5/6/25 - A Medicaid vigil, and more travel woes
... the fear, humiliation, and rage of this very specific combination of crappy customer service and bureaucratic incompetence that only disabled people face.
What's happening in your disability world this week?
Medicaid Vigil in Washington, DC
Caring Across Generations - May 7, 2025
Source: Little Lobbyists Facebook page
"Caregivers, care recipients, advocates, and families are gathering at the U.S. Capitol to share their stories and remind Congress that Medicaid isn’t a line item in a budget–it’s a lifeline for millions of families. We’ll be joined by movement leaders and elected officials, including Senator Booker, Senator Wyden, and Representative Jayapal."
This is happening tomorrow, Wednesday, May 7th in Washington, DC. If you won't be there in person, you can tune in on the YouTube link in the title above. Also, I've added a link to the event's action page in the "Take Action" section of this newsletter below. I find it hard these days to decide which protest and advocacy efforts to join in the fight against what the Trump administration has already done and plans to do affecting people with disabilities. But this looks like a good one. It's focused on a very specific, material issue – the threat of huge cuts to Medicaid. The event is a collaboration between at least two different but related organizations and constituencies I'm familiar with – Little Lobbyists representing children with disabilities and their families, and Caring Across Generations representing people of all ages who need home care. And the event itself will include a simple but potentially powerful "gimmick" – reading stories of people whose lives are better, or have been saved, because of Medicaid. It looks like it's worth checking out.
Woman Living With Cerebral Palsy Says She Was 'Discarded Like Furniture' by Airline Staff When Requesting a Wheelchair (Exclusive)
Moná Thomas, People - May 2, 2025
"As her career requires frequent plane travel, Venendaal is well-versed in the protocols necessary to guarantee that she travels safely. 'I always try to plan ahead, follow every procedure, and give grace when systems are overwhelmed,' she wrote. 'But what happened to me at Atlanta airport with Delta Airlines left me feeling completely helpless — and honestly, invisible.'"
How a Dutch Airline and Deutschebahn Broke Us
John Morris, WheelchairTravel.org - April 30, 2025
"As self-sufficient wheelchair users, Robert and I should be able to enter buildings, board planes, trains and automobiles, and travel on sidewalks the same way nondisabled people do — independently and without the assistance or intervention of another person. The world is not truly accessible, though, and we often require the help of others to do things that we could otherwise do on our own. When we are forced to rely on others for basic access, we feel frustrated, and perhaps even angry when the systems to provide access are beset with additional rules and restrictions — barriers that alienate and marginalize us on account of the fact that we are wheelchair users."
The full article by John Morris is for paid subscribers to the WheelchairTravel.org newsletter. But I think the introduction is worth reading on its own. It sums up why accessibility is important, including in travel, and why it's more than just making it there and back in one piece. And the People article vividly describes not only the inconvenience of sloppy disability accommodations by airlines and airports – but also the fear, humiliation, and rage of this very specific combination of crappy customer service and bureaucratic incompetence that only disabled people face. Travel is wonderful in many ways, especially for disabled people. It can be broadening, fulfilling, and joyful. And it is a privilege not all of us have access to. But it also tends to produce a highly concentrated form of very personal ableism that's hard to find anywhere else in ordinary, except maybe for hospitals.
Please give a thumbs up, thumbs down, and / or comment on this newsletter down below. And do share it with any others who you think might be interested.
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