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In this episode of the Race and Rights Podcast, guest host Dr. Esaa Mohammad Sabti Samarah sits down with Dr. Mustafa Rfat, a faculty member at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, a scholar of forced migration and disability justice, and the Refugee Congress Delegate representing the state of Missouri, for a conversation examining the intersection of refugee rights, disability, and structural inequality. Drawing from both rigorous scholarship and lived experience as a refugee with a disability, Dr. Rfat explores how immigration systems, social policies, and institutional practices shape the lives of refugees with disabilities long before and long after resettlement.Together, they examine the historical exclusion of people with disabilities from U.S. immigration and citizenship policy, the barriers refugees encounter when navigating health care, education, employment, and naturalization, and why disability must be understood through a social rather than medical lens alone. The discussion also explores the human consequences of recent refugee and deportation policies, highlighting how inaccessible systems and language exclusion can undermine both disability rights and fundamental human rights.Throughout the conversation, Dr. Rfat reflects on his own journey from Iraq to the United States, illustrating how personal experience has informed a research agenda dedicated to advancing refugee health equity, participatory research, and disability justice. The episode challenges listeners to reconsider dominant narratives about refugees by centering resilience, dignity, and belonging while emphasizing the responsibility of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to dismantle structural barriers rather than expecting individuals to overcome them alone.This episode is essential listening for scholars, practitioners, policymakers, students, and advocates committed to refugee rights, disability justice, health equity, and human rights.Links to Published WorksRfat, M. (2026). Path to Citizenship: Addressing the Needs of Refugees with Disabilities in the Naturalization Process. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work. Rfat, M., Zeng, Y., Yang, Y., Adhikari, K., & Zhu, Y. (2023). A Scoping Review of Needs and Barriers to Achieving a Livable Life among Refugees with Disabilities: Implications for Future Research, Practice, and Policy. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work. Rfat, M., Zeng, Y., & Trani, J.-F. (2023). Exploring the Intersectionality of Disability and Refugee Statuses: Reflecting on My Refugee Journey. British Journal of Social Work. Rfat, M., Cureton, A., Mirza, M., & Trani, J.-F. (2025). The Devastating Effect of Abrupt U.S. Refugee Policy Shifts. The Lancet. Rfat, M., Engelman, A., & Seaborn, S. (2026). US Forced Deportation, Language Exclusion, and Disability Justice. The Lancet. Rfat, M., Yang, Y., & Cohen, F. (2025). Benefits and Challenges of Using Participatory Research Among Refugees With Disabilities: A Scoping Review. Health Education & Behavior. #RefugeeRights #DisabilityJustice #HealthEquity #ForcedMigration #HumanRights #SocialWork #RefugeeHealth #Accessibility #MigrationJustice Support the showSupport the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation:Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbUfYcWGZapBNYvCObiCpp3qtxgH_jFy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr
This episode of National Disability Radio highlights a recent disability rights victory in Colorado, where advocates successfully worked to repeal a law that permitted the forced sterilization of people with disabilities. One of our very own P&As, Disability Justice in Colorado, was instrumental in making this happen! Hear from policy leaders and self-advocates behind the effort as they discuss coalition-building, and why disability rights progress depends on keeping people with disabilities at the center of the conversation. **NOTE** Disability Law Colorado has recently rebranded to Disability Justice! Check out their new messaging and branding on the web and across their socials: Disability Justice's Website: https://disabilityjustice.co/ Disability Justice's Social Media Channels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/disabilityjustice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disabilityjusticeco/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@disabilityjusticeCO The Arc of Colorado's Website: https://www.thearcofco.org/ The Arc of Colorado's Social Media Channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheArcofColorado Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcofcolorado/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-arc-of-colorado/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/thearcofco YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheArcofColorado The Arc of the United States' Website: https://thearc.org/ The Arc of the United States' Social Media Channels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thearcus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thearc_us/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thearcus/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thearc_us Transcript: Michelle Bishop: Okay. Sorry, sorry. I can get serious. We can do this. Wait, are we recording? Alden Blevins: Yes. Michelle Bishop: Oh, okay. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Well, there's our cold open. Here we go. Michelle Bishop: Hi everyone, and welcome back to National Disability Radio, the official podcast of the National Disability Rights Network, where we share with you stories and conversations that advance the rights, voices, and leadership of people with [00:00:30] disabilities. I'm Michelle Bishop, one of your co-hosts, and today we are really excited to be joined by some of our own, two folks we were able to connect with through our own network of organizations across the US. We're going to be talking with Disability Law Colorado about some of the recent amazing advocacy work that they've been doing. But before we do that, I'm going to kick it to my co-hosts. Stephanie Flynt McEben: That's right. Hey, everybody. Stephanie Flynt McEben, public policy analyst with the National Disability Rights Network and two-thirds of [00:01:00] your podcast hosting team. But yeah, wanted to kick it off to our wonderful guests. Jack Johnson: Sure. Yeah, thank you for having me. So I'm Jack Johnson. I work at Disability Law Colorado as our public policy liaison, the one and only, so I'm a team of one here in Colorado, but am joined by a lot of great advocates in our network through our community partners, as well as all of the people that work at Disability Law Colorado who bring their lived experience to our policy [00:01:30] work and their expertise in their specific areas that they work in every day. And here in Colorado, we have a very busy legislative session and a very active legislature, which means we get to do a lot of fun work. And I get to work with Molly all the time, which I'm really grateful for, and I can pass it over to her. Molly Kirkham: Perfect. Well, yeah, thank you all. I'm Molly. I work for the Arc of Colorado as a legislative policy advocate, which basically means I get to talk to senators, [00:02:00] representatives, about bills and issues that matter to individual with disabilities. And aside from that, I'm also past president of SFO and vice president of Speaking for Ourself Colorado and People First. Speaking for Ourselves is a statewide group and People First is local. And I've always been connected to disabilities. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Awesome. Thank you so much, Molly. I'm going to pass on to Alden. Alden Blevins: [00:02:30] Yeah, I was just going to say I'm so glad that you're both here today. I think this type of legislative advocacy work is so important. I used to work at a P&A myself in Virginia, and back when I was doing their communications and kind of stressing the importance of the work, I kept coming back to the key phrase that changing laws can change lives. And I think that work like you guys have done on this bill that we're going to talk about today is something that could maybe be a blueprint for other P&As across the United States as they struggle with similar things [00:03:00] in their legislatures. So thank you so much for being here with us today. Michelle Bishop: Yes, we're excited to talk about this, especially anytime we get a chance to highlight some of the incredible work that's being done in our own network. That's our favorite thing to do. So first things first, let's get into it. For any of our listeners who might be unfamiliar, the big news is that Disability Law Colorado worked with their state legislature to get a new law passed that would end forced sterilization policies that are on the books. [00:03:30] Can you talk a little bit about what the law allowed and how long it was essentially on the books? Jack Johnson: Sure. Yeah. So as a little bit of a background, lots of states around the country have these laws. I think maybe a dozen or so have repealed them. Colorado now joins that list, but over 30 states still have these laws on the books, and it's unclear [00:04:00] how many states use them still. But the fact that they exist even here in Colorado has been a problem for us and something we've tried to solve. And so what the law did is it created a specific pathway for a court to order the sterilization of a person who has an intellectual or developmental disability over their objection. It was actually passed not that long ago, around the same time that the ADA was passed in the '90s and early 2000s, and amended [00:04:30] through that decade. But the reason it was passed is because before this, courts were just doing it, and it goes all the way back to our state hospital and practices of eugenics back in the 1920s all the way through to the end of the 1900s where there was different courts doing different things, but not a legal due process pathway. And so when it was passed, it was supposed to be more progressive by adding [00:05:00] due process protections and adding things to the law that would prevent these sterilizations from happening without judicial intervention or without clear judicial direction. However, here we are in 2026 and the consensus is pretty clear that one's progressive policy now is very regressive because it still through statute authorizes eugenics-level sterilization for people over their objection. Alden Blevins: Yeah. It's wild [00:05:30] to think that it was passed that recently to me. And you kind of delved into this a little bit with your answer, but I mentioned earlier, I'm a woman with autism and I'm personally all too familiar with the rich history of eugenics that is unfortunately a part of America's story. So I just wanted to ask, how do you see this connecting to the broader history of how people with disabilities are treated in the United States? I know I have my own answer, but I wanted to see if you had any thoughts. Jack Johnson: Yeah, I [00:06:00] mean it's very interesting. This is the year 2026. Buck v. Bell was passed in 1927, so we're coming up on the hundredth anniversary of that Supreme Court decision and the decision that still could theoretically be used as precedence in future cases. And after a hundred years of advocacy, we have other protective laws like the ADA and other things, but [00:06:30] this is the last final piece, I think, in terms of our legal protections that needs to come into place. And it's a really problematic history, especially here in our specific state, in Colorado, where we have a single state hospital, which used to be a large institutional setting primarily for people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities or behavioral health disorders. It has since been transitioned in a way that is more clinically focused, but [00:07:00] the building itself remains and the practice itself remains at least a theoretical possibility in the law. We've been as an investigative unit, as the P&A, obviously active in protecting people's rights. And there hasn't been a recent case, at least in the last 10 years where we've had to challenge one of these proceedings. But in an era now where other areas of disability rights are actually regressing, and we're seeing policies passed [00:07:30] that move us backwards, we took the opportunity to take that last step forward to pass this law. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Thank you so much, Jack. I really appreciate it. In talking a little bit about, obviously we both know this as public policy folks, but a lot of factors and things can come into play when trying to get a bill passed, let alone a bill signed into law. And so I was wondering if you could [00:08:00] talk a little bit about any political barriers, cultural barrier, any types of barriers that you might've encountered when advancing this piece of legislation? Because I can't imagine, as we all know, policy does not happen overnight. And so I'm sure that this has been a long time coming given the nature of public policy as well in general. Jack Johnson: Yeah. We have been fortunate that the bill passed, I think unanimously or close to unanimously, [00:08:30] through the vote chambers and got almost 100 votes of the legislators, but it wasn't easy. I think we started this project actually over a year ago during the 2025 General Assembly. And because of a lot of barriers to how slow things move in politics, as well as some of the policy questions related to this topic, it took us over a year just to get our appropriate bill drafted with sponsors in place [00:09:00] to run the legislation. And even as the legislation passed, I think there were especially folks who unfortunately, I think, still have the policy in mind that some level of eugenics is acceptable to them, that there was some outreach to the legislators and to us that this was the wrong direction to take and it would lead [00:09:30] to negative outcomes for people, which is surprising given the year that we're in, but maybe not all that surprising given some of the other areas of disability rights where we're seeing policies go backwards. But in spite of that, I think we had people like Molly and other people speak for themself who have lived experience with a disability, who, given this law, could be sterilized over their objection. And so having them speak in both of our panels of public testimony [00:10:00] in the House and the Senate was really, really powerful to the legislators and I think helped convince them despite the outreach they were getting from other folks that this was the right policy to pass. Alden Blevins: Yeah, that leads us so nicely into the fact that I think having buy-in from the disability community is always helpful when it comes to the world of legislative advocacy, because ultimately people want to hear from their constituents. So that said, could you tell us a little bit more about how you [00:10:30] engaged advocates with disabilities to help support you guys? Or you said maybe they delivered some testimony when advancing this bill. Jack Johnson: Yeah, absolutely. So Colorado's legislative session I think is like most states in that we start in January and we go through the spring and we're time-limited to the middle of May, 120 days after we start. So that's kind of the cycle that we all work on to pass public policy objectives, which means that at the end of every May or the beginning of every June, [00:11:00] we meet as an organization, as a P&A, and we talk about what the next year's objectives are. And that includes from our survey that we put out into the community issues that people are facing, as well as barriers that our legal teams are seeing with laws that are not working appropriately or that need to be changed or repealed or protections added for people with disabilities. And from there, we spend most of the summer meeting with all of our community partners. So all [00:11:30] of the organizations that represent and advocate for people with disabilities and who interact in this world. We have community round tables and do one-on-one meetings where we present what we think our priorities are going to be for the next year. We get input from our community partners and we hear what they're working on and what we can support them on as a collective. And from that round table, we usually come away with both our legislative priorities, but also our team's legislative priorities. [00:12:00] So everyone else who works in the legislature, who advocates here, we understand what every organization's doing and how we can partner with each other and support each other, and then testify in support of each other's legislation. And so from those community meetings, there was a lot of excitement about this bill, and they're open to the public. So it's not just if you are a part of an organization, anyone with a disability is welcome to join. And we have email lists that people then can join onto if they want to learn about particular [00:12:30] pieces of legislation throughout the summer and the fall as we advance them. And when it comes time to testify, we just notify our partners and anyone on those email lists to come speak their voice. And we've been fortunate the last couple of years because of all this community-building that we've done, that when we run legislation or our partners run legislation, there's always great turnout in supporting the rights of people with disabilities. And especially here in Colorado, we have had great success the last three to five years [00:13:00] in really passing impactful legislation, and this is just another example of it. Michelle Bishop: Jack, just congrats to you and to everyone on the work that was done here. And I believe it when you say folks were excited about doing work on this bill, because the historical perspective is one of the things that's really interesting to me. When I talk to folks I know from outside disability rights world, I think this is one of those issues that people think is, "This is old, this is from the past. There's a problem that should be solved. [00:13:30] This is not an issue anymore." But it's not just Colorado. Antiquated laws like these seem to stay on the books. They stick around even when notions of how we approach disability have changed. And I'm wondering why you think laws like this seem to have such staying power even decades after society has, I'll say for the most part, rejected these kinds of ideas. Jack Johnson: Yeah, you're right. We see lots of laws, not just this one, that seem antiquated but still [00:14:00] remain on the books. And I think there's a lot of reasons why. The first reason is that many of these laws, it takes an act of a governing body to change the law, and legislators only have so much time in their day and so much effort to run legislation across all of their constituencies. And so taking time to pass a law that maybe seems antiquated and doesn't do anything requires people to step up and ask for it to be changed. [00:14:30] It requires us as the P&A to devote our resources to repealing it and our community partners to come testify and a legislator to spend 120 of their days in legislative session to advocate for its passage. And so the inertia of getting any law passed small or large is big. And when you think about all of the different areas of disability rights that need attention, all the legal protections that need added or all the systems that need improved or all the old laws that need repealed, [00:15:00] sometimes it takes a lot to get all of those resources into place to repeal a law that may be old. But also there is a lot of institutional power that we take back in disability rights. And so institutions, the governments or state or local governments, large institutions related to healthcare or economic institutions, even [00:15:30] laws that they potentially don't use anymore doesn't mean that they would accept us removing them, taking them off the books, because that's taking away some of their perceived power. And so when you're looking at a government and we're asking it to give us more rights, give people with disabilities more rights and take away some of the power they have over people with disabilities, even if it's not power that they currently use, there is sometimes that institutional [00:16:00] resistance to allowing that change to occur. And so between those two things, sometimes it's hard to find a sweet spot where you can actually get something passed. Alden Blevins: Yeah, I think resistance to change is just something that we struggle with in general, but especially when it comes to those larger systems that you spoke so well about, it can really be hard to just change people's minds about the way something has always been done or the way [00:16:30] something has always been framed. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Oh, 1000%. Just talking about that, I think one of the things that really helps in terms of changing minds is really spotlighting the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities. And so with that, I do want to pivot our next question over to Molly. So Molly, I know that you have your own lived experience with disability, and I know that this topic is an incredibly heavy topic, [00:17:00] especially throughout the disability community. Do you remember how you felt when you first realized or learned about that a law like this was a thing or existed? Molly Kirkham: Yeah, I definitely can. For me, my first reaction I think was shock. Kind of like what you guys and Jack said, it's 2026, and I was shocked to hear that it's still happening and that it hasn't been. [00:17:30] Yeah, it's more of shock of, wow, we have so much progressed in thinking and how we value people with disabilities in the community, but it's still shocking to think that there's still stuff like for sterilization and that's still happening. And so to me, it's shock. And also that it's time that we address this. So, for real, shock and almost, not frustration, but just like, wow, how? And [00:18:00] almost like, yeah, because I wouldn't think that was still going on. So that shock of being like, okay, this is still happening, for me, I think it's more just [inaudible 00:18:16] 2026 and this is still going on. And I think that's how probably a lot of people feel, is the unknown too. It's like you don't know that's going on. So when you hear it, you're like, "Okay, let's do something about this." Stephanie Flynt McEben: Yeah, absolutely. And [00:18:30] I think that you hit a major point on the head, is a lot of people don't know what they don't know. And so I think that's a really huge point that hitting on is so important. And I definitely agree. It's 2026. You wouldn't think that laws like this would exist, or at least the average everyday person wouldn't think so, but you pull behind the curtain and this is what you see. I know that Alden has some lived experience that maybe she may be able to share too. Alden Blevins: [00:19:00] Yeah. So I was just going to say that as someone with my own lived experience with disability and my own trials and tribulations, especially with navigating some systems as a person with disabilities, I know that something that can be very hard for our community is trusting systems, especially the medical system, the healthcare system or the legal system. And I just wanted to ask you, Molly, how do you think that laws like these and their history affects [00:19:30] how our community trusts these systems? Molly Kirkham: Yeah. So I think now it does make you feel untrustworthy of it. And I think this goes back to the fact that you're not in charge of your own decisions. So to me, that's the big part, is not trusting the system to truly listen to you. Because a lot of times when you have disabilities, it feels like the legal system or doctors are deciding what's going [00:20:00] on or what's going to happen without you being present or being in control. So for me, part of trust is feeling like people listen and heard. So for me, a lot of times when in legal systems, if you have a disability, you feel like that you're not going to be heard. And that's I think what ruins the trust, is the fact that people with disabilities already [00:20:30] feel not in the majority, in the minority, and we're already a group that's not as included sometimes in discussions or decisions. So for that, I think that's what it goes back to, is that when people with disability feel like they're not valued or people just don't make decisions, I think that blows the trust just in the fact that you don't know if they're going to make the decisions [00:21:00] in your best interest. Before the law came in, I think now that we do have this, I think it's building more trust back because you can tell that people want to listen, that they are changing the ways of having ... instead of other people decide, that they're giving the control and the decision back to the person with disabilities. So I think there's still lack of trust, but I think the more bills or the more legal systems and actual systems start [00:21:30] giving back that choice and the decision to people with disabilities, is going to build that trust back up. Michelle Bishop: Molly, I really feel that as we're talking about this, it seems like this is something that comes up again and again every time we talk about the healthcare system in the US, that is people with disabilities, we struggle to navigate the systems, we struggle to get our needs met. And I was wondering if y'all could talk about how disabled people's capacity to make decisions about their own bodies [00:22:00] gets questioned or even if are there other legal protections that exist or that need to exist to protect the bodily autonomy of people with disabilities in Colorado or beyond? Molly Kirkham: To answer that question, I think yes, we can always have more protections. I always say the more protections and the more protection for people with disability are always, to me, a plus. But to the [00:22:30] first question, which is, yeah, the decisions and their own bodies [inaudible 00:22:36], I think that again goes back to the fact that the judgment part, the preconceived notion is that when someone comes in with a disability, that they must not be able to make the decision. Or it's the same thing with doctors, is they can decide just because you have a disability, that means that you cannot [00:23:00] make your own decisions or that you don't have the capacity. And I think that goes back to the fact that disabilities, not able or not as able as someone else. So it goes back to that context of if there's someone with disability, that must mean that someone else has to make that decision for them. And I think with doctors, it's the same as they're professional. And so they're going to say that because as a professional, that it feels like they sometimes [00:23:30] have maybe more knowledge. And a lot of times when someone with disabilities, a lot of people assume that they need someone else to do it, that they are not going to be able to make that decision to give consent. And I think it comes back to, again, that preconceived assumption that someone with a disability is not able [00:24:00] to understand, that they're not able to really actually make that decision. And I think that goes back a long time for many areas. So doctors, teachers, one of them, but I know we're always trying to work on this, is support decision-making, guardianship. I think for me, this is a big one as first sterilization of course is a big one since it really [inaudible 00:24:30] [00:24:30] I can't imagine not being able to decide. But I think it goes to almost a lot of stuff. So to me, it's anything that can impact a person with disability rights is something that needs to be protected, whether that's [inaudible 00:24:46], whether it's health insurance, whether that's job. But I think a lot of times one thing that would need to change for that is getting rid of that preconceived notion that people with disabilities are not [00:25:00] able to do stuff and trying to get to the point of supporting them and giving them that opportunity to take some control back of decisions that truly affect them. Stephanie Flynt McEben: 1000%. Absolutely. And I think that a lot of that is based on perceptions and misconceptions. People don't realize or expect [00:25:30] that disabled people or people with disabilities can make various decisions for themselves. Obviously, these are some really, really heavy topics. And so I did want to lean a little bit into a little bit more of a positive framework here and really just personally ask, what does it mean for you personally that this law has passed? Molly Kirkham: Yeah. What does it mean personally to me to see that change? [00:26:00] I think, to me, it's hope. It's the idea that there are people even now through tough times that are willing to stand up and say, "This is not right," and fix it. And to me, again, it's going back to seeing that people with disabilities are valued, that they do matter. Going back to personalization, to me, it feels very hopeful and comforting to know [00:26:30] that there is a law now that does say that people with disabilities still have the right to [inaudible 00:26:38], that they have the right for them to be in control of their lives and make decisions. And again, the repeal of the law, to me, it means that we're taking a step forward. That we are saying that people with disabilities should have that decision, that they are the ones who can decide [00:27:00] what happens to them and what is not going to happen. When I think about this bill, I think about how far we already have come from the history of people with disability being sterilized and now coming to the place that we're saying, "No, that's not right." And that this is not how people with disabilities are going to be treated. To me, that is really very comforting [00:27:30] to know that the people are going to stand up, that even laws like this can be changed and that people can do what I think is the right thing even if it's a lot. Even if there's a lot of people pushing against it, that there is always going to be at least, that people are going to support the disability and that they want ... And that's a change in perspective from people with disability not being able to say what they [00:28:00] want to do to now being the ones in charge of what goes on. So I think at the end of the day, it's just about seeing, even if things are tough, seeing the progress that's going on, even if it's little. Alden Blevins: I love what you said about both hope and progress. For me, it's inspiring both to look backwards and think about the things that some of our ancestors in the disability community had to live through and that they were able to get through [00:28:30] that not even that long ago. But it's also inspiring to look forward and think about all of the progress we can make and how far things have come in terms of changing attitudes and really supporting the capacity and the competency of people with disabilities to make decisions about their own lives. So I love the message of hope because I think it gives me some hope too. Michelle Bishop: I think that's true, Alden. And not to be a huge bummer, but [00:29:00] as we've been having this conversation, I've been wondering for Jack or for Molly, we've talked a lot about the history here. Do you think it's dangerous to assume that this could never happen again? Jack Johnson: I'll jump in here. That's one of the reasons we wanted to repeal the law. What we saw was a friendly legislature and an opportunity. Even though we've heard that this procedure has not been used recently, we very much feel that given everything happening in the world right now, it's not [00:29:30] unrealistic that someone could use this law to justify doing this again or expanding involuntary sterilization the way it is right now. And so it wasn't just a symbolic repeal of something that doesn't happen anymore. I think it really is an important repeal to protect people with disabilities as many areas of government move to look to restrict rights even further. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Thank you so much. [00:30:00] I really appreciate that insight there. Are there any other takeaways throughout the legislative process of getting this done that you think might be informative for other states to engage in their own advocacy? Jack Johnson: Yeah, I think one of the powerful things that we looked at that really started this process was a 50-state study done by a national women's health organization that looked at [00:30:30] forced sterilization laws across the country and also examined state by state using citations where those laws exist in the statute and how they may interact or interplay with other areas of law. And that was a really powerful study because it's persuasive to the legislators who are looking at what other states have done, but it's also a great starting point because it points you directly to what your state is doing in terms of forced sterilization in their statute, where it belongs in the statute, and [00:31:00] an easy point to just say, "We need to repeal this thing right here." Alden Blevins: And I love that you said that you leaned on that study from the national women's health perspective, because I think that that so well illustrates a topic for my last question, which is just, do you have any additional advice about how to bridge gaps or build coalitions with other organizations so that we can collaborate as a larger disability community to [00:31:30] make things like this happen? Jack Johnson: Yeah. Well, I definitely encourage folks to reach out to every other organization that works in those spaces in the state or in neighboring states. I think we've had a lot of success with that, building power in our movement by collaborating with other disability-focused organizations or adjacent organizations that advocate for kids, advocate for healthcare patients, advocate for justice-involved folks, [00:32:00] because all of those organizations have an impact and their advocacy helps us just as much as we help them. And those type of movements have really given us not just us standing alone, but us standing in community with a lot of lived experience, not just from the disability perspective, on the policies and their impacts on people. And then the other thing is we try very diligently to keep a lot of our policy meetings open so that anyone can participate. And I think that gives us a [00:32:30] lot of buy-in, not just for people with lived experience, but for other organizations who may not want to participate or may not be able to participate now, but who want to follow along in our process and who may, given the right bill or the right opportunity, jump in and be a great supporter that we have. And so I know there's a lot of strategy that goes involved in lawmaking, but we always try to just leave our meetings open with invites that are public, and that has given us a lot of success in terms of buy-in and voices [00:33:00] of people with disabilities leading the way. Michelle Bishop: Thank you both so, so much for joining us today. This has been really an incredible conversation, and thank you both so much for your work and your leadership. I'm glad we can share this with the rest of our network. I know Stephanie has some info for our listeners. And Molly and Jack, I fear that you're also about to find out about Stephanie's gift for joke telling. Stephanie Flynt McEben: My gift? Oh my goodness. Yeah, no, seriously. Thank you all so much for being [00:33:30] a part of this conversation, 1000%. For any of our listeners who are interested in keeping up with everything that's going on, you can follow Disability Law Colorado on their website, which we'll have linked in the show notes as well as their social media channels. But I also want to give Jack and Molly an opportunity to shout out anything else that they might want to plug in terms of following. Jack Johnson: I think Disability Law Colorado's webpages and our social [00:34:00] media is the best place, but Molly is the rockstar. She's on the local news in the evenings when they interview people with lived experience. So she's definitely the one that you want to follow. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Oh my gosh. Molly, do you want to plug your social media and then we can also put it in the notes? Molly Kirkham: Yeah, I'll be happy to. So I would say for mine, I do have a Facebook page. Yeah, it's just Molly Kirkham. There's two of them. So it's Molly Kirkham and it's the one that's having [00:34:30] me with the running. But I'd say in terms of social media in terms of legislative, the Arc of Colorado Facebook page, website, and the Arc of the United States page, I would always recommend. If you reach out to them, they can help you in many ways. So for social media, that's it. And then the last thing that I think Jeff might know this is in terms of speaking up and speaking out is to remember [00:35:00] to not take no as a solid answer. That's a step toward a yes. And for me, the most important thing to remember is to look at everyone as a person. And I think that's my main message in any of this, legislative, doctor, whatever, social media, is just remembering that this is a person that is going to be affected. I think that's my big takeaway. If people can look at each other as humans, that goes the farthest. Stephanie Flynt McEben: [00:35:30] Absolutely. Absolutely. And then Michelle, aren't you going to ask me your favorite question of the episode? Michelle Bishop: I was hoping Alden was just going to wrap us, but okay, Jack and Molly, we have this weird tradition on our podcast where Stephanie has gotten into the habit of telling a joke. And if you don't know this about Stephanie, she tells really terrible dad jokes. So Stephanie, do you have a joke for the people this time? Stephanie Flynt McEben: I actually don't. Michelle Bishop: What? There's no joke. Stephanie Flynt McEben: I know. The [00:36:00] thing is, I was going to try to make a joke about employment, but it just wasn't working. Michelle Bishop: Oh. Alden Blevins: My God. Stephanie. Michelle Bishop: Stephanie, actually, you got me with that one. I'm not going to lie. Stephanie Flynt McEben: I was honestly ready for your reaction to me not having a joke because I was like, I always have a joke. Michelle Bishop: You always ... Honestly, I don't know why I believed you when you said you didn't have one ready. And I think you got a chuckle out of Jack actually. Stephanie Flynt McEben: [00:36:30] Yay. Oh my gosh. We love our little jokester crew. Oh my gosh. Michelle Bishop: Thank you both for coming on today, for everything you taught us today. It was amazing. And for dealing with our terrible, terrible jokes. Alden, tell the people everything they need to know. Alden Blevins: Yes. Again, we're so grateful we've been able to collect and learn more from you both. This has been National Disability Radio, where we dive into tough topics and the elbow grease it takes [00:37:00] to make change happen. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation with us at ndrn.org or anywhere you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening. And until next time, let's keep working together to create a world where all people with disabilities can thrive. Stephanie Flynt McEben: Bye.
D/Annie Liontas joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about suffering 3 brain injuries in one year and how that changed their relationship to their body and to the world, post-concussive syndrome, how science is delayed around all things female body, gender and selfhood, being a reluctant nonfiction writer and how memoir was the last thing on their mind, understanding the external and internal forces that we have to reckon with to live, the narratives around women and queer people, interrogating our own patterns, knowing when we're sidestepping a thing, the cascading problem of vulnerability, considering how you protect the people you love in a memoir, what stories need to be told, and doing so on our own terms, the lonely condition of being inside the human body, how memoir has its own timeline, getting to the story beneath the story and their new memoir Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and Recovery. Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story Also in this episode: - redacting text - knowing when we're hiding - finding comfort in the telling Books mentioned in this episode - Fit Into Me by Molly Gaudry - Decade of the Brain by Janine Joseph - The Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken - The Writing Life by Annie Dillard - Bone Black by bell hooks - Wounds of Passion: A Writing Life by bell hooks - Mad Eden by Morgan Thomas - Clam Down by Anelise Chen Essay: “Against Catharsis: Writing is Not Therapy” by Essay by T Kira Madden https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/litfriends-podcast/id1717357361 D/ANNIE LIONTAS is the trans-genderqueer author of the crip-queer memoir Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and Recovery, which won the ALA's 2025 Stonewall Award for Nonfiction and was shortlisted for The Athenaeum of Philadelphia's Literary Award. They are a recipient of the 2025 Lambda Literary Córdova prize, and their debut novel, Let Me Explain You, was selected as New York Times Editors Choice. They co-edited the anthology A Manner of Being: Writers on their Mentors, and their work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, BOMB, McSweeney's, The New Review, Oprah Daily, and elsewhere. An Associate Professor at George Washington University, LIONTAS helped secure a Mellon Foundation grant on Disability Justice to bring storytelling to communities in the criminal justice system. They write the Most Anticipated Queer Books list at Electric Literature and live in Philadelphia with their wife, dog, and Email the rabbit. Connect With D/Annie Liontas: https://www.instagram.com/aliontas/ https://www.annieliontas.com/ (currently being updated) Purchase Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sex-with-a-Brain-Injury/Annie-Liontas/9781668085561 https://www.theshipmanagency.com/annie-liontas Lit Friends Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/litfriends-podcast/id1717357361
Dom Kelly has spent almost his entire life advocating for disability rights. He lives with cerebral palsy and he is the founder of New Disabled South based in the US.He tells us about his extraordinary life story that has moved from rock music to disability justice advocacy, while also offering a history of the US Disability Movement. He talks about the waves of change led by that movement and how they are distinct, and explores the importance of intersectionality in the movement - and the role of difference in building a movement for collective liberation.If you have ever wanted to know more about the disability movement, including how they were the creators of the magnificent phrase "Nothing About Us Without Us" then this is a chat for you! The disability movement has lessons for us all!=====For more on ChangeMakers check us out:Via our Website - https://changemakerspodcast.org (where you can also sign up to our email list!)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMakersPodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changemakerspodcast/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@changemakerspodcastBlue Sky: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersall.bsky.socialFor more on the books and Amanda's writing, have a look at:Amanda's website - https://amandatattersall.com/ Conscious Tribes: thinking differently about making a difference - here and via Hardie GrantPeople Power in Cities - here and via Oxford Uni PressOn Substack - https://substack.com/@amandatattersallOn Medium - https://amandatatts.medium.com/Amanda is on Socials here:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandatattersall/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.tattersallBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandatattersall.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersallTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.tattersall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dom Kelly has spent almost his entire life advocating for disability rights. He lives with cerebral palsy and he is the founder of New Disabled South based in the US.He tells us about his extraordinary life story that has moved from rock music to disability justice advocacy, while also offering a history of the US Disability Movement. He talks about the waves of change led by that movement and how they are distinct, and explores the importance of intersectionality in the movement - and the role of difference in building a movement for collective liberation.If you have ever wanted to know more about the disability movement, including how they were the creators of the magnificent phrase "Nothing About Us Without Us" then this is a chat for you! The disability movement has lessons for us all!=====For more on ChangeMakers check us out:Via our Website - https://changemakerspodcast.org (where you can also sign up to our email list!)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMakersPodcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changemakerspodcast/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@changemakerspodcastBlue Sky: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersall.bsky.socialFor more on the books and Amanda's writing, have a look at:Amanda's website - https://amandatattersall.com/ Conscious Tribes: thinking differently about making a difference - here and via Hardie GrantPeople Power in Cities - here and via Oxford Uni PressOn Substack - https://substack.com/@amandatattersallOn Medium - https://amandatatts.medium.com/Amanda is on Socials here:On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandatattersall/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.tattersallBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandatattersall.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersallTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.tattersall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dom Kelly, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of New Disabled South, joins us for a conversation about disability justice and building systems that truly support disabled people and their families. We talk about the connection between art and activism, why awareness alone is not enough, and how community care can keep one person from carrying everything alone. Plus, our co-hosts discuss caring for senior animals and a new report showing Indiana leads the nation in the decline of children enrolled in Medicaid.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week we revisit a Peabody Award–winning documentary about a summer camp that helped spark a disability revolution—reminding us that transformation often begins with community. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: Crip Camp is a Peabody Award-winning documentary from Netflix and Higher Ground Productions that tells the story of Camp Jened, a summer camp in the 1960s where disabled youth could be themselves. The film follows several former campers who went on to be leaders of the Disability Rights Movement. Laura speaks with the directors and producers of Crip Camp about how they are using the film to advance the next step in the revolution: Disability Justice, a movement that centers the leadership of disabled queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color. If the inclusive culture of Camp Jened could help transform American society in the second half of the 20th century, what could a truly intersectional Disability Justice Movement change for us all today? Plus thoughts from Laura on interdependence. Guests: • Jim LeBrecht, Co-Director Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution; Founder Berkeley Sound Artists • Nicole Newnham, Co-Director Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution; • Andraéa LaVant, Impact Producer Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution; And President and Chief Inclusion Officer of LaVant Consulting Inc. Watch the episode released on YouTube; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast. RESOURCES: Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Disability Justice: Alice Sheppard & Jess Thom • Policy Demands for #DisabilityRights: An Animated Explainer w/Dara Baldwin • Special Report: Ableism Out, Independent Living Now! • Ableism Separated Disabled People from Autonomy: Kelly Buckland and vilissa Thompson • Design For Justice: Disabled Hackers Are Leading The Way • Tech: Existential Threat or Life Support? Related Articles and Resources: • The Crip Camp Educational Curriculum • Crip Camp 2020: The Virtual Experience • The Defense of Black Lives Must Include Disability Justice by Andraéa LaVant, The Root • 10 Principles of Disability Justice by Sins Invalid • This manager is working toward diversity in Hollywood — and that includes those with disabilities by Anousha Sakoui, Featured ‘Music in the Middle' of the Podcast: “Badass and Blind” the title track of Raul Midón's album released on Mack Avenue Records. Check out our feature with Raul Midón: “Creative Adaptation and Covid-19” Listen and Read More Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
Torina Gedler is a musician who is also known as DEĀ EX MACHINĀ, which means "Goddess from the machine" in Latin. With their lush synth-pop sound, DEĀ EX MACHINĀ promotes harmony and inclusion in society through authentic Disability representation in music. DEĀ EX MACHINĀ advocates for the arts, LGBTQIA+ rights and Environmental and Disability Justice. Their debut EP, APO/THECARY, comes out on July 29, 2026. During this episode, DEĀ EX MACHINĀ discusses: Their work as a musician before and after being disabled by a brain injury Why it's important to have disability representation in music The main themes of their debut EP How joining RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) influenced their work as a musician Their EP release party on July 29 in Des Moines, Iowa Learn more about DEĀ EX MACHINĀ at www.DeaExMachina.music and listen to their music on Subvert, Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Learn more about Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD) at RAMPD.org. Listen to other Beyond 6 Seconds episodes with neurodivergent musicians: Adin Boyer (episode 227): https://www.beyond6seconds.net/227 Kaishawna (episode 187): https://www.beyond6seconds.net/187 Support or sponsor this podcast: BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds Watch the video of this interview on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=IldZ1PQYP4E Read the episode transcript: carolynkiel.com/podcast/dea-ex-machina Follow the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast in your favorite podcast player: pod.link/1336740192 Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes: mailchi.mp/f9f6e8356138/insider *Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations. These episodes are for informational purposes only and do not substitute for professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you are seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.*
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week we celebrate the life and legacy of Alice Wong with two of her closest collaborators, reflecting on the movement she helped to build. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: Alice Wong lived longer than she expected, but not long enough. The celebrated disability activist lived by the principle that disability justice is integral to all liberation movements, and centered disabled stories with the Disability Visibility Project. When Alice Wong died on November 14 at the age of 51, people across social movements shared their grief and awe for her work, such as her bestselling 2022 memoir, “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life”. She has been called an oracle, visionary, unapologetic and fearless, and our guests, Wong's dear friends and collaborators, are committed to lifting up her legacy. Sandy Ho is the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum and partner with Alice Wong and Mia Mingus in the Access is Love campaign. She was asked by Alice Wong to post her letter after she passed, where Wong writes “. . . our wisdom is incisive and unflinching.” Steven Thrasher is an acclaimed journalist, professor and author of “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality & Disease Collide”. He was suspended from teaching classes after speaking out — as Wong also did — on Palestine. Join us as we celebrate Alice Wong and ask what is the work to be done when it comes to healthcare and civil rights for disabled people. Plus a commentary from Laura on imagining the next 100 years. “A lot of Alice's advocacy was focused around the systems that force disabled people to be at the margins . . . Whether it is the Black Lives Matter movement or the pandemic, we see the ways in which our society and political systems respond, and not in ways that prioritize those who are least privileged and have the least amount of power.” - Sandy Ho “I remember talking to [Alice Wong] about the ways she had been conditioned as a disabled Asian American woman to try to accept crumbs, to not complain, to be very docile. I thought that she was really brilliant in bridging together not just Asian American communities, but queer communities, LGBTQ communities, all the communities where your body is made to feel like it doesn't belong.” - Steven Thrasher Guests: • Sandy Ho: Executive Director, Disability & Philanthropy Forum • Steven Thrasher: Daniel Renberg Chair of Social Justice in Reporting, Northwestern University; Author, The Viral Underclass & The Overseer Class *Recommended books: “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life” by Alice Wong, *Get the book “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide” by Steven Thrasher, *Get the book (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Watch the episode released on YouTube; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Music Credit: 'Thrum of Soil' by Bluedot Sessions, 'Steppin' by Podington Bear, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper Support Laura Flanders and Friends by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/lauraflandersandfriends RESOURCES: Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • “The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation • The New Disabled Population in Gaza: Comedian & Disability Advocate Maysoon Zayid: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation • Anita Cameron & Keith Jones on The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Milestone With Miles To Go: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut Related Articles and Resources: • Disability Visibility Project, Founder: Alice Wong • DisabledWriters.com • Access Is Love • A Tribute to an Oracle, Alice Wong, by Rebecca Cokley, November 26, 2025, The Nation • Trump Gutted AIDS Health. Care at the Worst Possible Time, by Steven W. Thrasher & Afeef Nessouli, December 1, 2025, The Intercept • On Valentine's Day, Let's Recognize Why #AccessIsLove, by Alice Wong, February 14, 2019, Rooted In Rights • Remembering Alice Wong: Writer, Advocate, Friend, by Steven W. Thrasher, November 17, 2025, LitHub • Crips for eSims for Gaza, chuffed.org • Alice Wong Interview with Steven Thrasher with subtitles, Watch • Alice Wong, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, MacArthur Foundation Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week we celebrate the life and legacy of Alice Wong with two of her closest collaborators, reflecting on the movement she helped to build. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: Alice Wong lived longer than she expected, but not long enough. The celebrated disability activist lived by the principle that disability justice is integral to all liberation movements, and centered disabled stories with the Disability Visibility Project. When Alice Wong died on November 14 at the age of 51, people across social movements shared their grief and awe for her work, such as her bestselling 2022 memoir, “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life”. She has been called an oracle, visionary, unapologetic and fearless, and our guests, Wong's dear friends and collaborators, are committed to lifting up her legacy. Sandy Ho is the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum and partner with Alice Wong and Mia Mingus in the Access is Love campaign. She was asked by Alice Wong to post her letter after she passed, where Wong writes “. . . our wisdom is incisive and unflinching.” Steven Thrasher is an acclaimed journalist, professor and author of “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality & Disease Collide”. He was suspended from teaching classes after speaking out — as Wong also did — on Palestine. Join us as we celebrate Alice Wong and ask what is the work to be done when it comes to healthcare and civil rights for disabled people. Plus a commentary from Laura on imagining the next 100 years. “A lot of Alice's advocacy was focused around the systems that force disabled people to be at the margins . . . Whether it is the Black Lives Matter movement or the pandemic, we see the ways in which our society and political systems respond, and not in ways that prioritize those who are least privileged and have the least amount of power.” - Sandy Ho “I remember talking to [Alice Wong] about the ways she had been conditioned as a disabled Asian American woman to try to accept crumbs, to not complain, to be very docile. I thought that she was really brilliant in bridging together not just Asian American communities, but queer communities, LGBTQ communities, all the communities where your body is made to feel like it doesn't belong.” - Steven Thrasher Guests: • Sandy Ho: Executive Director, Disability & Philanthropy Forum • Steven Thrasher: Daniel Renberg Chair of Social Justice in Reporting, Northwestern University; Author, The Viral Underclass & The Overseer Class *Recommended books: “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life” by Alice Wong, *Get the book “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide” by Steven Thrasher, *Get the book (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Watch the episode released on YouTube; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. Music Credit: 'Thrum of Soil' by Bluedot Sessions, 'Steppin' by Podington Bear, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper Support Laura Flanders and Friends by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/lauraflandersandfriends RESOURCES: Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • “The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation • The New Disabled Population in Gaza: Comedian & Disability Advocate Maysoon Zayid: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation • Anita Cameron & Keith Jones on The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Milestone With Miles To Go: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut Related Articles and Resources: • Disability Visibility Project, Founder: Alice Wong • DisabledWriters.com • Access Is Love • A Tribute to an Oracle, Alice Wong, by Rebecca Cokley, November 26, 2025, The Nation • Trump Gutted AIDS Health. Care at the Worst Possible Time, by Steven W. Thrasher & Afeef Nessouli, December 1, 2025, The Intercept • On Valentine's Day, Let's Recognize Why #AccessIsLove, by Alice Wong, February 14, 2019, Rooted In Rights • Remembering Alice Wong: Writer, Advocate, Friend, by Steven W. Thrasher, November 17, 2025, LitHub • Crips for eSims for Gaza, chuffed.org • Alice Wong Interview with Steven Thrasher with subtitles, Watch • Alice Wong, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, MacArthur Foundation Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
In this episode of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long COVID Podcast, I'm joined by Charlie McCone. Charlie is a Long COVID advocate, contributor to The Sick Times, member of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, someone whose work has become deeply woven into the LC community, and another guest I was convinced was too cool to come on the show.Charlie and I talk about what happens when your life is changed by an illness that most people still don't understand, if they even think it's real. We explore why Long COVID has been so difficult for the public to grasp, why facts alone don't seem to be enough to create change, and the role storytelling plays in helping communities be seen, believed, and understood.We also discuss the concept of "hypocognition," which is what happens when society lacks the frameworks to recognize a problem, and how this shows up in the experiences of people living with chronic illness and disability, as well as disability culture, patient-led research, the power of first-person narratives, how communities organize, and what keeps people speaking up when progress feels so very painfully slow. We also chat about Charlie's friendship with Alice Wong, and the lessons he learned from her about advocacy and life.You don't have to live with Long COVID to understand how it feels to try to find purpose when your life takes an unexpected turn. But if you do have LC, are navigating another chronic illness or disability, you're supporting a loved one, or trying to better understand what millions of people have experienced over the last 6 years, I think we took a really good look at how people telling the truth about what they've lived through is a powerful way to drive change. Charlie, thanks for your work and for joining me!Find Charlie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loscharlos/Bravely, on X: https://x.com/loscharlos?lang=enOn Threads: https://www.threads.com/@loscharlos His amazing piece, Alice Wong showed us DIsability Justice makes our advocacy stronger: https://thesicktimes.org/2026/04/10/alice-wong-showed-us-disability-justice-makes-our-advocacy-stronger/Find Beth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afriendforthelonghaulpodcast/Treat yourself to some Long COVID merch in my shop and support this podcast and mutual aid: https://www.bonfire.com/store/a-friend-for-the-long-haul/Read my Substack: https://f4lh.substack.com/
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week, We'll hear from a comedian and unapologetic voice weaving together disability rights and Palestinian identity with humor and sharp political insight. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Become a supporting member at https://LauraFlanders.org/Donate Description [Original Release Date December 8, 2024]: Israel's US-backed war on Gaza has been a mass disabling event. Today's guest says we must create a “viable, accessible future” for the disabled Palestinians we have failed. Maysoon Zayid is a comedian, Princeton Fellow, and unapologetic voice for both disability rights and Palestinian identity. A fierce advocate with cerebral palsy, Zaid proves that the most powerful messages often come from unexpected places and are filled with laughter. She's lost tens of thousands of dollars of contracts for her views, she says, but that hasn't stopped her “making funny during a genocide” on social media all year. And she's shown her followers her home village in Palestine — the best place on earth, she says, despite the onslaught of oppression and violence that her people have endured. Maysoon co-founded the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and the Muslim Funny Fest. Her viral Ted Talk, “I Got 99 Problems...Palsy is Just One,” has been translated into 42 languages, and was one of the most popular talks of 2014. She's the author of “Shiny Misfits”, the new graphic novel that tells the story of Bay Ann, a disabled girl and her cat friend that rock star Dave Matthews narrates for the audiobook. In this conversation filled with heart and humor, hear how comedy shines a light on injustice and serves as a voice of resistance. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on human shields. “I've always used comedy to humanize and educate on disability. And this is the moment because the future of Palestine is disabled and between life and death, there's disability. I don't think it's better to be dead than to be disabled. I want us to create a viable, accessible future for this cohort of human beings that we have failed in the present.” - Maysoon Zayid Guest: Maysoon Zayid: Comedian & Disability Advocate; Author, Shiny Misfits Music Credits: “Purpose Love” by Jhelisa released on Dorado Records; "Steppin'" by Podington Bear; Original sound design by Jeannie Hopper RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • “The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Watch / Download Podcast and Full Conversation • Anita Cameron & Keith Jones on The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Milestone With Miles To Go. Watch • Amanda Seales Takes the Heat: Speaking Out About Gaza & Hollywood. Watch / Download Podcast and Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: • “Shiny Misfits” Maysoon's graphic novel and audio version available from Audible featuring the voice of Dave Matthews, and others. • Maysoon Zayid's Ted Talk • DISCO, a live interactive panel show hosted by Maysoon Zayid coming up February, 2015 at Joe's Pub in New York City. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week, We'll hear from a comedian and unapologetic voice weaving together disability rights and Palestinian identity with humor and sharp political insight. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Become a supporting member at https://LauraFlanders.org/Donate Description [Original Release Date December 8, 2024]: Israel's US-backed war on Gaza has been a mass disabling event. Today's guest says we must create a “viable, accessible future” for the disabled Palestinians we have failed. Maysoon Zayid is a comedian, Princeton Fellow, and unapologetic voice for both disability rights and Palestinian identity. A fierce advocate with cerebral palsy, Zaid proves that the most powerful messages often come from unexpected places and are filled with laughter. She's lost tens of thousands of dollars of contracts for her views, she says, but that hasn't stopped her “making funny during a genocide” on social media all year. And she's shown her followers her home village in Palestine — the best place on earth, she says, despite the onslaught of oppression and violence that her people have endured. Maysoon co-founded the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and the Muslim Funny Fest. Her viral Ted Talk, “I Got 99 Problems...Palsy is Just One,” has been translated into 42 languages, and was one of the most popular talks of 2014. She's the author of “Shiny Misfits”, the new graphic novel that tells the story of Bay Ann, a disabled girl and her cat friend that rock star Dave Matthews narrates for the audiobook. In this conversation filled with heart and humor, hear how comedy shines a light on injustice and serves as a voice of resistance. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on human shields. “I've always used comedy to humanize and educate on disability. And this is the moment because the future of Palestine is disabled and between life and death, there's disability. I don't think it's better to be dead than to be disabled. I want us to create a viable, accessible future for this cohort of human beings that we have failed in the present.” - Maysoon Zayid Guest: Maysoon Zayid: Comedian & Disability Advocate; Author, Shiny Misfits Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Become a supporting member at https://LauraFlanders.org/Donate Music Credits: “Purpose Love” by Jhelisa released on Dorado Records; "Steppin'" by Podington Bear; Original sound design by Jeannie Hopper RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • “The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Watch / Download Podcast and Full Conversation • Anita Cameron & Keith Jones on The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Milestone With Miles To Go. Watch • Amanda Seales Takes the Heat: Speaking Out About Gaza & Hollywood. Watch / Download Podcast and Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: • “Shiny Misfits” Maysoon's graphic novel and audio version available from Audible featuring the voice of Dave Matthews, and others. • Maysoon Zayid's Ted Talk • DISCO, a live interactive panel show hosted by Maysoon Zayid coming up February, 2015 at Joe's Pub in New York City. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week, a candid conversation with two leading disability rights organizers on the ongoing fight for recognition, respect, and full inclusion for the largest minority in the country—these stories push us to rethink what justice really looks like. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support! Description: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, a significant milestone in the fight for civil rights, with a vision of inclusion and respect for people with disabilities. But ableism, or discrimination in favor of able-bodied people, persists, affecting the one in four Americans with a disability. What does ableism mean and why is it still a prominent problem? Anita Cameron and Keith Jones, leaders in the disability rights and disability justice movements, have answers. Cameron, who has been arrested nearly 150 times, participated in the "Capitol Crawl" for the passage of the ADA in 1990 and, later in 2017, she was part of the widely-publicized Rotunda Takeover with the disability advocacy group, ADAPT, to protest proposed Medicaid cuts. Her influential writings shed light on topics like ableism in media and the intersection of ableism and mental health. She currently heads the Minority Outreach at "Not Dead Yet", an organization committed to fighting ableism, or discrimination veiled as physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia of persons with disabilities. As an African-American activist, entrepreneur, and father living with cerebral palsy, Keith Jones advocates for quality independent living for persons with disabilities. He also strives for equal access to housing, education, and voting rights - for all. In addition to his human rights work, Jones is the founder of SoulTouchin' Experiences and has earned an Emmy award for his song "Rising Phoenix," a documentary about the Paralympic Games. This far-ranging feature, timed to coincide with the signing of the ADA on July 25, 1990, concludes with a commentary by Flanders. “The lives of people with disabilities are so regulated, we don't have true autonomy. I can guarantee you that the access to healthcare, reproductive rights and all of that, we disabled women have to fight for that access anyway.” - Anita Cameron “They like to either say, you're disabled or you're a woman, you're disabled or you're queer, you're disabled or you're Black. That's not the case. We are an intricate mosaic of identities.” - Keith Jones Guests: Keith Jones, Human Rights & Disability Justice Activist, President, Soul Touchin' Experiences Anita Cameron, Disability Justice Activist, Director of Minority Outreach, Not Dead Yet Watch the episode released on YouTube; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast. Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. They include related episodes, articles, and more. Music In the Middle: “So Hip Hop” by Fezo de Mad One featuring Toni Kickman courtesy of the artist and Soul Touchin' Experiences. And additional music included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear ACCESSIBILITY - This episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel RESOURCES: *Recommended books: “Voices of a People's History of the United States in the 21st Century: Documents of Hope and Resistance, Learn more here (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Did a Summer Camp Help Spark a Disability Revolution? Watch / Listen-Download Podcast • Ableism Out, Independent Living Now! Watch / Listen-Download Podcast • The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Watch / Listen-Download Podcast • Laura's Commentary aka The F-Word: The Disability Revolution Listen-Download Podcast • Playlist of LFShow Disability Justice Episodes - Watch Here Related Articles and Resources: • Highlighting Disability / Poverty Connection, NCD Urges Congress to Alter Federal Policies that Disadvantage People with Disabilities Read Here • Dobbs Is a Disaster for Disability Justice (from the series After Roe) by Liz Bowen, Society for Cultural Anthropology Read Here • EndAssistedSuicide.org • State laws legalizing assisted suicide violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, by Matt Valliére, Opinion Contributor, The Hill, Read Here Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week, a candid conversation with two leading disability rights organizers on the ongoing fight for recognition, respect, and full inclusion for the largest minority in the country—these stories push us to rethink what justice really looks like. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support! Description: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, a significant milestone in the fight for civil rights, with a vision of inclusion and respect for people with disabilities. But ableism, or discrimination in favor of able-bodied people, persists, affecting the one in four Americans with a disability. What does ableism mean and why is it still a prominent problem? Anita Cameron and Keith Jones, leaders in the disability rights and disability justice movements, have answers. Cameron, who has been arrested nearly 150 times, participated in the "Capitol Crawl" for the passage of the ADA in 1990 and, later in 2017, she was part of the widely-publicized Rotunda Takeover with the disability advocacy group, ADAPT, to protest proposed Medicaid cuts. Her influential writings shed light on topics like ableism in media and the intersection of ableism and mental health. She currently heads the Minority Outreach at "Not Dead Yet", an organization committed to fighting ableism, or discrimination veiled as physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia of persons with disabilities. As an African-American activist, entrepreneur, and father living with cerebral palsy, Keith Jones advocates for quality independent living for persons with disabilities. He also strives for equal access to housing, education, and voting rights - for all. In addition to his human rights work, Jones is the founder of SoulTouchin' Experiences and has earned an Emmy award for his song "Rising Phoenix," a documentary about the Paralympic Games. This far-ranging feature, timed to coincide with the signing of the ADA on July 25, 1990, concludes with a commentary by Flanders. Guests: Keith Jones, Human Rights & Disability Justice Activist, President, Soul Touchin' Experiences Anita Cameron, Disability Justice Activist, Director of Minority Outreach, Not Dead Yet Full Episode Notes are located HERE. They include related episodes, articles, and more. Music In the Middle: “So Hip Hop” by Fezo de Mad One featuring Toni Kickman courtesy of the artist and Soul Touchin' Experiences. And additional music included- "In and Out" and "Steppin" by Podington Bear ACCESSIBILITY - This episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel RESOURCES: *Recommended books: “Voices of a People's History of the United States in the 21st Century: Documents of Hope and Resistance, Learn more here (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Did a Summer Camp Help Spark a Disability Revolution? Watch / Listen-Download Podcast • Ableism Out, Independent Living Now! Watch / Listen-Download Podcast • The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Watch / Listen-Download Podcast • Laura's Commentary aka The F-Word: The Disability Revolution Listen-Download Podcast • Playlist of LFShow Disability Justice Episodes - Watch Here Related Articles and Resources: • Highlighting Disability / Poverty Connection, NCD Urges Congress to Alter Federal Policies that Disadvantage People with Disabilities Read Here • Dobbs Is a Disaster for Disability Justice (from the series After Roe) by Liz Bowen, Society for Cultural Anthropology Read Here • EndAssistedSuicide.org • State laws legalizing assisted suicide violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, by Matt Valliére, Opinion Contributor, The Hill, Read Here Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
Have you ever gone to the doctor with some symptoms and had them not find anything wrong with you? We've all run into medical staff who don't know we were autistic or what that even meant, never suspected EDS, POTS, ME, endometriosis or autoimmune conditions. They either dismissed us right off or ran a battery of tests on us. But in the end, the conclusion was the same: There doesn't seem to be anything medically wrong with you. For this episode I am joined by Simo_tier (pronouns: it/they), so we can rant about some of these frustrating stories that literally take years off our lives. Simo_tier is a multi-media artist and activist, influenced by its lived reality as a disabled, Indigenous, agender, white, gay, AuDHD femme. It is deeply passionate about lifting up and supporting QTBIPoC voices and projects, as well as breaking down barriers to create a community based on Disability Justice and reformative change. If you want to read about Simo_tier's activism (in German), check out its website https://vamky.de/ where you can also find a podcast (also in German) about disabilities and exclusion by society and inside the community. If you want to keep up to date with events it organizes, check out Instagram @simo_tier You can support Aut2Aut on Betterplace and Gofundme, or buy our #ActuallyAutistic designs in our print-on-demand shop. This will help prepped.to go on providing a platform for autistic folks to share locations' sensory info and service instructions. Mentioned in this episode:Aut2Aut, the nonprofit I founded, providing free platforms and content by and for autistic peopleprepped.to is the website I created where autistic folks can upload and consult sensory info and service instructions about places, so folks can prep and script before going thereHow to support prepped.toTheme music composed and produced by Lir Lutau Shahar (pronouns: he/fae/sea): YouTube, Soundcloud. For collaborations: lutaoshzh@]gmail.com Follow Dr. Gal Schkolnik on LinkedIn, Mastodon or Tumblr
Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s_hsDxHf4gQ Hosts Keith and Jodi interview Stephanie Woodward, CEO of Disability EmpowHer Network, an organization run by and for disabled girls and women to build leadership skills and confidence. Stephanie consults businesses on inclusion and shares disability-parenting misconceptions through social media while raising six kids, including one-year-old triplets. Woodward discusses disability rights protest as part of an advocacy cycle—"asking did not work"—and explains founding Disability EmpowHer Network after lacking disabled women role models and seeing barriers in education, employment, and leadership, emphasizing mentorship, community, and broader definitions of leadership (including self-advocacy in medical settings). In the Deep Cut, the hosts discuss CODA's portrayal of a Deaf family, Ruby's heavy burden of interpreting, access as a community responsibility, and the film's strengths and complications in centering a hearing protagonist. Disability EmpowHER Network: https://www.disabilityempowhernetwork.org/ Instagram: @disabilityempowhernetwork and @wctriplets TikTok: @disability_empowher and @wctriplets LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/disability-empowher-network
This month on Laura Flanders & Friends we're lifting up the people, the stories, and the ideas driving disability justice forward. This week, two artists expand our ideas about beauty, mobility and inclusion. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: As the nation marks another anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), disability advocates are calling attention to the work still left undone—from expanding accessibility and representation in public life to protecting disability rights and ensuring equitable access to the arts. In this episode, Laura Flanders speaks with two groundbreaking performance artists whose work challenges assumptions about disability, creativity, and who gets to belong in our cultural spaces. Alice Sheppard, acclaimed wheelchair dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Kinetic Light, and Jess Thom, performer, comedian, and founder of Touretteshero, explore how disability and neurodiversity expand artistic possibility rather than limit it. Through their work, they invite audiences to rethink conventional ideas of beauty, access, productivity, and "normalcy." In conversation with Laura, they examine the role of art in advancing social change, the importance of disabled leadership in cultural institutions, and why accessibility should be understood not as an accommodation for a few, but as a creative and democratic practice that benefits everyone. At a moment when disability rights, inclusive design, and authentic representation remain pressing civic issues, Sheppard and Thom offer a vision of a richer, more imaginative society—one that recognizes difference as a source of collective strength, innovation, and cultural vitality. Guests: Alice Sheppard: wheelchair dancer and choreographer, artistic director, Kinetic Light. Jess Thom: performer, comedian and founder of Touretteshero. Watch the episode released on our YouTube channel; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode); and airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: •Design for Justice: Disabled Hackers are Leading the Way •Special Report: Ableism Out, Independent Living Now! •F-Word: Inclusive Design and Me Related Articles and Resources: • “I Dance Because I can.” by Sheppard, Alice, The New York Times, February 27th, 2019. • “Road Map for Inclusion: Changing the Face of Disability in Media” by Heumann E, Judith, The Ford Foundation, April 2019. •Risk Pool. Triple Canopy, Issue #24. Published from January 17, 2018 to April 25, 2019. •“When it come to sex, are your Sins Invalid?” by Silverberg, Cory. Interview with Sins Invalid founders Leroy Moore and Patricia Berne. •Touretteshero Welcome to Biscuit Land: A Year in the Life of Touretteshero by Jess Thom Bios: Alice Sheppard is the Artistic Director of Kinetic Light, as well as a choreographer and dancer in the company. Read More Jess Thom, British performer, comedian and activist. Thom created Touretteshero to increase awareness of and expand perceptions of what is possible with Tourette's Syndrome. Read More Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
In this episode, Anna catches up with friend and fellow 4zzz radio producer Belle to talk about disability justice, the NDIS, and Belle's experiences navigating a diagnosis of bipolar. Belle talks us through her experiences with bipolar and psychosis. She talks a bit about disability justice and the intersection between the health system and carceral logics, as well as the importance of access to (potentially) life-saving systems like the NDIS. If you want to hear more from Belle, check out her radio program Only Human, which airs live on 4zzz 102.1fm on Sundays, from 12-1pm and on Zed Digital on Tuesdays from 6-7pm. It is produced for and by disabled folks and centres disability justice, disabled and queer artists, and so much more. It's a brilliant show, so be sure to check it out for more from Belle!
Have you ever considered how you can make your clinics more inclusive for neurodiverse individuals? What can we learn from our neurodiverse colleagues and patients? In the third episode of our patient voices series, consultant rheumatology nurse, Di Finney & Professor Yeliz Prior discuss the topic of neurodiversity in rheumatology care with Dr Roz Benson. This conversation considers how someone with neurodiversity may present differently in clinic, approaches to tailoring management plans and how thinking about the physical environment can help enable better care. They share communication techniques drawing on lived experience and ideas on how we can better our clinical practice.Useful resources:Disability Justice, Lived Experience & Media – Neurodiversity Voices PodcastEpisode 2 – Holly Dale & Dr Mairi Evans (Neurotypes)Episode 1, part 2 – Tani Prindiville & Dr Mairi Evans (Neurotypes)Neurotypes Podcast on Apple PodcastsThe Neurodiversity Voices Podcast (subscribe on Apple Podcasts)Thanks for listening to Talking Rheumatology! Join the conversation on X using #TalkingRheum or tweet us @RheumatologyUK.BSR is the UK's leading specialist medical society for rheumatology and MSK health professionals. To discover how we can support you in delivering the best care for your patients, visit our website.
Acknowledgement of Country//Headlines//No police charged for Kumanjayi White killing//Israel intensifies attacks in Lebanon//ICC prosecutor says she was pressured by members of Israel's Mossad agency//State-gov led native logging returning by stealth through a new State Forest By-Products Framework// First Peoples Disability Network//We were joined by Rhys Howard, Strategy and Policy Director for The First Peoples Disability Network or FPDN. FPDN is a national organisation owned and operated by First Nations people with disability to influence public policy and advocate for the rights and interests of First Nations people and their community. This morning, Rhys helped us unpack how ‘exclusion by design' of First Nations people with disability in the latest Federal Budget, increases barriers to support, and the urgent need for culturally safe systems designed and validated by community.// SUSTAINable Food Networks//Nick Rose, Co-founder and Executive Director of Sustain, a network of citizen farmers, researchers, policy experts and community connectors building sustainable food systems. We discussed the sold-out Victorian Food Policy Forum last week Friday 22nd May, the key findings and recommendations from Sustain's April 2026 Australian Food Security Pulse Check Survey, and how food insecurity impacts those who are multipy marginalised, including disability communities.//Disability Justice Now with Andrew Bretherton// Andrew Bretherton, Disability Advocate with Protect Our NDIS (Naarm), joins us again to discuss the importance of the NDIS, the devasting impact these proposed cuts will have on participants, loved ones, communities, and broader society, as well as the upcoming government submissions deadline this Monday the 1st June before 5pm.In part 1 of this interview we discuss the NDIS, how it enables participation in community, and the fight to Protect Our NDIS. In part 2, we talk about the need to submit as many submissions as possible, and how to submit.//Information on how to submit://How to make a submission to the NDIS Amendment Bill - Inclusion Australia//NDIS Amendment Bill Submission Templates - Babes with Mobility Aids//Lodge your Submission - Parliament of Australia//International Workers Day Memorial Day// Lastly, we played a segment from 3CR's Stick Together show on International Workers Memorial Day, held on Tuesday the 28th April 2026. An emotional event that marks the passing of workers who died from work related injuries. Annie speaks to people who have gathered to honour those who have passed, including people who have experienced a disabling workplace injury, union workers fighting for safer working conditions, and parents who continue the fight in their children's name. You can listen to the full show that aired Wednesday 13th May 2026, and catch Stick Together every Wednesdays 8:30-9:00am on 3CR 855AM.// Event Promo: VALID's Advocacy in Action ConferenceMon 22 Jun - Tue 23 Jun 2026Novotel Hotel Function Centre, 215 Bell St PrestonBuy your tickets https://events.humanitix.com/advocacy-in-action-conference-2026For more info visit https://valid.org.au/event/advocacy-in-action-conference/Audio Credit: Moonlight by chillity //
Send us Fan MailOn this month's "The UMB Pulse Podcast," University of Maryland School of Medicine associate professor Jason R. Falvey, DPT, PhD, director of the Enhancing Rehabilitation to Improve Community Health (ENRICH) lab and inaugural director of the UMSOM Center for Disability Justice, discusses how hip fracture recovery depends on more than surgery and clinic-based therapy. Falvey explains how neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, transportation, housing, and infrastructure affect older adults' ability to age in place and avoid social isolation, and why current Medicare rules limit real-world mobility training. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, Falvey's work to address these challenges includes partnerships such as GoGoGrandparent and plans for pilot testing and larger trials.Learn more about the Center for Disability Justice: https://pt.umaryland.edu/research/center-for-disability-justice/Learn more about the ENRICH Program: https://www.umaryland.edu/research/breakthroughs/how-does-where-you-live-affect-recovery-after-a-hip-fracture/Listen to The UMB Pulse on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you like to listen. The UMB Pulse is also now on YouTube.Visit our website at umaryland.edu/pulse or email us at umbpulse@umaryland.edu.
Welcome to season 4, episode 6 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! One of my very favorite people is back on the pod: Amaranthia Sepia, co-founder of Sista Creatives Rising, commissioned seed packet artist for Sista Seeds, and now digital media manager for the disability and design podcast Down to the Struts. Amaranthia is a 26-year-old Black, disabled, neurodivergent artist and organizer based in New Hampshire, and in this conversation we get to really dig into her story, not only as a creative behind Sista Creatives Rising, but as an artist whose work is rooted in her family's gardening history, her love of Black women and the land, and her own hard-won journey toward self-preservation and community.We talk about her stunning seed packet illustrations for Sistah Seeds, founded by Amirah Mitchell. From the website: "In 2021, Amirah founded Sistah Seeds to connect black and brown growers to our culturally-important seeds. Sistah Seeds is one of a small but growing number of black-owned seed businesses in the U.S., changing the landscape of the seed industry. Together, we are part of a multi-ethnic, multi-national movement of farmers and seed-keepers, working to preserve our heritage and create a strong agricultural future for our communities."We also talk about hydroponics, healing, and how growing food for her mom during a health crisis sparked something lasting. We talk about Amaranthia's new role at Down to the Struts, how an unexpected $3,000 Social Security notice lit a fire under her to pursue additional work, and why remote, disability-justice-rooted employment is the difference between thriving and burning out.We also discuss what it's meant to find a vibrant disabled community online after years of navigating bullying, racism, misogynoir, and ableism...including the assumption that being homebound automatically means your life is sad and small. (Spoiler: it absolutely does not.)We also talk about Lilette, the tiny blue masking frog who has become the mascot of Sista Creatives Rising and might just end up in a children's book. No promises. But also maybe.Links mentioned in this episode:Sistah Creatives Rising: sistahcreativesrising.comSista Seeds: sistahseeds.comDown to the Struts (podcast on disability & design): downtothestruts.com Sista Creatives Rising on Instagram (for Lilette merch & links)The Sistas Uprising Fund micro grantsMentioned or featured in this episode:Katrina Dreamer (my pacing buddy, ep. 1, season 2 & season 3)Lissy Donovan (long hauler and business owner, ep. 9, season 3)
Dr. Lauren Clark, a nurse, researcher, and professor at UCLA, discusses her career journey and work in developmental disability and health equity. Dr. Clark explains how her early research with immigrant communities and her personal experience as a parent of two children with developmental disabilities led her to shift her focus toward disability justice and improving health care systems for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She reflects on confronting her own ableism, critiques the limitations of the traditional medical model, and emphasizes the importance of accessible language, equity, autonomy, and quality of life. She highlights her research on health-related quality-of-life measures, her commitment to making tools freely available, and her teaching on care work and disability justice, concluding with three guiding principles: dreaming disability justice, acting responsibly within one's role, and working collectively to support self-determination and a good life for people with disabilities.
Born in Torrejon, Spain to parents involved in serving their country, the desire to serve has continued through her education and current career journey. She is an activist, scholar and author. Her debut non-fiction book To Be A Problem: A Black Woman's Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement published by Beacon Press was released in July 2024. She is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, Co-Director of the Policy Innovation Lab (PIL) and a strategist, writer, instructor, project manager, connector, changemaker and policy wonk.Currently Ms. Baldwin is President of DMadrina, LLC. a consultant firm working with organizations around the world to incorporate Intersectional policy agendas with an emphasis on disability justice. She is also an adjunct professor at McCourt School of Public Policy and McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University teaching disability justice, equity and policy as well as Introduction to Advocacy and policy. She has held senior level positions in federal policy at multiple organizations. She was the Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR) and Senior Policy Analyst at National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). She works within the Disability Justice movement and with an intentional strategy to end racism and systems of oppression.As a consultant Ms. Baldwin does legislative work, from research and writing comments, testimonies, letters, speeches and reports to assisting with advocacy outreach and working with Congressional staff, the Administration, coalition partners and others on multiple issue areas for improving the lives of all but a serious concentration on BIPOC with disabilities. Centering this community in the work of social justice will dismantle the barriers of subjugation and oppression of all. She has extensive knowledge of disability and civil rights laws. She has a keen ability for networking and outreach to “in the streets” national and international activists. She also conducts seminars and facilitates conversations and trainings on multiple issues of equity.She is a fellow in the Women Transcending Collective Leadership at Center for Justice at the School of Social Work at Columbia University (Cohort 6 2024-2025). She is an Ambassador for Health Equity Fellow and a member of several advisory committees working on ending criminalization in this country. She advises Urban Institute Prison Research and Innovative Initiative (PRII) and The Justice Lab of Columbia's Square One Project. She serves on the Board of Directors for SPAN Parent Advocacy Network and Laura Flanders and Friends She recently completed three terms (9yrs) on the National Low Income Housing Coalition Board of Directors.She has led multiple national and international advocacy campaigns. In December 2022 she spoke on the lack of inclusion of disability issues and accessibility, at the United Nations first meeting of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent. Ms. Baldwin has been working with Congress to pass federal laws since 2004; and worked on over 25 federal bills that have gone to five different President's desk - Clinton to Biden - even bills passed and signed by #45. L. Dara Baldwin has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers University, Newark, NJ and was a Pi Alpha Alpha honors Graduate with a Masters of Public Administration from Rutgers University the School of Public Affairs and Administration, Newark, NJ. She is an adjunct professor teaching Disability Justice, Equity and Policy at McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.Debut Non-fiction book titled: To Be A Problem: A Black Woman's Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement published by Beacon Press in stores July 9, 2024Social Media Outreach:Follow on Twitter and InstaGram, Threads and BlueSky: Personal @NJDC07 – ReTweets, Mentions and Favs are not endorsements This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit malyndahale.substack.com/subscribe
Just-In Time Conversations - BAFTA Awards & Disability Justice by WNHH Community Radio
In our third episode of the season, Tom Fraser, a union researcher and author of Invested in Crisis: Public Sector Pensions Against the Future, and Becca Steckle, a research and policy analyst with Just Peace Advocates, join us to discuss how Canada's public sector pensions are funding crises from housing to genocide, the restructuring of Canadian retirement security into capital funding for militarism and welfare erosion around the world and the urgent need for divestment toward a radical pension politics. According to Fraser: "What I see as specifically contradictory about the structure of the pension fund is that in an age of de-industrial capitalism returns on investment and ..profits ..are directly contradictory with the point of the pension itself … [which] is to enable the continued life of the worker after retirement. But the structure of that sort of capital accumulation necessitates taking value from those same sorts of necessities. There is a basic level contradiction in terms between the pension as finance and the pension as welfare. And they ultimately hit their collision point in the moment we call retirement." Reflecting on what pensions are funding, Steckle says: "If you look at most of all eight of those pensions … there is a significant percentage of those investments in companies that are actively funneling money, whether the companies themselves are participating in war crimes, genocide, armed conflict … For example, if you look at CPP, the Canadian Pension Plan. They had in 2025 an estimated $27 billion just invested in companies complicit in the occupation, apartheid genocide in Palestine by Israel … That doesn't include how the companies are violating Indigenous rights here in so-called Canada. That doesn't include Sudan. That doesn't include Haiti … That is just looking at Palestine." About today's guests: Tom Fraser is a researcher based in Toronto. His book on the political economy of Ontario's pension funds, Invested in Crisis: Public Sector Pensions Against the Future, was released by Between the Lines in February 2025. Becca Steckle (she/they) holds a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and is a registered nurse (RN, non-practicing). As a research and policy analyst at Just Peace Advocates (JPA), Steckle helps to analyze and expose institutional complicity, particularly Canadian institutional complicity in occupied Palestine and Kashmir. As part of JPA's work, they have analyzed the investment portfolios of more than 15 entities to identify companies complicit in Israel's occupation, apartheid, and genocide in the report Our Pensions Are Funding Genocide. She is deeply committed to local organizing efforts and believes in Disability Justice as a daily praxis. Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute. Image: Becca Steckle, Tom Fraser / Used with permission. Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased. Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (Tommy) Courage My Friends podcast organizing committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu. Produced by: Resh Budhu, Tommy Douglas Institute of Labour and Social Justice and Breanne Doyle, rabble.ca. Host: Resh Budhu.
February is Black History Month. In the first of a four-part series highlighting black disabled people who have made great contributions to the Disabilities Rights Movement, Blaise spoke with Anita Cameron, the founder and Executive Director of We Were There Too, a platform amplifying black disabled voices. Learn more about Anita's incredible work on Disability Justice issues here in this episode! Make sure you rate, review, subscribe, share, and if you can support the Blaisin' Access Podcast to help keep access alive and well! Support Blaisin' Access Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blaisin-access-podcast Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/blaisin-access-podcast/14452480-53c6-489a-a772-220ef9b36202Read transcript
In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, 2025 FMEP Fellow Hilary Rantisi speaks with filmmaker and activist Jen Marlowe about the film Severed, which Jen directed. The film, released in late 2025, tells the story of Mohamad Saleh, a teenager from Gaza who has endured five major Israeli assaults, lost his home, close family members, his best friends, and—at the age of 12—his leg. Hilary and Jen discuss disablement, disability justice, and Gaza, which now has the largest cohort of child amputees in the world. Jen Marlowe is the founder of Donkeysaddle Projects and a Consulting Producer for Just Vision. She is an independent filmmaker, journalist, author, playwright and human rights activist. Her books include I Am Troy Davis (Haymarket Books, 2013), The Hour of Sunlight (2011, Bold Type Books) and Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival (2006, Bold Type Books). Her films include Severed, There Is A Field, and Remembering the Gaza War. Hilary Rantisi grew up in Palestine and has been involved with education and advocacy on the Middle East since her move to the US. She was a 2025 Fellow at FMEP and was most recently the Associate Director of the Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative (RCPI) and co-instructor of Learning in Context: Narratives of Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine at Harvard Divinity School. She has over two decades of experience in institution building at Harvard, having been the Director of the Middle East Initiative (MEI) at Harvard Kennedy School of Government prior to her current role. She has a BA in Political Science/International Studies from Aurora University and a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago. Before moving to the US, Hilary worked at Birzeit University and at the Jerusalem-based Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. There, she co-edited a photo essay book Our Story: The Palestinians with the Rev. Naim Ateek. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.
True crime is everywhere—but crimes against disabled people are rarely treated as “true crime” at all. Imani Gandy talks with disability justice advocate Vilissa Thompson about why disabled victims are erased from true crime, how ableism shapes which stories get told, and what ethical storytelling requires when disability is involved.Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what's at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles. Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first.Going on a long roadtrip and want Imani and Jess to accompany you?
True crime is everywhere—but crimes against disabled people are rarely treated as “true crime” at all. Imani Gandy talks with disability justice advocate Vilissa Thompson about why disabled victims are erased from true crime, how ableism shapes which stories get told, and what ethical storytelling requires when disability is involved.Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth. If Boom! Lawyered helps you understand what's at stake in our courts, chip in to keep our fearless legal analysis alive. Become a supporter today.Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles. Sign up for our newsletters here to read it first.Going on a long roadtrip and want Imani and Jess to accompany you?
Students form club to address issues with disability access on campus. Also, UC Davis professor writes book exploring neutrality statements from American universities. Finally, how long will fog lurk around the Sacramento Valley?
Synopsis: In a powerful tribute to a fearless leader, friends and collaborators share stories of Alice Wong's unwavering commitment to centering disabled voices and challenging systemic inequality in all its forms.This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donateDescription: Alice Wong lived longer than she expected, but not long enough. The celebrated disability activist lived by the principle that disability justice is integral to all liberation movements, and centered disabled stories with the Disability Visibility Project. When Alice Wong died on November 14 at the age of 51, people across social movements shared their grief and awe for her work, such as her bestselling 2022 memoir, “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life”. She has been called an oracle, visionary, unapologetic and fearless, and our guests, Wong's dear friends and collaborators, are committed to lifting up her legacy. Sandy Ho is the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum and partner with Alice Wong and Mia Mingus in the Access is Love campaign. She was asked by Alice Wong to post her letter after she passed, where Wong writes “. . . our wisdom is incisive and unflinching.” Steven Thrasher is an acclaimed journalist, professor and author of “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality & Disease Collide”. He was suspended from teaching classes after speaking out — as Wong also did — on Palestine. Join us as we celebrate Alice Wong and ask what is the work to be done when it comes to healthcare and civil rights for disabled people. Plus a commentary from Laura on imagining the next 100 years.“A lot of Alice's advocacy was focused around the systems that force disabled people to be at the margins . . . Whether it is the Black Lives Matter movement or the pandemic, we see the ways in which our society and political systems respond, and not in ways that prioritize those who are least privileged and have the least amount of power.” - Sandy Ho“I remember talking to [Alice Wong] about the ways she had been conditioned as a disabled Asian American woman to try to accept crumbs, to not complain, to be very docile. I thought that she was really brilliant in bridging together not just Asian American communities, but queer communities, LGBTQ communities, all the communities where your body is made to feel like it doesn't belong.” - Steven ThrasherGuests:• Sandy Ho: Executive Director, Disability & Philanthropy Forum• Steven Thrasher: Daniel Renberg Chair of Social Justice in Reporting, Northwestern University; Author, The Viral Underclass & The Overseer Class*Recommended books:“Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life” by Alice Wong, *Get the book“The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide” by Steven Thrasher, *Get the book(*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Watch the episode released on YouTube; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast January 14th, 2026.Full Episode Notes are located HERE.Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. Music Credit: Kibir La Alma rework of “Until Tomorrow Comes” by Marysia Osu from her full length remix ep ‘harp, beats & dreams,' courtesy of Brownswood Recordings; 'Steppin' by Podington Bear, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper Support Laura Flanders and Friends by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/lauraflandersandfriends RESOURCES:Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:• “The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation• The New Disabled Population in Gaza: Comedian & Disability Advocate Maysoon Zayid: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation• Anita Cameron & Keith Jones on The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Milestone With Miles To Go: Watch / Listen: Episode CutRelated Articles and Resources:• Disability Visibility Project, Founder: Alice Wong• DisabledWriters.com• Access Is Love• A Tribute to an Oracle, Alice Wong, by Rebecca Cokley, November 26, 2025, The Nation• Trump Gutted AIDS Health. Care at the Worst Possible Time, by Steven W. Thrasher & Afeef Nessouli, December 1, 2025, The Intercept• On Valentine's Day, Let's Recognize Why #AccessIsLove, by Alice Wong, February 14, 2019, Rooted In Rights• Remembering Alice Wong: Writer, Advocate, Friend, by Steven W. Thrasher, November 17, 2025, LitHub• Crips for eSims for Gaza, chuffed.org• Alice Wong Interview with Steven Thrasher with subtitles, Watch• Alice Wong, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, MacArthur Foundation Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
Synopsis: In a powerful tribute to a fearless leader, friends and collaborators share stories of Alice Wong's unwavering commitment to centering disabled voices and challenging systemic inequality in all its forms.This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donateDescription: Alice Wong lived longer than she expected, but not long enough. The celebrated disability activist lived by the principle that disability justice is integral to all liberation movements, and centered disabled stories with the Disability Visibility Project. When Alice Wong died on November 14 at the age of 51, people across social movements shared their grief and awe for her work, such as her bestselling 2022 memoir, “Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life”. She has been called an oracle, visionary, unapologetic and fearless, and our guests, Wong's dear friends and collaborators, are committed to lifting up her legacy. Sandy Ho is the Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum and partner with Alice Wong and Mia Mingus in the Access is Love campaign. She was asked by Alice Wong to post her letter after she passed, where Wong writes “. . . our wisdom is incisive and unflinching.” Steven Thrasher is an acclaimed journalist, professor and author of “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality & Disease Collide”. He was suspended from teaching classes after speaking out — as Wong also did — on Palestine. Join us as we celebrate Alice Wong and ask what is the work to be done when it comes to healthcare and civil rights for disabled people. Plus a commentary from Laura on imagining the next 100 years.“A lot of Alice's advocacy was focused around the systems that force disabled people to be at the margins . . . Whether it is the Black Lives Matter movement or the pandemic, we see the ways in which our society and political systems respond, and not in ways that prioritize those who are least privileged and have the least amount of power.” - Sandy Ho“I remember talking to [Alice Wong] about the ways she had been conditioned as a disabled Asian American woman to try to accept crumbs, to not complain, to be very docile. I thought that she was really brilliant in bridging together not just Asian American communities, but queer communities, LGBTQ communities, all the communities where your body is made to feel like it doesn't belong.” - Steven ThrasherGuests:• Sandy Ho: Executive Director, Disability & Philanthropy Forum• Steven Thrasher: Daniel Renberg Chair of Social Justice in Reporting, Northwestern University; Author, The Viral Underclass & The Overseer Class *Recommended books:“Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life” by Alice Wong, *Get the book“The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide” by Steven Thrasher, *Get the book(*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Watch the episode released on YouTube; PBS World Channel 11:30am ET Sundays and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast January 14th, 2026.Full Episode Notes are located HERE.Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. Music Credit: 'Thrum of Soil' by Bluedot Sessions, 'Steppin' by Podington Bear, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper Support Laura Flanders and Friends by becoming a member at https://www.patreon.com/c/lauraflandersandfriends RESOURCES:Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:• “The Future is Disabled”: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation• The New Disabled Population in Gaza: Comedian & Disability Advocate Maysoon Zayid: Watch / Listen: Episode Cut and Full Uncut Conversation• Anita Cameron & Keith Jones on The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Milestone With Miles To Go: Watch / Listen: Episode CutRelated Articles and Resources:• Disability Visibility Project, Founder: Alice Wong• DisabledWriters.com• Access Is Love• A Tribute to an Oracle, Alice Wong, by Rebecca Cokley, November 26, 2025, The Nation• Trump Gutted AIDS Health. Care at the Worst Possible Time, by Steven W. Thrasher & Afeef Nessouli, December 1, 2025, The Intercept• On Valentine's Day, Let's Recognize Why #AccessIsLove, by Alice Wong, February 14, 2019, Rooted In Rights• Remembering Alice Wong: Writer, Advocate, Friend, by Steven W. Thrasher, November 17, 2025, LitHub• Crips for eSims for Gaza, chuffed.org• Alice Wong Interview with Steven Thrasher with subtitles, Watch• Alice Wong, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, MacArthur Foundation Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O'Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with disability justice activist, founder of the Upgrade Accessibility movement, award-winning podcaster (The Politics of Disability), and author of Adventurous Adeline, Mary Fashik, to explore what it feels like for Mary, as someone who is immunocompromised, to see the world "move on" from Covid, why online activism is real activism, how Mary's community helped her realize that she had been living with multiple chronic conditions, and why all issues are disability justice issues. Full Transcription. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: UpgradeAccessibility.comAdventurous AdelineThe Way HomeNew Disabled SouthNamed Advocates10 Principles of Disability JusticeMary on Instagram How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.Listen to You, Me, Empathy, Nōn's previous podcast about mental health, empathy, and big feelings.Connect with Nōn at nonwels.com and on Instagram @youmeempathy. Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you. xoxo nōn
Mallory Cyr is a young lady who works with Children & Youth with Special Healthcare Needs. She has done a lot of work for Disability Justice & Health Equity, but Mallory also has an interesting story from the early 90's that Michael Jackson fans might be interested to hear.The story features briefly in my book “Humanitarian – The Real Michael Jackson.”In 1993, Michael Jackson sent a letter and a donation to an 8-year-old Mallory Cyr, who suffered from microvillus inclusion disease, which limited her ability to eat. She received intravenous feedings. Michael responded to a letter-writing campaign organized by school children for Mallory. In his letter, he wrote "I am sending you all my loving and caring, Mallory, along with the enclosed gift, which I hope will help nourish you and keep you strong." The donation amount was undisclosed. Mallory so graciously agreed to tell us about her story, so after a lengthy break from the podcast, I hope you enjoy this new episode…You can connect with Mallory HEREGet the book "Humanitarian - The Real Michael Jackson" HEREWatch the documentary HERESupport the show
I want to hear your thoughts about the show and this episode. Text us here...On this episode of Casa De Confidence, Julie welcomes disability advocate, author, and accessibility educator Jenna Udenberg, a 2020 Bush Fellow whose mission is improving accessibility where it matters most — in our everyday lives.Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at age 7 and a wheelchair user since age 8, Jenna shares her story of resilience, leadership, and activism. We explore what it means to live in a world designed without disability in mind, how the ADA impacts real accessibility, and why inclusion requires more than just checking compliance boxes.We discuss:Self-advocacy from childhood to adulthoodWhat businesses miss about true accessibilityThe concept of crip time and spoon theoryWhy disability is not a tragedy — but lack of access isInclusive community design & supporting nonprofits like Above & Beyond With UJenna reminds us that disability is part of the human experience — and creating inclusive communities benefits all generations.A powerful and inspiring conversation you won't forget.Jenna's organization, Above & Beyond With U (A&BWU), works intentionally to increase awareness, inclusive practices, accessibility, and belonging for anyone experiencing disability.At Above & Beyond With U, we provide consulting, training, and resources to businesses and local community programs to increase awareness, inclusion, and accessibility for people with disabilities. Our goals:To create and sustain partnerships with other practitioners, community organizations, and agencies for whole community growth and inclusion.Provide cThis is an invitation to join a supportive community of purpose-driven entrepreneurs who are creating an impact in the world.A mastermind is a community of peers who exchange ideas, provide support, and offer sound advice for running a successful business.Join the Confident YOU Mastermind now at https://goconfidentlyservices.myflodesk.com/confidentyoumastermindSupport the showOther helpful resources for you: For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Are you ready to get some help with:Podcast launch/re-launchPodcast growth, to increase your authority and position yourself as the thought leader you are. Or Leveraging your podcast to build your online biz and get more clientsSign up for a FREE 30 minute Confident Podcast Potential Discovery Call In this session I will: Identify the pain point that is holding you back. Suggest a next step strategy for solving the pain point.https://calendly.com/goconfidentlycoaching/30-minutes-free-coaching-sessioin Then we will talk about working together to accelerate the process. Do you want a podcast audit? Check out this link If you're looking for support to grow your business faster, be positioned as an authority in your industry, and impact the masses, schedule a call to explore if you'd be a good fit for one of my coaching programs. ...
This Sunday we are excited to have Heather Morgan join our gathering to teach on the theme of Disability Justice and the Church, and invite us into a conversation to grow in our understanding and practices as a community. Heather shares her time between co-pastoring at Vox Community Church in Barrie and working on her PhD at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto, where she draws from her lifelong experience of disabilities and neurodivergence to think about the intersections between bodies and systematic theology. Together, we'll be considering the ways we read scriptures that deal with disability, and exploring how what we believe about who Jesus is might help us respond better to our own bodies - disabled and able-bodied alike.
Meghan Ashburn is a mother of autistic twins. She's an educational consultant who is passionate about inclusion and accessibility. Meghan is the creator of Not an Autism Mom and hosts That Au-Some Book Club.Jules Edwards is an autistic activist and parent of autistic children. She is the writer of Autistic, Typing, and works to educate the community and influence policy to promote disability justice.Meghan Ashburn and Jules Edwards join Tim Villegas to talk about their journey from online tension to collaboration, co-authoring a book that challenges dominant narratives about autism and disability. They discuss why inclusive classrooms benefit everyone, the ethics of autism research, and the importance of learning out loud.Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/disability-justice-and-inclusion-meghan-ashburn-jules-edwards-speak-out-1309/
Episode 73 of Body Justice is all about how life changing disability justice and emergent strategy are as frameworks for how we show up in the world and how we are in relationship with one another. Our guest, Angela Montijo, is a licensed clinical social worker who also has lived experience as a pysch survivor. Angela shares insights from social justice movements and how they incorporates them into her practice as a social worker. Angela also sheds light on how to hold both truths: the mental health industrial complex is the site of a LOT of harms- and there are pockets of true healing that we can be apart of, which creates a ripple effect of change.As always, you can find me on IG @bodyjustice.therapist or my website: www.eatingdisorderocdtherapy.comMore about Angela:Angela Montijo, LCSW (she/they) is a healing-centered relational facilitator, writer, and creator rooted in youth justice, community care, and liberation work. As a first-gen Latine woman raised in Inglewood, Angela's personal journey fuels her passion for building spaces that challenge oppressive systems. With 10+ years of experience in juvenile justice, mental health, and education, she leads with emergent strategy and restorative practices, centering those most impacted. Angela designs and facilitates workshops that provoke thought, deepen connection, and spark collective imagination—always prioritizing people over rigid protocols. Find Angela on her IG @angelaalchemy
Send us a textSupport the showBreakfast With Tiffany Show Official Facebook Page ~ https://www.facebook.com/breakfastwithtiffanyshow Tiffany's Instagram Account ~ https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyrossdaleofficial/ Breakfast With Tiffany Show Youtube Channel ~ https://bit.ly/3vIVzhE Breakfast With Tiffany Show Official Page ~ https://www.tiffanyrossdale.com/podcast For questions, requests, collaborations and comments, feel free to reach us via our e-mail ~ breakfastwithtiffanyshow@outlook.com SUBSCRIBE and SUPPORT us here ~ https://www.buzzsprout.com/1187534/supporters/new
5 Things In 15 Minutes The Podcast: Bringing Good Vibes to DEI
Julie Kratz (she/her), founder of Next Pivot Point and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week our conversation is about honoring disability justice with a new quarter, building groundbreaking housing for adults with autism, tackling Denmark's reading crisis, and more!Here are this week's good vibes:Rolling change into historyAutism housing breaks the moldGig workers want more than “flexibility”Where kids don't have to hideDenmark takes the tax off readingGood Vibes to Go: Bernadette's GVTG: Looking for some fresh data to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts? The Human Rights Campaign foundation reports that companies in the highest Corporate Equality Index score quartile saw average revenue growth of 12.31% over 15 years, more than double the 5.23% growth of companies in the lowest quartile. Read more here.Julie's GVTG: We need to be invite others to participate in allyship with a very clear, direct ask. They're actually waiting for the invitation. What if we were the one to give them, with no reasons not to join. Read the Stories.Connect with Julie Kratz.Subscribe to the 5 Things newsletter.Watch the show on YouTube. Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/
Buck v. Bell is the 1927 SCOTUS decision that upheld the constitutionality of laws allowing involuntary sterilization of people deemed to be “unfit.” Most of these laws have been repealed, but Buck v. Bell has never been directly overturned. Research: "Buck v. Bell." Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, edited by Michael J. Tyrkus and Carol A. Schwartz, 4th ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2022, pp. 174-177. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX8276200650/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=84626437. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. “BUCK v. BELL, Superintendent of State Colony Epileptics and Feeble Minded.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/274/200 Brosnahan, Cori. “Finding Carrie Buck.” American Experience. 11/2/2018. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eugenics-finding-carrie-buck/ Circuit Court of Amherst County. "Judgment Against Carrie Buck (April 13, 1925)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 06 Aug. 2025 https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/judgment-against-carrie-buck-april-13-1925/ Derrig, Collin. “Buck v. Bell in the Aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson: The Supreme Court’s Opportunity to Correct a Hundred-Year-Old Injustice.” University of Cincinnati Law Review Blog. 6/17/2025. https://uclawreview.org/2025/06/17/buck-v-bell-in-the-aftermath-of-dobbs-v-jackson-the-supreme-courts-opportunity-to-correct-a-hundred-year-old-injustice/ Disability Justice. “The Right to Self-Determination: Freedom from Involuntary Sterilization.” https://disabilityjustice.org/right-to-self-determination-freedom-from-involuntary-sterilization/ Dobbs, J.T.. "Petition to Commit Carrie Buck (January 23, 1924)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 06 Aug. 2025 https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/petition-to-commit-carrie-buck-january-23-1924/ Fair, Alexandra. “The Sterilization of Carrie Buck.” OSU.edu. https://origins.osu.edu/read/sterilization-carrie-buck General Assembly. "An ACT to define feeble-mindedness (1916)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 06 Aug. 2025. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/an-act-to-define-feeble-mindedness-1916/ General Assembly. "Chapter 46B of the Code of Virginia § 1095h–m (1924)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 06 Aug. 2025. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/chapter-46b-of-the-code-of-virginia-%c2%a7-1095h-m-1924/ Harris, Jasmine E. “Why Buck v. Bell Still Matters.” The Petrie-Flom Center. 10/14/2020. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2020/10/14/why-buck-v-bell-still-matters/ Larson, Edward J. “Putting Buck v. Bell in Scientific and Historical Context: A Response to Victoria Nourse.” Pepperdine University. 12/15/2011. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1353&context=plr Lombardo, Paul A. "Facing Carrie Buck. (essay)." The Hastings Center Report, vol. 33, no. 2, Mar.-Apr. 2003, pp. 14+. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A101259980/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=46aca03c. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Lombardo, Paul A. "Involuntary sterilization in Virginia: from Buck v. Bell to Poe v. Lynchburg." Developments in Mental Health Law, vol. 3, no. 3, July-Sept. 1983, pp. 13+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A235104880/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=aad8cdbf. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025. Lombardo, Paul. “In the Letters of an ‘Imbecile,’ the Sham, and Shame, of Eugenics.’ Undark. 10/4/2017. https://undark.org/2017/10/04/carrie-buck-letters-eugenics/ Oberman, Michelle. “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Buck v. Bell: Thoughts Occasioned by Paul Lombardo’s Three Generations, No Imbeciles.” Journal of Legal Education, Volume 59, Number 3 (February 2010). https://jle.aals.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1268&context=home Smith, J., and Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Carrie Buck (1906–1983)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 06 Aug. 2025. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/buck-carrie-1906-1983/ Thompson, Philip. “Silent Protest: A Catholic Justice Dissents in Buck v. Bell.” The Catholic Lawyer. Vol. 43, No. 1, spring 2004. https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/tcl/vol43/iss1/ Wolfe, Brendan. "Buck v. Bell (1927)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (12 Feb. 2021). Web. 06 Aug. 2025 https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/buck-v-bell-1927/ Lombardo, Paul A. “Carrie Buck’s Pedigree.” J Lab Clin Med 2001;138:278-82. doi:10.1067/mlc.2001.118091 Lombardo, Paul A. “Three Generations, No Imbeciles.” Johns Hopkins University Press. 2008. Gould, Stephen J. “Carrie Buck's Daughter.” Constitutional Commentary. 1015. 1985. https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/concomm/1015 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to season 3, episode 5 of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast! In this episode, I talk to our friend, Chuck, known as @whatexactlyisupchuck on social media. We dive into the politics of protection, the power of community care, and how Chuck planned a Covid-safer wedding in a world that often forgets the chronically ill. Chuck shares her experience navigating disability justice and mask advocacy in Texas. From confronting anti-mask legislation to celebrating love safely, this conversation is a heartfelt reminder that accessibility is love in actionTopics include:Disability justice and chronic illnessCovid-safer wedding planningMask rights and Chuck's advocacy in the Texas legislatureCommunity support, specifically a love fest for Tara Whitney, and griefHard-hitting topics like getting dumped by your hairdresserChuck's tips for what to look for in a therapistYou can find Chuck on TikTok and Instagram.Chuck is also on Substack.If you haven't checked out Chuck's shame-free Covid guides, you can access them here on her website.If you'd like to support this one-disabled-woman-produced podcast, check out my Bonfire apparel shop. Items bought in the shop support the renewal of my Zoom license for recording. Many items co-support other chronically ill friends. I also have an Amazon storefront and I'll get a few pennies if you purchase your everyday items through the links in my storefront. I also have an Amazon Wishlist that contains things that would help our low spoons house out this back to school fall season.Don't forget to like, subscribe, follow, and share A Friend for the Long Haul if you can. And if you're feeling extra generous, leave a review. Your support helps get this in front of more earballs and helps me bring more episodes. You can listen to the A Friend for the Long Haul Long Covid Theme Songs playlist on Spotify. Thank you!
Welcome aboard Kyber Squadron! For Disability Pride Month we have Greg Norman of Resilience Squadron on the podcast to talk about all the various ways in which politics and disability are interacting in this day and age. We cover everything from the various mediums the franchise exists in, to how intertwined we are with people living with disability, this is an. episode that highlights the richness of the human experience! Follow us: Twitch: @Sithty_Minutes BlueSky: @sithtyminutes.bsky.social Discord: Sithty Minutes Show Notes: Star Wars Vinyl Collection Star Wars: Hunters Skeleton Crew Star Wars Audio Comics Medicaid Work Requirements Rural Hospital Impact Subminimum Wage Pre-Existing Conditions IEP and 504 Plans Cutting Phone Services KB (Skeleton Crew) Resilience Squadron
In this episode we discuss disability, culture and identity from the perspective of disability communities themselves. Seattle based activist Dorian Taylor talks about the specific challenges disabled people face while accessing public transportation and Professor Sara Acevedo discusses the powerful ways that common language and terminology can shape our perceptions of disability, and why even today we are seeing further exclusion of disabled people. This program originally aired in 2019. Featuring: Dorian Taylor, Sara Acevedo. Episode Credits Special thanks to CIIS, the California Institute of Integral Studies and the CIIS Public Programs Podcast for use of the Sara Acevedo talk. To learn more about the CIIS Public Programs Podcast log onto https://www.ciispod.com/. The story of Dorian Taylor was produced by Yuko Kodama and Mona Yeh in partnership with KBCS and Finding America, a national initiative produced by AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio Incorporated. Financial support was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Wincote Foundation, The John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Making Contact Team Host: Anita Johnson Executive Director: Jina Chung Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Learn More: CIISPod | Sara Acevedo | Hampshire-Dorian Taylor | Krip Hop Nation | Fixed The Movie Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
The vast majority of care recipients are exclusively receiving unpaid care from a family member, friend, or neighbor. The rest receive a combination of family care and paid assistance, or exclusively paid formal care. Whether you're a paid home care provider, or rely on personal assistance to meet your daily needs, or a family member caring for a loved one, the nature of the working relationship depends on mutual respect and dignity. In honor of Disability Pride Month, we'll revisit the dynamic and complex relationship of care receiving and giving. Camille Christian, home care provider and SEIU member Brenda Jackson, home care provider and SEIU member Patty Berne, co-founder and director, Sins Invalid Jessica Lehman, executive director, San Francisco Senior and Disability Action Kenzi Robi, president, San Francisco IHSS (In Home Supportive Services) Public Authority Governing Body Rachel Stewart, queer disabled woman passionate about disability and employment issues Alana Theriault, disability benefits counselor in Berkeley, California Ingrid Tischer, director of development, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) Alta Mae Stevens, in-home caregiver Episode Credits: Host: Laura Flynn and Anita Johnson Contributing Producers: Alice Wong and Stephanie Guyer-Stevens Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang Executive Director: Jina Chung Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong Engineer: Jeff Emtman Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonarain Music: Dexter Britain: The Time To Run (Finale) Gillicuddy: Adventure, Darling Steve Combs: March Jason Shaw: Running Waters Jared C. Balogh: BRICK BY BRICK DAY BY DAY | INCREMENTS TOWARDS SERENITY Nheap: Crossings Cherly KaCherly: The Hungry Garden Trio Metrik: Vogelperspektive Kevin MacLeod: Faster Does It Learn More: UCSF: UCSF Study Projects Need for 2.5M More Long-Term Care Workers by 2030 SEIU: Longterm Care Worker Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund Disability Visibility Project Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network National Disability Leadership Alliance Senior and Disability Action Sins Invalid San Francisco In Home Supportive Services Public Authority Family Caregiver Alliance Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.
This episode explores how disability justice relates to the ongoing pursuit of justice for transgender communities, who are increasingly under threat in the US and many other countries. We'll listen in on Qudsiya's conversation with Ericka Dixon and Sebastian Margaret of the Transgender Law Center's Disability Project. They discuss how we can build cross movement solidarity between transgender and disabled communities, and all who exist at those intersections.--Let us know what you think with a comment or review!Visit our website for transcripts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
She trusted the wrong people — and after her brutal murder, the justice system betrayed her all over again.MARY'S VOICE Website: https://justiceformarysantina.comMARY'S VOICE Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2718704181695998Join the Darkness Syndicate: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateDISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.IN THIS EPISODE: A pale-faced figure in a cape has haunted a quiet Wisconsin town for decades — vanishing without a trace, but never from memory. We'll look at the legend of the Mineral Point Vampire. *** Navy radar specialists witness four mysterious craft emerge from the ocean depths and vanish at impossible speeds, adding weight to a startling theory: what if intelligent beings from Venus colonized Earth's oceans long ago without our knowledge? It's an interesting if not far-out theory. *** They're meant to be places of privacy, but in these haunted rooms, something unseen is always watching… and it never leaves. And that idea is even more disconcerting when you find out that you're being watched by a ghostly entity… while you're using the bathroom. *** An innocent young woman placed her trust in the wrong hands — what happened next would horrify even the most hardened investigators. It's the tragic and horrifying true story of Mary Collins.CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In00:02:00.023 = Show Open00:03:56.591 = She Just Wanted Friends: The Mary Collins Story00:21:44.683 = From Mines To Monsters To Mineral Point: One-Stop Shopping For Vampires, Ghosts & Goblins00:35:44.216 = Ancient Guardians of the Deep: The Venusian Ocean Civilization Theory00:46:47.347 = Porcelain Portals of the Paranormal: Haunted Bathrooms00:56:02.303 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…BOOK: “The W-Files” by Jay Rath: https://amzn.to/458kQVZ“SHE JUST WANTED FRIENDS: The Mary Collins Story”: https://medium.com/@TheCrimeChronicles./how-mary-collins-was-stabbed-133-times-6cc490d885ac,https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article276120786.html,https://medium.com/@crimedesk/betrayed-by-trust-the-tragic-murder-of-mary-collins-174207ec4792,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZJXiOeZa-o, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiTSDt7-X9E,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mckGn-yHnWo, https://lostsoulsofamerica.wordpress.com/2022/03/23/murdered-in-north-carolina-the-case-of-mary-collins%EF%BF%BC/, https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/she-just-wanted-friends-the-tragic-murder-of-mary-collins“ANCIENT GUARDIANS OF THE DEEP: The Venusian Ocean Civilization Theory”: https://anomalien.com/new-theory-ufos-belong-to-aliens-from-venus-who-live-in-the-oceans/, https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/navy-sailor-recounts-ufo-sighting-off-california-coast/, https://anomalien.com/new-us-military-video-released-of-group-of-ufos-taking-off-from-ocean/, https://anomalien.com/uss-jackson-radar-specialist-uap-emerged-from-the-ocean/“FROM MINES, TO MONSTERS, TO MINERAL POINT: One-Stop Shopping for Vampires, Ghosts, and Goblins”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB5u8OfSS_Y, https://www.ranker.com/list/mineral-point-vampire/april-a-taylor,https://www.wisconsinology.com/the-weird/the-mineral-point-vampire,https://authorlyngibson.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/the-vampire-of-mineral-point/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpsG8lJRpJE, https://driftlesstimesmedia.com/2024/05/05/mineral-point-vampire-wisconsin-folklore/“PORCELAIN PORTALS TO THE PARANORMAL: Haunted Bathrooms”: https://www.ranker.com/list/most-haunted-bathrooms/patrick-thornton=====(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: May 13, 2025EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MaryCollins