pursuing her Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. At this time, she also began working to address issues of sexual and intimate partner violence, and other related forms of abuse. She graduated with her Masters from Columbia in May 2021, and is currently working to pursue full clinical social work licensure.

She speaks and writes on issues relating to disability, body image, pop culture, and everyday life. It is her passion to integrate intersectional activism into all forms of work and life, as she believes advocacy and activism are a lifestyle, not a single action.

She began her blog, Claiming Crip because she wanted to share her experiences as an unapologetic, disabled, fat woman navigating through the world on wheels. She wanted to be the person for other young disabled people that she didn't see growing up. 

Here, she has created a space that is uniquely her own, that speaks to the heart of what it means to love yourself, and to fight for what you believe in - even if you're still working your way there.