3/10/25 - The Education Department, and two takes on disability identity
The poll I embedded in Friday's newsletter didn't work right. For some reason it doesn't appear in the actual email. Sorry about that! If you visit the Friday newsletter's web page, the poll shows up right where it's supposed to be and works just fine. I'll have to try another poll application next time. Does anyone have suggestions?
Here are your three disability links for this Monday. And don't forget to check out the Action Alerts, too!
Why a Department of Education closure is concern for students with disabilities
Lennon Sherburne, Michael Levitt, Ailsa Chang, Justine Kenin, National Public Radio - March 7, 2025
"And one of the biggest concerns with the Department of Education potentially being dismantled is, what is going to happen when that federal oversight is removed and that power is given to the states? And so I'm concerned that some states will really prioritize making sure that these students continue receiving a quality education, while others will focus more on cutting the budget for those students and that we will end up in a segregated educational system."
It's going to be important to be able to explain in fairly simple terms why eliminating the U.S. Department of Education is a risk specifically for disabled students. This is especially true if the actual laws protecting disabled student's educational rights are going to remain more or less intact for the foreseeable future, but overseen by different departments, likely with less oversight for states and local school districts. Laws protecting educational rights and accommodations for students with disabilities are already quite flexible and localized. The last thing we need is less oversight and fragmented funding.
The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
Jessica Smith, Time - February 26, 2025
"When I walk into a room, I know that some people will see my disability first. They will make assumptions about what I can and can’t do before I even open my mouth. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s exhausting. People with disabilities shouldn’t have to prove their worth over and over again ... A society that only values people based on their ability to conform is a society that fails us all. When we devalue people with disabilities, we are setting a dangerous precedent—one that says some lives are worth more than others."
What Do People with Disabilities Need?
Freddie deBoer, Freddie deBoer Substack - February 28, 2025
Suggested by Tom DeFayette
"The claim I want to advance today is pretty simple: the more that accommodations are specific, limited, and (most importantly) material, the more effective and socially useful they are. And a core problem is that contemporary disability rhetoric is so often general, boundless, and immaterial. It’s a move away from ramps and grab bars and closed captions and towards vibes."
I already had the Time article lined up to share when one of this newsletter's paid subscribers suggested the Substack piece, which is partly a critical response to it. This offers an opportunity to read the two pieces as a kind of dialog. It's hard to pinpoint what, exactly how the two writers disagree. But I think it boils down to two different takes on what efforts towards disability rights and inclusion should feel like. Call them the practical and the emotional. Or, policy and identity. They are contrasting approaches to what's considered most important for disabled people – physical access or social inclusion, materials support or recognition and representation, concrete change or centering of disabled voices. But most of us some combination of both, don't we? These two approaches, these two vibes overlap. And I think for a lot of us, our orientation changes over time. I used to be squarely in the camp of "don't dwell on disability's meaning, just fix barriers and solve problems." But I credit disability communities on social media with helping me realize not just the "feel good" aspects of "disability awareness," but the usefuless of thinking about and embracing disability as an identity, as well as a bundle of practical challenges.
It may be helpful to note here that Freddie deBoer is a political philosopher who sits to the Left on traditionally-understood political questions, but is notably opposed to what he and others negatively term "identity politics." So, his skepticism about discussing disability as a social identity fits his broader point of view. I don't know what Jessica Smith's background and philosophy might suggest about her piece.
For what it's worth, I think that some people's takes on "identity politics" often illustrate a common confusion in politics and culture wars between, "I don't like it!" and "It's wrong and bad!" On disability, I keep coming back to what the character Tyrion Lannister, (a little person), says in the TV version of Game Of Thrones:
"Never forget what you are; the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you,"
Like it or not, disability is treated as an identity. That's as much of a hard reality for disabled people as stairs and ramps, neglect and care, poverty and security. In any case, the mix and conflict within disability culture between practicality and perception is fertile ground for some good discussions.
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Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. Please like, share, comment, and subscribe — for free, or with a paid subscription. A free subscription brings a newsletter to your email each weekday, and gives you access to Comments. Benefits of paid subscription include:
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