There’s a lot not to like about YouTube, but here’s one good thing about it: It’s giving amputees a voice and a platform they’ve never had before. This week we’re checking out a handful of people who are drawing big audiences on YouTube by sharing their experiences and demonstrating how rich the lives of today’s amputees really are.
Amputee YouTube Channel #5: Stump Kitchen
Name: Alexis Hillyard
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDa7IzZX_Lb882M4qZc6nzg
Subscribers: 4,060
Total views: 425,000
About: “Stump Kitchen is a double whammy: It’s for people who want to know how I cook with my arm, and also people who want to know how to prepare vegan/gluten-free recipes. None of it is planned; you lose some of the magic when you try to script things too much.”
In her own words: “Because I’m a congenital amputee, I had the advantage of learning skills as a child that I can transfer to my adult life. I learned all the social cues — almost like survival skills for anyone who’s an amputee. Like how how to talk about my limb difference; how to answer questions; how to suss out the kind questions from the mean questions; how to hide my limb difference; how to show off my limb difference.”
Popular Videos: “Arm vs. Leg Amputee: A Conversation About Limb Difference”; “How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Pudding”; “How I ‘Lost’ My Hand ”
