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

More episodes of Everything You Know About Disability Is Wrong

• My Normal Is Not Your Normal: Confidence, Community, and Content Creation with Steffi Gonzalez · May 28, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Mutual Support: Debunking the Caregiving Myth with Cole & Charisma Sydnor · May 12, 2026 · 48 min
• Free to Be Me: Ron Funches on Autism and Meeting Yourself Where You Are · April 16, 2026 · 54 min
• Meeting People Where They Are: Dani Bowman on Autism Acceptance · April 1, 2026 · 47 min
• Love, Humor, and Real Life: Shane & Hannah Burcaw on Relationships and Disability · January 8, 2026 · 1h 1m
• The Power of Purpose: Heather Mills on Business, Courage, and Kindness · December 22, 2025 · 1h 5m