7/18/25 - Friday Video Share: Crip Camp

I looked back and found that I haven't posted any video here about the 2020 Netflix documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution before. The film is almost five years old now. But it's still probably the best introduction to the modern disability rights movement for a

7/17/25 - Basic accessibility

Come on in! Let's take a break, of sorts. Let's revisit an old, familiar, and somewhat less intense and confusing part of disability activism and culture – accessibility. The ongoing, probably never-ending effort to make more and more of our public spaces and businesses physically accessible feels

7/16/25 - Medicaid, sub-minimum wage, and immigrant rights

Good afternoon ... There's not much feel good stuff today's newsletter. But can't entirely look away from the hits and threats disabled people are taking right now from the outside. And we must not forget the dangers we ourselves sometimes pose to each other, or

7/15/25 - Ways of thinking about "Disability Pride"

Hello! Every July, at least for the last ten years or so, those of us who spend time thinking, talking, and writing about disability try again to define what disability pride means for disabled people, and what "Disability Pride Month" is for. It's always difficult to

7/14/25 - Taking stock

Good afternoon! It's been a refreshing week off. But it's nice to be back. The "Big Beautiful Bill" passed its final vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, July 3, and was signed by President Trump on July 4. It'

7/8/25 - A week off

I have decided to take a week off from weekday posts of the newsletter. We'll be back on Monday with some reactions to passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill" here in the US, and then a wider variety of disability-related stories and articles for a while

7/3/25 - Good, not great

Since almost all of our victories are partial, you would think figuring out how to move forward with them would be easier. But it never is.

7/2/25 - "Big Bill" reactions

Good morning ... Today we have three response to the US Senate's narrow passage of President Trump's domestic policy bill. In the "Take Action" section below, there's also an updated action alert from the American Association of People with Disabilities. I do realize

7/1/25 - AI discrimination, state waiting lists, and brain implants

Good afternoon! As I write this, the US Senate has just passed the President Trump's huge domestic policy bill. I don't know what that means for continuing advocacy efforts. The bill goes back to the House now. If there are new action alerts I'll

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Disability Thinking Weekday - June 2025 Recap

6/30/25 - Fighting the "Big Beautiful Bill"

Good morning ... I'm shoving this out a bit early today. Events are moving fast in the US Senate, which is getting close to passing the "Big Beautiful Bill," which among many other bad things would severely cut and undermine Medicaid, a critical program for Americans with

6/27/25 - People in wheelchairs zip-tied and escorted out of Capitol Hill office building during Medicaid cuts protest

It's the end of another week, in which disabled activists from various groups converged on Washington, DC once again ... People in wheelchairs zip-tied and escorted out of Capitol Hill office building during Medicaid cuts protest ABC WXYZ Detroit - June 25, 2025 Here is a link to another

6/26/25 - Voting, basic advocacy, and cringe acting

Hello! Here are your three disability links for a Thursday afternoon ... Disability Voting News: June 25, 2025 Sarah Blahovec, The Accessible Voting Booth - June 25, 2025 "Like many around the country, I'm experiencing a record heat wave, and as I’m writing this introduction on Tuesday

6/25/25 - More Medicaid cuts, disabled veterans, and the accessibility of protest

Two new action alerts ...

6/23/25 - How to do it

Disability activism without pity

6/20/25 - Friday Video Share: Your 19 Assumptions About Our Interabled Relationship - We Respond!

Opening Your 19 Assumptions About Our Interabled Relationship - We Respond! Squirmy and Grubs - May 21, 2025 I have shared videos from "Squirmy and Grubs" several times. They produce some of the best disability content out there. This video covers a lot of ground, as Q &

6/19/25 - Trumpism colliding with disability

I fear what will happen if this sort of thing continues

6/18/25 - Accessibility innovation, and the need for employment role models

On the surface, this seems like an observation so obvious it's barely worth mentioning.

6/17/25 - Disability rights globally and in the US ... and disabled sports

"I wanted to move. I wanted to compete. Mostly, I wanted to stop feeling like sports were built for everyone else."

6/16/25 - Education, discrimination, and parenting disabled children

Good morning! Let's start off this week with two articles on the same news event – a Supreme Court ruling that actually looks good for disabled people. I think it's helpful now and then to read and think about more than one different take on the same

6/13/25 - Friday Video Share: "Patience" - Official Trailer

There's a new British TV show coming up on PBS that looks interesting ... Patience Part 1 (2025) - Official Trailer - Season 1 New Movie Trailers - May 28, 2025 I love British police procedurals. So a new one centered on an autistic character working with police looks

6/12/25 - Three disability podcasts

Good afternoon all! I took yesterday off for my birthday. Today, instead of the usual articles, I'm sharing links to three disability-related audio podcasts that are either new to me, or that I'm returning to after a bit of a break. I mostly listen to podcasts

6/10/25 - A loss close to home, disability and the death penalty, and processing everyday ableism

Hello everyone ... I want to start today by acknowledging the passing of Denise DiNoto, one of this newsletter's longest subscribers, and a well-known and loved disabled activist here in New York State, where I live. Here is what the New York State Independent Living Council said of her

6/9/25 - Autism, Pride Month, and the next step in airline accessibility

It looks like autism has become yet another ground on which intense political, moral, and personal battles are being fought out – with little reference to actual autistic people.

6/6/25 - Friday Video Share: AmputeeOT: My Legoleg - amputee prosthetic leg made with Lego bricks

This one still makes me smile ... AmputeeOT: My Legoleg - amputee prosthetic leg made with Lego bricks AmputeeOT - June 12, 2013 Here's another older video, in fact the first I ever shared here. It's also the very first disability-related video I ever saw on YouTube.