10/27/26 - Voting, and disability perspectives on recent events

Hello!

What's going on in disability world this week where you are?

The one thing everyone can do to fight for free and fair elections

Astead Herndon and Dylan Scott, Vox.com - October 24, 2026

"Yes, definitely find out your options. Voters should also check their voter registration status. Make sure it’s up to date with their current address. Of course, if you’re not registered to vote and you still have time in your state to register, please do register ... Everyone should participate. Our democracy works best the more of us that can participate. If your registration date has not passed, don’t forget to register to vote. Vote with your friends, vote with your community, vote with your family. Voting should be joyful. It’s a civic experience that I think is really fun."

Vote. That's the one thing. There are all sorts of "takes" on why or how voting is or isn't important for people with disabilities. And there really are compelling arguments on all sides. My take is that at election time, it's better to assume it is important, and for all of us to do whatever we have to do to vote. There's plenty of time between elections to debate about the subject, and to work on making the whole process more accessible, safe, and worthwhile. Some of us will probably have to fight for our right to vote right up to and including Election Day, too. Whatever it takes, when it's actually time to vote, let's just do it.

We asked young disabled women about Cornell

Emily Flores, Cr*pple Media - October 16, 2026

"To be clear, the case itself is not about disabled women. But, it has revealed a human thread of vulnerability that weaves in and out of identity. Disability runs closer to stories like this one than most people realize: assault can depend on incapacitation, and its aftermath can itself be disabling. Yet disability doesn’t often come up in these conversations. So, we asked young disabled women in college how they’re processing the case, and what their experiences might add to the way we talk about assault. Here’s what they told us."

My experience and understanding of this issue is extremely limited. But the struggle to assert bodily autonomy is very familiar to me. As this piece points out, there are echos and similarities between sexual assault and some of the violations disabled people feel in other situations, like medical treatment, everyday, hands-on personal care, and even how perfectly kind but inept strangers sometimes treat us. I appreciate the way this article makes it clear that these issues are both highly specialized in regard to disabled people, and utterly, depressingly ordinary as well.

How Mass Shootings Affect People with Disabilities

Jackie, Disability & Determination - October 21, 2026

"So much of living with a disability means having to rely on other people for help. We all need help at one point or another in life, disabled or not. But for disabled people, it’s much more frequent and in the case of school or mass shootings, the difference between getting that help or not can literally be life or death. The fact that the target of this most recent shooting was a class full of disabled kids has me absolutely incensed."

This is another instance of a disability-related news event – a school shooting that specifically affected disabled students – where I have seen fairly little comment from disability-related organizations. I've seen some short paragraphs on social media, and this "Disability & Determination" post of course, but that's about all. As I've said before, I try to keep in mind that I don't read everything, and I may have missed quite a bit. Also, I do realize it takes time to process events before coming out with a thoughtful response. And trying to issue a statement for every disability-related occurrence is probably a bad idea. But sometimes I'm a bit surprised at the slowness, or the silence.

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