10/13/26 - Essential data, and making a disability TV show
Hi there!
Let's get right to it. Here are three disability-related links for a new Tuesday.
Tell CDC: Keep disability questions in the NHIS
American Association of People with Disabilities - October 5, 2026
"The CDC and other government entities use data from the NHIS to make decisions about funding and resource allocation for critical programs, research, and services that benefit disabled people ... The proposed redesign would remove some disability-related questions and reduce the detail collected about disabled people’s health and experiences. Although some questions about disability, mental health, and chronic conditions would remain, they would not capture all of the information currently collected."
What Is Lost When Disability Data Vanishes
Grace Dow, Grace Dow Writes - October 5, 2026
"Data often makes inequities visible. Researchers use disability data to study health outcomes and barriers to care. Policymakers rely on it to determine where resources may be needed. Disability organizations use it to advocate for stronger services, greater accessibility, and policy reforms ... Without reliable data, those efforts become more difficult. The challenges disabled people face do not disappear simply because they are no longer measured. They can, however, become easier for organizations to overlook."
This is one of the ways the Trump administration – like other regressive, reactionary regimes – dismantles ongoing efforts at greater fairness and full access to services in a backhanded, indirect way. Simply stop counting the people whose needs and problems you don't care about, and everything will start to look just fine, suggesting there's no need to worry about them anymore. Maybe there was never any need to worry about them! Self-reinforcing neglect may be a good term for it. Ans it's especially effective where disabled people are concerned, because we are already always on the edge of invisibility. So this is one of those advocacy areas that look small-bore and technocratic, but is actually really powerful and potentially devastating.
Kyla Harris: "We wanted to completely break convention”
Celestine Fraser, Body Babble - October 6, 2026
"The show is laugh-out-loud hilarious. It’s taboo-breaking in its representation of disability, bodies, sex and interdependence. And it’s political in a way that never feels preachy. Even its smallest details mean so much to me: like hearing the click of the main character’s power-chair which, to me, is the sound of some of my most beloved friends entering the room."
This is a fun interview. It's especially exciting to read about what sounds like an amazing TV show from a disability perspective. My only complaint is that I'm not sure when I'll ever get to watch any of it, since the "BBC Player" won't work from my U.S. location. Still, it's encouraging to know that there are places where disability culture is genuinely moving forward – not just treading water or starting to drown.
Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote Disability Thinking Weekday by forwarding it by email or posting on your social media. You can also comment by sending me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com. Collected comments are shared on the first of each month. A free subscription sends a newsletter to your email each weekday. Benefits of paid subscription include:
- A monthly recap with links to all of the previous month's shared articles, organized by topic.
- Listing as a supporter, and a link to your website if you have one.
- You can recommend one disability-related article for me to share per month in a weekday post.
Use the buttons below to start a paid subscription or make a one-time donation.
I am so grateful for your help and engagement, in whichever forms you choose!
Free subscribers: 1,291
Paid subscribers: 52