> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 8/23/26 - August Monthly Q & A, with Julia Métraux - URL: https://disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/8-23-26-august-monthly-q-a-with-julia-metraux/ - Published: 2026-08-26T18:30:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-26T18:55:48.000Z - Author: Andrew Pulrang ## Good afternoon … … And welcome to the the newest [*Disability Thinking Weekday*](https://disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/8-23-26-a-sunday-evening-update/) feature, the Monthly Q & A. Our first edition is with [Julia Métraux, disability and related topics reporter at *Mother Jones*](https://www.motherjones.com/author/julia-metraux/?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io). But before we get see how Julia answers the five interview questions I sent her, we need to acknowledge the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest decision — this time *supporting* President Trump’s effort to restrict and dictate Americans’ with disabilities and other marginalized people’s equal access to vote. [Court Allows Trump to Pursue Mail Voting Limits, for Now](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-mail-ballots.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io), New York Times More about that over the next few days *I’m positive*. So now let’s get to know Julia Métraux. ![Blue sky and white clouds](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/06/Summer-Trim.png) 1. **How, why, and when did you get involved in disability culture and / or activism?** I was born a disabled person, being hard-of-hearing, but I was not involved in disability communities, either online or in-person, until I was an adult. This shift happened because I developed a condition called vasculitis, which is a rare autoimmune disorder that causes my blood vessels to be inflamed. I had to take a semester off from university when I just turned 20, when I started to blog about my chronic illness, both unpaid, like at *The Mighty*, and paid. I decided then I wanted to pursue reporting professionally, and reporting on disability was a way to combine my interest in reporting (I started in my high school newspaper at 14) and disability. So, since age 20, I have considered myself to be involved in disability culture. I also started to spend a lot of time on Twitter, I refuse to call it X, at the time, where I was connected with a lot more openly disabled people. I've always been someone who has been interested in disability politics, but I often didn't write about it, besides an unpaid internship and paid contracted gig at *The Mighty* (note: I was early career and not involved in soliciting unpaid writers. I respect criticism of the site), as I was often relegated to writing about disability as solely a health story. There were some exceptions, but as a freelancer, I was told so many times, "we already have a disability story in the works." This type of reaction from editors also affects people reporting on other marginalized communities. I was very lucky when I applied for a fellowship at Mother Jones in 2023 that they were interested in disability reporting. Fortunately, while not all my stories have been greenlit, I've never been told disability topics are too "niche." Now, I get to write about disability politics there as a staff reporter. I'd say most of my disability community is still online, due to the function of the symptoms of my chronic illness. I am quite active on BlueSky, Instagram and admittedly, LinkedIn user. But in my defense of LinkedIn, it's helpful in finding sources. 1. **Which kind of disability-related problem do *you* experience most from day to day?** When it comes to challenges, I have to acknowledge I am incredibly privileged. My parents do help me out financially with some healthcare costs today, and I have a job with very good health insurance. My biggest problems are ... feeling terrible. I'm at my 10-year anniversary this year of being chronically ill, and I do struggle with the fact that my symptoms leave me isolated. It also frustrates me that my symptoms, like debilitating fatigue and brain fog, do impact how I work, which ME/CFS and a head injury also play a role in. Maybe it's the capitalism grind, but I do feel a sense of guilt that I can't get to every disability news story that I want to, but also non-disabled reporters aren't able to do this either. I wouldn't call it outright disability discrimination, but it was interesting navigating journalism norms pushed by some of my journalism professors at journalism graduate school. I felt like I had a lot of conversations outlining that I can't really report in person and Zoom is much more accessible for me for the work that I do. I struggled enough to get to class in-person, so I needed to physically rest outside of it, even if I couldn't mentally. I wasn't punished for it academically – I'm proud of my 4.0 GPA! And I started grad school in 2021, so I got some of these attitudes even after we all realized Zoom was a useful tool. 1. **How has your thinking about disability changed over the years?** Years ago, I collaborated with John Loeppky on a piece on [disability reporting at *Poynter*](https://e4b25e89.streak-link.com/C%5FPoLh1Njd5Q8MjpFgr35z2-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.poynter.org%2Freporting-editing%2F2020%2Fhow-covid-19-exposes-a-disability-reporting-gap%2F?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io). During our conversations, he told me when writing that it's helpful to view disability itself in a value-neutral way. It's most definitely not a superpower. I've applied that frame to both my reporting and how I view my own disabilities. The fact of being disabled is not a tragedy. For instance, when I've written about the experiences of people newly disabled through Long Covid, I've focused on how some of their symptoms can be debilitating, but the act itself of being a disabled person is not. I've also tried to be more aware of intersectionality in my disability reporting and how I think about disability in general, as a fairly financially privileged white woman. For instance, last year, I [reported a feature](https://e4b25e89.streak-link.com/C%5FPoLh1OztLGiPJrRAxeQxJ6/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fpolitics%2F2025%2F07%2Fpregnancy-disability-death-ob-gyn-training%2F?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) on the traumatic experiences of disabled pregnant people. In the piece itself, I clearly highlighted that it's unsurprising that the majority of people whom I spoke to about this topic were disabled people of color, specifically Black disabled people, who deal with racism, misogyny, and ableism in medical settings. I find it to be ever more important to name the importance of looking at disability through an intersectional lens during so-called DEI attacks by the federal government, which for the most part, are just anti-Black racism. 1. **What do you think is the most urgent issue for disabled people in the US right now?** I definitely think the most urgent issue for disabled people in the United States right now is Medicaid cuts, which I've written about in many articles since January 2025\. It makes me angry that some Republican politicians argued that the "real" disabled people wouldn't be impacted by Medicaid cuts, including Medicaid work requirements. First of all, there's no worthy and unworthy disabled people. But also, there were no carve-outs in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act that programs used by disabled people, such as home and community-based services, would be protected. States have to balance their budgets, so there's a risk that there will be cuts to HCBS in every state. Even for disabled people on private health insurance, their health care could still be disrupted by hospital closures as a result of Medicaid cuts. 1. **What do you think is the most promising opportunity for disabled people in the near future?** What still gives me hope in my reporting on disability is disabled people working together to protect ourselves and our communities. For example, in California, due to activism from disabled and care activists, they were able to stop [Governor Gavin Newsom's proposals](https://e4b25e89.streak-link.com/C%5FPoLhxgYAfs-v0OLgdRvoPH/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fpolitics%2F2026%2F05%2Fnewsoms-budget-shows-hes-not-the-resistance-leader-you-think-he-is%2F?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) to home and community-based services that would put disabled people's independence in danger, like stopping a county backup provider program. But, I have a problem thinking of promising opportunities for disabled people in the future collectively. More disabled people running for office and pushing for legislation that protects disabled people could be cool though, we're seeing this with [Democrat Josh Turek's run for Senate in Iowa](https://e4b25e89.streak-link.com/C%5FPoLhxzc-Z-IhJKhwgVYRLh/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherjones.com%2Fpolitics%2F2026%2F05%2Fthe-populist-paralympian-who-wants-roll-into-the-senate%2F?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io). I do still do most of my reporting virtually, but part of me is hoping to be with a disabled legislature like him on election night. I hope you all enjoyed that. Your feedback is most welcomed, including criticism — as long as it’s respectful and constructive. And huge thanks to Julia for taking the time t offer her unique insights into being a disabled journalist. It was a pleasure! I'm still in the hospital, so I don't expect to be back to regular posting until sometime next week. 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