7/1/26 - June Comments

There was a lot of feedback this month. Let's get right to it ...

June 2, 2026 - "Invisible" disabilities, and the meaning of "independence"

Celestine Fraser responds to comments on her article, "The politics of sitting down":

Celestine here, from Body Babble. I just wanted to say thank you so much once again for including an extract from one of my essays in your newsletter. I loved reading your thoughtful commentary on some of the questions my essay raises. I didn't actually have time to get into those questions myself, so I was very happy to see you continuing the conversation! This question "How much should we take potential ableist backlash into account in the projects we undertake and policy changes we propose?" is really interesting. I agree that in our current climate, it does usually feel naïve and like an initiative hasn't involved enough disabled in its early stages if they don't consider the wider politics and potential implications on individuals. Anyway, I always look forward to your newsletter showing up in my inbox (even when I'm not featured!). I've been subscribed for some years now and really rely on it. Please keep up the good work!

I will. And I look forward to Celestine's next writing.

June 3, 2026 - Conflicting takes on employment, and appreciating disability social media

Jen Rohrig has I think some important things to add about the contradictions that always crop up in discussions about disability and employment:

My initial response to seeing the two work related items was to say that the "they never let their disability stop them" crowd has a lot to answer for. With that statement I was referring to a broader issue of the way that many people will look to the achievements of disabled people as a way to look down on others in the sense of "if this person can do it why can't you?" Without any understanding of the different ways that even the same disability can present for someone and all the other factors that can go into it. Different people have different life experiences that can shape how much they are able to do.

The US Department of Labor wants to celebrated the hard work of so called "hard working" disabled people. Which basically means that their worth is in what they can produce for others. Yes it's important to show that disabled people are capable of working and belong in the workplace. But it cannot be at the expense of those who are unable to work for whatever reason. It cannot be used to imply that those that are not able to work just aren't trying hard enough to be productive.

I believe the Medicaid work requirements are caused by the assumptions that disabled people just aren't trying hard enough to work and many are just sitting around doing nothing when they could be working. The more people say things like "they never let their disability stop them" the harder it becomes for those who actually cannot to be seen as worthy. Because as I said the focus is on what people can produce for others and being "hard working".

I agree Jen. I wish is was easier and more common to find some more effective balance between employment as an issue of opportunity and access, vs. one of perceived obligation and judgement.

June 10, 2026 - Monthly Essay: "Survey Results"

In response to the survey results discussed in June's monthly essay, Mark Johnson says:

These results are loaded and helpful.

-there appears to be discrepancies in the answers based on income-most people have to research issues-most people have to pay out of pocket

-56 percent have positions?

-only 13 percent want to be organizers.

And Jen Rohrig adds:

Ableist attitudes being the top one doesn't really surprise me in general. Most of the problems we have are because people don't really understand disability and/or think we are already asking for to much just to be included. We really have to changes attitudes before we can actually get anywhere with things being truly accessible. The response tends to be "but why do you need access to everything?" "if we gave you x accommodation everyone would want it" etc etc. The accommodations exist its getting them that's the issue really. Because people think it's special treatment or whatever.

I plan on doing another survey of some kind later this year.

June 16, 2026 - Subminimum wage, eligibility tests, and a bit of satire

On these issues, James Highland suggests:

A letter to Newsom is in order. Cut Medicaid and we don't forget you in '28!

June 17, 2026 - Another Trump move, more on a disabled Senate candidate, and a look at political categories

Mark Johnson commented on disability policy and election candidates:

My guess is our community seldom uses where candidates stand on disability issues to determine who gets there vote.In fact, I would say, most of us don’t even know where they stand.And very few entities collect that information.We’ve gotten pretty good at identifying issues that are important to us, AAPD and Crip the Vote.

Maybe this is a good time to ask ... what kind of links and discussions would you all like to see here about upcoming elections, in the US and elsewhere too? Let me know!

June 26, 2026 - Friday Video Share: "Disability Reddit Got Me Feeling Some Kinda Way…"

Gaelynn Lea subscribed, and sent a lovely message:

Hello Andrew! Just wanted to say I gave you another shout-out in my recent Substack! Please keep up your important work. I admire you soooo much for keeping us informed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️

Look for a video by her in this coming Friday's newsletter.

Finally, Maddie Crowley shares a couple of links from her work with the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy:

I wanted to pass along some a couple new research items and resources from the Lurie Institute if you'd like to share them in your newsletter.

New Plain Language Research Brief: Gaps in Reproductive Healthcare Resources for People with Disabilities.

We found that reproductive healthcare resources for people with disabilities exist, but can be hard to find and insufficient. This brief talks about our work and links to all the resources we found.

How Doulas Can Help Disabled Pregnant People.

Doulas can play an integral role in ensuring that disabled people have healthy, safe, and accessible pregnancies. This webinar talks about what that can look like, through a discussion between a disability-focused doula and her client, who has autism and adhd. Webinar recording, presentation, and summary resource document.

Thanks Maddie!

And thank you everyone for reading and sharing your thoughts and reactions!

Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote the newsletter 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 around 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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