Dance Through It: The Story Behind “Disabled” and a New Era of Disabled Joy
About this episode
Austin Halls discusses his experiences with face difference and how his music and fashion challenge societal narratives around disability.
Pop artist and model Austin Halls joins Lily and Erin for a funny, candid conversation about music, face difference, and building a career that actually works. Born with Möbius syndrome (complete facial paralysis at birth), Austin talks about growing up with media that coded face differences as villainy, and how that shaped first impressions, assumptions, and everyday interactions. Austin’s answer is art and access. His dance-pop track “Disabled” flips the script with a hook that invites everyone onto the floor, shifting from pity narratives to unapologetic confidence. He shares how fashion and stagecraft became tools of self-expression, why “success ≠ cured,” and how to handle lateral ableism when visibility rises. From Runway of Dreams and New York Fashion Week to mentorship with RAMPD and a seat at the GRAMMYs (now a Recording Academy voting member), Austin shows what practical pathways look like: make the room workable, choose teams who get it, and insist on authentic casting rather than performances of disability. Key Moments 02:20 Audio descriptions and why on-mic context matters 03:11 Writing “Disabled”: reclaiming a word with a dance-pop hook 08:39 Breaking the villain…
People in this episode
Hosts: Lily, Erin
Guest: Austin Halls
Topics covered
- disability representation
- music and art
- face difference
- confidence and visibility
- fashion and self-expression
- lateral ableism
Keywords
- Möbius syndrome
- dance-pop
- media representation
- success and disability
- self-expression
- ableism
- authentic casting
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Runway of Dreams, New York Fashion Week, RAMPD, GRAMMYs, Recording Academy
Books & works: Disabled
Places: New York
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- Rewriting the System: Dr. Destiny Huff on Parenting, Practice, and Advocacy
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