12/18/25 - Legal services, transportation, and a year-end wrap-up

Good afternoon!

As 2026 nears an end, here are some thoughts on some of the more difficult and sometimes discouraging aspects of disability activism. These thoughts can be discouraging. But to me they are also hopeful. I we can pinpoint the sources of our frustration a little more precisely, I think they become a little less upsetting, and maybe a little easier to fix as well.

From now until the end of the year, annual memberships are on sale at $40 per year. So now is a good time to give this newsletter your financial support if you haven't already, or renew an annual membership. Just click the button below. I appreciate your support!

Trump admin aims to slash access to disability lawyers, advocates say

Tony Leys, USA Today - December 14, 2025

"People with disabilities have the right to live in their communities if possible. Federal laws and court decisions say they may attend school, work jobs, and go to restaurants, movie theaters, and other public places. If they can find lawyers, they can file legal challenges when those rights are denied."

I agree with Alison Barkoff, who is quoted in this article, that "Protection and Advocacy" lawyers and other federal and state-level legal assistance agencies are among the least familiar pillars of disabled Americans' independence. When they are able to do their jobs well, fewer disabled people actually need them. Well, it looks like more disabled Americans and their families may soon need protection and advocacy lawyers. When it turns out to be much harder than ever to find them, will the disability community demand reversal of these cuts? Or, will we just complain in a general way – venting without being specific about what we need, or identifying the wrong villains? I think that's the question behind a lot of disability advocacy issues. Being justifiability angry isn't enough. You have to know where to channel the rage. And disability support systems are hard to figure out in the best of times.

His Job Is to Make the Subway Accessible. His Own Life Fuels His Work.

Emma G. Fitzsimmons, New York Times - December 15, 2025

"As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s first chief accessibility officer, Mr. Arroyo lobbies for billions of dollars to build new subway elevators, knowing that nearly two-thirds of stations do not have them. He pushes officials to repair the system’s roughly 350 elevators more quickly, knowing the feeling of helplessness that comes with getting stranded ... It is a monumental and often thankless task that, despite his efforts, has at times cast him as an adversary to elected officials and disability advocates who want him to do more, faster."

I don't live in New York City myself. And I haven't visited there in decades. So I can't tell whether Arroyo is more appreciated by disabled New Yorker's for his representation and advocacy, or resented for the lack of progress under his watch. But that, too, seems to be a common feature of disability activism. At some point, most of the best disabled advocates eventually find themselves in positions where other disabled people complain about them. Sometimes there's good reason for that. And none of us should feel entitled to unconditional support and thanks. But we can't all hide in some kind of pure, amateur status forever. Some of us need to take responsible decisions, set priorities, and make deals. The goal is keep moving forward, being pragmatic without losing sight of the ultimate goal – which in this case is actual, physical accessibility. At least it's an outcome that's easy to measure and hard to fake.

Onwards into the unknown

Peter Torres Fremlin, Disability Debrief - December 17, 2025

"This is my view on the year that was, and why I've got my seat-belt on for 2026."

Disability Debrief is an excellent place to find a year-end wrap-up of disability news around the globe. It's certainly been quite a year! Incidentally, I find I relate very personally to this other quote from Peter's recap:

"I use a wheelchair but I still walk as a hobby."

It's been that kind of year for me, too.

Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. Please share, comment, and subscribe — for free, or with a paid subscription.

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 will be 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.

To to subscribe, upgrade to paid, or make a one-time donation, click one of the buttons below:

I am so grateful for your help and engagement, in whichever forms you choose!