Introduction – Crip Create is a weekly online co-working and socializing space centered on Disability Justice for all Disabled individuals. It meets every Wednesday from 1:00-3:00 PM PDT and Saturday from 4:00-6:00 PM PDT. This report highlights the accomplishments, themes, and insights from the Crip Create sessions held throughout 2023. The space was collaboratively organized by Calling Up Justice, The Curiosity Paradox, Catalyst Consulting, and Crip Create Rising.

Attendance and Engagement –Throughout 2023, Crip Create maintained consistent attendance, with session sizes ranging from 4 to 22 participants. A total of 104 sessions were held this year, offering participants a dependable, supportive, and adaptive space. The highest attendance was 22 participants on June 14, while the average attendance was approximately 10 participants per session. Over the course of the entire year, we enjoyed facilitation by 22 individual volunteers from our community. Many participants returned regularly, underscoring the value of Crip Create as a space of solidarity, productivity, and mutual care.

Key Themes and Activities Crip Create offered participants the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities. These included:

• Key Themes and Activities- Crip Create offered participants the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities depending on a variety of needs:
• Productive Co-Creation: Participants accomplished tasks ranging from practical to creative, including grant writing, website maintenance, video editing, lunar calendar construction, and shadow play with cameras. Many reported satisfaction in “getting a bunch of things accomplished when you didn’t have the desire” and celebrated seeing others complete tasks like creating illustrations or even enjoying an “accidental ted talk on decolonizing Yoga.”
• Solidarity Networks: Beyond simple support, participants built networks that addressed complex intersectional experiences. From navigating ABLE accounts, and discussing finances on SSDI/SSI to trans rights and family stuff, the space fostered connections that acknowledged the full complexity of disabled experiences, especially at the intersections of race, gender, and class.
• Affinity Spaces: The innovative breakout room structure allowed for specialized environments including the whimsical “Room of Mystery” (described as “filled with mystery”), the cathartic “Crip Rage Room,” a restorative “Rest and Recoup” space, and identity-affirming “BIPOC Affinity Room” where participants “listened to BIPOC poetry” and built community.
• Collective Knowledge Exchange: Sessions featured rich information sharing beyond typical skill-building. Including detailed discussions of “strategies for dealing with difficult clients,” collaborative problem-solving for finding housing, and exploring “best practices by organizations regarding accessible processes.”
• Artistic Exploration: Some members worked on “drawing,” “knitting,” and “zines,” while others developed audio and video editing skills or content creation. The space supported both structured activities like “hand sewing” tutorials and spontaneous creative moments such as “playing with shadows and cameras.” These diverse creative outlets provided both therapeutic benefits and opportunities for skill development in a pressure-free environment.
• Social Connection: The space nurtured relationships through shared experiences from the nourishing (“caramelizing onions”) to the celebratory (“SNOW!” days and birthday celebrations where “when you’re a crip, your birthday lasts for a month”). These connections fostered an environment where one participant said “[I] feel like I can produce rainbows at any time” amid daily challenges.

Participant Feedback – Crip Create participants consistently expressed gratitude for the space. Feedback highlighted the following key benefits:

• “Really grateful for this coworking space – it helped me get things done”
• “I feel less alone with the unique symptoms and frustrations we have to deal with”
• “My cup is feeling halfway full which is good, my social battery has been charged up”
• “Crip Create leaves me feeling I can produce rainbows at any time”
• “This space [is] a space of freedom and self-understanding and community”
• “We all left feeling a lot better than they were when they got here”

Acknowledgments- Crip Create owes its success to the dedication and collaboration of its facilitating partners: Calling Up Justice, The Curiosity Paradox, Catalyst Consulting, and Crip Create Rising. Thank you for the fundraising labor, the admin labor for intake, the text reminders and calendaring, and the maintenance of our digitals tools. We are also so grateful to all the volunteer labor in facilitating individual sessions. A heartfelt thanks to all participants who made this space vibrant, inclusive, and transformative in 2024.

Conclusion – Crip Create continues to be a cornerstone for Disabled individuals seeking connection, productivity, and solidarity. Many virtual spaces designed for COVID safety and accessibility have been collapsing. This space has consistently been in activation since 2020 and with the growing momentum of 2023, Crip Create is poised to deepen its impact and further embody the principles of Disability Justice in the coming year.