3/6/25 - More on The R-Word, some satire, and job openings in advocacy
Today we're taking about a half-step away from hard news. And by "hard" news I mean both having to do with concrete, specific disability policy and politics, and just hard to deal with.
Here are your three disability-related links for today ...
The R-Word
Grace Dow, Grace Dow Writes - February 28, 2025
"While the language itself is upsetting, many disabled people worry about the cultural implications of the word. 'Too often, people dismiss it as a harmless negative word but in reality, its use reinforces harmful, ableist attitudes and behaviors,' adds Morton. 'When people like Musk… use this slur, it not only undermines our community, but also opens the door for able-bodied people to justify discrimination and the denial of resources and opportunities to disabled people.'"
Here is another perspective on the rise – or reemergence of "the R-word." At one point, Grace Dow explains how the word was first used, as more of a medical label for what we now call "intellectual disability." To some it may seem unnecessary to explain where "the R-word" came from. But at this point there may actually be a lot of people who honestly don't know. Maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe too many people really do think it's just a harmless, generic insult. If so, that's all the more reason to be concerned and angry at people with so much influence using it again, and, it seems, with a certain kind of glee.
School Administrators Fear Universal Accommodations ‘Too Helpful’ for Everyone
Jeremy Einbinder, The Squeaky Wheel - February 26, 2025
"After a few teaching teams got the idea to offer numerous accommodations normally reserved for people with learning disabilities to their entire class roster, and even expand accommodations using their own money, the Alliance for Suppression of Schooling and Educational Successes (ASSES) sprang into action."
This bit of satire from The Squeaky Wheel reminds me of the university accessibility committee I served on when I was a graduate student. We were discussing how to enable disabled students to use elevators that were otherwise off limits to students. Some on the committee favored giving elevator keys only to specific students deemed eligible. The idea they said was to prevent non-disabled students from "abusing" the elevators. Ultimately, I think we did decide to just let anyone use the elevators, and not worry about whether anyone was "cheating." But there was definitely a faction that believed passionately that disability accommodations had to be carefully doled out and strictly policed, lest anyone undeserving benefit even slightly from them.
Come Work at AAPD!
American Association of People with Disabilities - March 5, 2025
"Are you committed to growing the disability rights movement and looking to join a growing, flexible, hybrid and/or remote workplace? Please read on to see if our Content Producer, Digital Director, Programs Director, or State Voting Coalitions Coordinator roles could be right for you."
I debated whether or not to include job announcements in this newsletter. But once in a while I think it's good to look in on opportunities available for disability activists, and at the same time get a bit of an update on what's happening at disability organizations like the AAPD.
Action Alerts
Opportunities to take action on disability issues ...
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