3/30/26 - More memories of Alice, and autism on "The Pitt"

Good afternoon!

March is almost over, with sunny skies and fairly mild temperatures here in Northeastern New York State. Wednesday's newsletter issue will be a recap of the last month's links, and Thursday's will be a summary of reader comments. For today, there are Parts II and III of remembrances of Alice Wong, and a piece about one of the disabled characters on HBO's The Pitt.

Giving Alice Wong Her Flowers: Part II

Rabbi Elliot Kukla, Andrew Pulrang, Rebecca Cokely, Disabled Journalists Association - March 25, 2026

"Alice in many ways was our community’s first public intellectual. It was something she and the community struggled with figuring out. People all over the world feel like they knew Alice, like she was part of their family. Sometimes people felt like they had the right to speak on her behalf or be aggressive when engaging with her in public. Witnessing this firsthand, both in public and online, has made me really think about boundary setting. Because, while being so outward facing has its positives, when it starts infringing on ones’ right to bodily autonomy, it can be really hard. I’m reminded of Audre Lorde’s quote, 'If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.'"

Giving Alice Wong Her Flowers: Part III

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Gregg Beratan, Disabled Journalists Association - March 25, 2026

"Both of us came to our work with sociological backgrounds. Over time she reminded me of the importance of connecting personal stories to policy debates ... People can dismiss abstract policy discussions more easily than lived experience ... The disability community took ownership of #CripTheVote from the beginning. Alice, Andrew, and I organized chats and events, but the community tweeting around the clock made it powerful ... Although we never met in person, it was one of the most enjoyable partnerships of my life."

The first quote is from Rebecca Cokely, the second is from Gregg Beratan. All of the remembrances are worth reading, and collectively paint a clear and loving portrait of Alice Wong. If you are wondering why so much writing and thinking has been devoter to her since she died in November, it's because she was both a leader in disability communities and a dear friend and colleague to so many of us individually – myself absolutely included. I echo what Gregg says. I never met Alice in person, but she was a good friend and mentor, and I miss her terribly.

You can read the first part of the Disabled Journalists Association's three-part collection of remembrances about Alice Wong, in last Thursday's newsletter.

‘The Pitt’ Actress Tal Anderson Talks Becca’s New Boyfriend In Season 2, Respecting The Body Autonomy Of Disabled People & Autism Awareness Month Book Release

Rosy Cordero, Deadline - March 25, 2026

"Becca’s storyline is the impetus for a longer conversation about the importance of respect for body autonomy for everyone, but especially disabled people, which Anderson spoke to Deadline about recently, as well as her upcoming new book, “Oh, Tal, Not Like That,” to be released in April in line with Autism Awareness Month, and more."

The Pitt is my favorite TV show right now. And this article and interview on the autistic character Becca is only one facet of how the show deals with various kinds of disabilities, from several different perspectives. Someone could write a whole essay on how The Pitt handles disability. It quietly shows us the diversity and richness of disabled people's experiences. It also depicts both the positive practices and the damaging attitudes towards disability that are common in the medical profession. And it does all of this without the show ever coming close to being unnaturally dominated by disability themes or messages. It's impressive, and exactly the kind of disability depiction I most like to see.

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:

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