Disability Visibility

Today’s subject is this podcast because it’s episode 100!! Whether this is the first time you’re listening or if you’re a longtime listener, this podcast is co-audio produced by three people and myself: Sarika Mehta, Geraldine Ah-Sue, and Cheryl Green. I’m proud to work with all three of them since the podcast started in 2017. You’ll hear us talk about the lack of disabled voices in radio or podcasts, our collaborative process, and the future of the podcast. And this is a supersized episode! After the conversation, you’ll hear some feedback from podcast listeners. In this post you can also find more such as a downloadable list of all 100 podcast episodes you can share as a resource (coming soon) and another document with responses by students from Mid-Peninsula High School in San Mateo, California (see below).   And now for a very important update. Friends, this is the last episode of the Disability Visibility podcast. I’ll talk about how I came to this decision in the conversation with Geraldine, Sarika, and Cheryl. I hope you will continue to subscribe because I may still produce other audio stories in the future, just not regular podcast episodes. It has been an absolute joy to create and collaborate with so many awesome people. In addition to Sarika, Cheryl, and Geraldine, I want to thank Mike Mort for creating the logo, Wheelchair Sports Camp for allowing me to use 2 of their songs as the theme music, and Lateef McLeod for the introduction. I also want to thank the 100+ guests for sharing their wisdom and time and for trusting their story with me. And most importantly, I want to thank YOU. This is not the end, but the beginning of new adventures. Thank you for being in community with me.  Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links Disability Visibility Podcast Resource Guide  [Google doc]    [PDF] <a href="https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04

Today I’m in conversation with my friends Andrew Pulrang and Gregg Beratan. The three of us are co-partners in #CripTheVote, an online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people that we started in 2016. You’ll hear us talk about the origins of #CripTheVote, the differences between the 2016 and 2020 election on disability policies and engagement, and looking ahead with the Biden/Harris administration. Please note our conversation took place in December 2020, a few weeks after the Presidential election.  Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links #CripTheVote blog Recap from #CripTheVote candidate chat with Sen. Warren, January 7, 2020 Recap from #CripTheVote Twitter town hall with Pete Buttigieg, January 17, 2020. “What’s Next For Disability Policy? Here Are Four First Steps,” Andrew Pulrang, November 27, 2020, Forbes. About A

Today I’m in conversation with Alena Morales, who will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Disability Studies at UC Berkeley in Spring 2021. Alena is a queer disabled advocate of color and the former Chair and Co-Founder of the Disabled Students Commission, and through loving interdependence and collective labor with her fellow crips, she co-created one of the few Disability Cultural Centers in the country at UC Berkeley. You’ll hear Alena talk about developing her disability identity, finding community, and getting involved in community organizing at school. She’ll also talk about the importance of creating space for the broader disability community with the formation of the Disability Cultural Center and the years-long process that made it happen. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links “I’m a Berkeleyan: Student Alena Morales on the fight for campus’s new disability cultural center,” Anne Brice, October 6, 2020, Berkeley News. “An Introduction to Disability Cultural Centers in U.S. Higher Education, Part I,” Kim Elmore, Toni Saia, Elizabeth Anh Thomson, November 2018, AHEAD. “Disability cultural centers: How colleges can move beyond access to inclusion,” Evelyn S. Chiang, Disability & Society, Volume 35, 2020, Issue 7, pages 1183-1188. “‘Ableism is real at Stanford’: Prospective frosh calls out insufficient OAE accommodations,” Kaushikee Nayudu, March 2, 2021, The Stanford Daily. Earlier this week, I talked to the Editorial Board at @TheHoya about why @Georgetown needs a Disability Cultural Center. Check out their article about it: #CripTheVote https://t.co/5aheQ679If — Anna Landre <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72x72/267f.png" alt="♿" class="wp-smiley"

Today I’m in conversation with Mustafa Rfat. Mustafa is a graduate student in the Public Administration Program at West Virginia University. He’s also a trainee at Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) at the university. Mustafa came to the U.S. as a refugee from Iraq in 2011. You’ll hear Mustafa talk about his experience as a refugee and his adjustment to life in the United States. Mustafa will also describe the unique challenges and needs of refugees with disabilities. Photo of three people gathered around a white grand piano. On the left sitting on the piano bench, Nazli Khazirova, a woman with a purple head covering and a navy blue outfit smiling widely. Her arm is extended toward Mustafa Rfat on the right, a man wearing a navy blue business suit with a white shirt and red tie who is also smiling. In the center, laying on top of the piano is Defne Rfat, a little baby girl with a white flower-like headband and a white and pink tulle outfit like a ballerina Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links “Current Disability Laws Are Leaving People Behind,” January 3, 2020, ACUDTalk. Ep 32: Disabled Refugees with Mansha Mirza,

Today’s episode is about art and technology featuring a conversation with Lindsey D. Felt and Vanessa Chang. Lindsey and Vanessa curated Recoding CripTech, a multidisciplinary art exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco in early 2020. You’ll learn about how their collaboration and friendship started, what it was like curating this exhibit, some of the disabled artists that were part of the exhibit, and why CripTech, disability culture, and accessibility is more important than ever in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links M Eifler, artist UC Berkeley Disability Lab, Dr. Karen Nakamura “Press Release: Leonardo/ISAST receives $500K for CripTech Incubator from California Arts Council Innovations + Intersections Grants,” Danielle Siembieda, October 29, 2020, Leonardo. Recoding CripTech,  SOMArts Cultural Center “Recoding CripTech Proudly Asserts Disability as an Identity and Culture,” Roula Seikaly, February 12, 2020, KQED. In “Recoding CripTech,” Artists Highlight the Vital Role of Hacking in Disability Culture, Monica Westin, February 19, 2020, ARTnews. About <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-473890 size-large" src="https://i0.wp.com/disabilityvisibilityproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Lindsey-and-Vanessa-photo.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1" alt="Photo of curators Vanessa Chang and Lindsey D. Felt standing shoulde

In today’s episode I’m in conversation with Dr. Justin Bullock. Justin is currently an Internal Medicine Resident in San Francisco, California. You’ll hear Justin talk about his experiences disclosing his disability at work, the process he had to go through to prove his fitness to serve as a physician because of his disability, the systemic ableism and racism in medicine and medical education, and the benefits and risks of telling your story and being visible. You’ll also hear Justin talk about article he wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine titled “Suicide—Rewriting my story” which describes his battle with bipolar disorder and suicidality during undergraduate and graduate medical education. Please note our conversation took place in September 2020 and there will be discussions of hospitalization, death and dying, suicidality, suicidal ideation, and trauma. I am proud to say that after 441 long days, today is my last as an intern. I survived some of my roughest days & discovered my voice in a new, beautiful way. Excited to close this chapter & turn to opportunities as a PGY2. #DocsWithDisabilities #BlackMenInMedicine #GayMedTwitter — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) September 5, 2020 This Sunday, I am honored to get to do a live interview for ~200 basic scientists from @UCSFneuro at their annual retreat to talk abt mental illness, stigma & creating structures to improve mental health. Excited to continue this convo with my PhD colleagues#DocsWithDisabilities — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) September 12, 2020 Because I can't not say this: A bunch of

It’s been over eleven months since the pandemic emerged in the United States and things are worse than ever. Hospitals across the country have reached full capacity and utilizing crisis standards of care, guidelines used when there is a shortage of resources and care. Today’s episode is about healthcare allocation in the time of COVID with Britney Wilson, a civil rights attorney with the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. This center, along with three other disability rights organizations, filed a class action complaint in October 2020 against the State of New York.  The lawsuit challenges the New York State Ventilator Allocation Guidelines as discriminatory. The Guidelines allow hospitals to reallocate ventilators from people who use them in the community. Britney will talk about her role in the case and how the case came about, how these existing guidelines are ableist and harm disabled people, and the goals are from the lawsuit. Please note we talked in November 2020 and I included a short update at the end of the episode. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links   “NCLEJ Files Lawsuit to Protect Personal Ventilator Users,” October 8, 2020. Class action complaint, Civil Case No: 1:20-cv-4819, October 7, 2020. “Lawsuit Filed Challenges New York State Department of Health Guidelines Allowing the Reallocation of Personal Ventilators,” October 9, 2020, National Center for Law and Economic Justice. “Disability Rights Activists Sue Cuomo over Ventilator Discrimination,” October 9, 2020, Wesley J. Smith, National Review. “What the Chaos in Hospitals Is Doing to Doctors,”  January/February 2021, Jordan Kisner. “One Man’s COVID-19 Death Raises The Worst Fears Of Many People With Disabilities,” July 31, 2020, Joseph Shapiro,

Today’s episode features an interview with Johnnie Jae who is from the Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw tribes of Oklahoma. Johnnie is a journalist, organizer, creator, and futurist and the founder of A Tribe Called Geek, an award-winning media platform for Indigenous Geek Culture and STEM, and #Indigenerds4Hope, a suicide prevention initiative designed to educate, encourage, and empower Native youth. Johnnie will talk about her experiences accessing healthcare and staying safe as an immunocompromised person, the pandemic’s impact on disabled Indigenous, the systemic inequalities facing Indigenous communities, and the movement to remove racist imagery and terms in popular culture. Please note there will be discussions about hospitalization, genocide, settler colonialism, medical racism, racist mascots. I am the great granddaughter of the late Johnnie & Minnie Moore and Nelson & Emaline Morris. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, spent about 10 years living in Taos, New Mexico and now reside in Hollywood, California. — Johnnie Jae aka The Brown Ball of Fury (@johnniejae) November 1, 2019 Great thread! Please support Disabled Indigenous people, there are links in thos thread. https://t.co/W2QKuQ4nUS — Kimbrah Gonzalez (@RainbowYeticorn) December 26, 2020 Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links “Natives in comics: ‘Born an Indiginerd,'” Patty Talahongva, September 18, 2020, Indian Country Today. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/14/946192215/cleveland-baseball-team-will-drop-controversial-name-to-unify-our

Today’s episode features an interview with Jen White-Johnson, an Afro-Latina disabled artist, photographer, educator, and designer. Jen is also an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at Bowie State University. Jen will talk about how being the parent of a neurodivergent Black son politicized her and her work in the midst of racist violence and police brutality this year. You’ll hear her describe one of several graphics she created this year that features the raised solidarity fist in black with an infinity sign at the wrist with the words Black Disabled Lives Matter below. You can find more of Jen’s work on her website at https://jenwhitejohnson.com/. Please note this interview contains mentions of antiblackness, violence, and police brutality. Photo of Knox White-Johnson, a Black Autistic boy smiling and holding a sticker designed by his mother, Jen White-Johnson, an illustration of a raised solidarity fist in b

Today’s episode features an interview with Emily Ackerman, a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and a disabled activist. Emily will talk about how she got into chemical engineering, her advice for disabled students who want to be scientists, her experiences last year on campus with a delivery robot, and the importance of accessibility in the design and development of technology. Hi! I'm a 6th year chemE PhD candidate applying systems biology approaches to viral infections like the flu and COVID-19. I'm a wheelchair user and am passionate about, among many things, the intersection of disability, tech, and education. #DEHEM #DisInHigherEd #DEHEMRollCall pic.twitter.com/EgFtrtQFp3 — Emily Slackerman Ackerman (@EmilyEAckerman) October 1, 2020 Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links “My Fight With a Sidewalk Robot,” Emily Ackerman, November 19, 2019, CityLab. “Starship issues new statement after reviewing footage of viral incident on Forbes crosswalk,” Emily Wolfe, October 22, 2019, The Pitt News. “As businesses adjust to Covid-19, a new take on an old question: Who owns the sidewalks?” Dayna Evans, November 5, 2020, The Counter. “Disabled scientists excluded from the lab,” Krystal Vasquez, December 8, 2020, Chemistry World. About <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-473208" src="https://i0.wp.

Every political issue is a disability issue and as the daughter of immigrants, I know that immigration is an important disability issue. Today I get a chance to talk … Continue Reading Ep 90: Disabled Immigrants

I love museums. I miss going to them but am glad there are so many museums with online exhibits and programming. Today we’re talking about museums with Amanda Cachia, … Continue Reading Ep 89: Museums

With Election Day just two weeks away in the United States on November 3rd, this is the perfect time to talk about policy. Today’s episode features an interview with … Continue Reading Ep 88: Policy

Today’s episode is on climate action with Kera Sherwood-O’Regan, an indigenous multidisciplinary storyteller and activist based in Aotearoa, also known as New Zealand. Kera’s work and activism centers structurally oppressed … Continue Reading Ep 87: Climate Action

Today’s episode is about transportation with Maddy Ruvolo. Maddy is a disabled urban planner passionate about transportation access for the disability community. She also just graduated this year from … Continue Reading Ep 86: Transportation

Today’s episode is all about fat liberation with Max Airborne and Caleb Luna. Max is an organizer for collective liberation, rooted in fat liberation and disability justice. They co-founded … Continue Reading Ep 85: Fat Liberation

Today’s episode is all about anthologies with Kelly Jensen, a writer and editor who has a new anthology out now titled, Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy. … Continue Reading Ep 84: Anthologies

Today’s episode is all about disabled dancers with India Harville, an African American queer disabled femme teacher, somatic bodyworker, dancer, instructor, activist, and educator. You’ll hear India talk about … Continue Reading Ep 83: Disabled Dancers

Surprise! This is a bonus episode talking about disability rights and the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (also known as the ADA). I recently spoke with … Continue Reading 82a: Americans with Disabilities Act

Today is July 26, 2020 and in the United States it is the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, also known as the ADA. I’m much more … Continue Reading Ep 82: Americans with Disabilities Act

We’re right in the middle of the summer and the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and other countries around the world continues to spread with little end in … Continue Reading Ep 81: Bioethics

Today’s episode is about fashion with Stephanie Thomas. Stephanie is a Disability Fashion Styling Expert and Founder and CEO of Cur8able, a business dedicated to the art and science … Continue Reading Ep 80: Fashion

For the last four years I’ve been a co-partner #CripTheVote which is an online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people. Getting involved can mean voting, volunteering, attending a … Continue Reading Ep 79: Disabled Candidates

Today’s episode is about hate crimes with Dr. Sachin Pavithran, the Director of Policy at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University. Sachin is also a … Continue Reading Ep 78: Hate Crimes

This May is Mental Health Awareness month and today I speak with Kathy Flaherty about mental health advocacy. Kathy is the Executive Director of Connecticut Legal Rights Project a … Continue Reading Ep 77: Mental Health Advocacy

Today’s episode is about film festivals and I speak with Alex Locust and Karen Nakamura, two jury members for the Superfest Disability Film Festival, a festival organized by the … Continue Reading Ep 76: Film Festivals