16,000 people with disabilities are in state-operated institutions. This is how experts say health care should change
I’m Raul Krauthausen the founder of SOZIALHELD*INNEN, an NPO and consultancy from Germany, focussing on Disability Mainstreaming. With this newsletter, I share hand-picked links from around the world.
If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward this email to your friends! 🙏
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Thank you,
Raul
We wrote a children’s book (in german)
Hand-picked news about inclusion, accessibilty and innovation
16,000 people with disabilities are in state-operated institutions. This is how experts say health care should change. (cbsnews.com)
"It is against the basic civil and human rights that we have established are a key part of American identity," one advocate tells CBS News. "Community living should be the rule, rather than the exception."
Launch of the Commitments Platform for the GDS 2025 (inklusion-leben.org)
The new commitments portal for the Global Disability Summit 2025 was launched on 11th June, 2024 as part of a side event of the 17th Session Of The Conference Of States Parties To The CRPD (COSP17). As a central new tool of the GDS Commitment Mechanism, the platform allows stakeholders to make concrete pledges ahead of the Summit to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and to translate those pledges into practical action.
Internal chaos (thetraumaqueen.net)
I know you’re all expecting a continuation of where I left off. However, May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and I felt this was a good time to touch on my own mental health. I know we are a few weeks late, but this post has taken some time to write and then rewrite.
I hope this finds you! (teawithhb.substack.com)
A Bonus Love Letter :)
Difficult conversations about disability and birth defects (buttondown.email)
Usually, it takes me less than two hours to write a blog entry. This blog has taken many hours over three months. The training I have recently received from my employer on “having difficult conversations” has actually spurred me to finish this. And for me, this is an exceptionally difficult conversation.
Digital Accessibility Concerns in Design Affordances (buttondown.email)
13 different types of kitchen utensils made of various materials.
Digital Accessibility Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) (buttondown.email)
Creating a metrics oriented hierarchy for tracking accessibility progress OKR hierarchy with seven components.
Disability/Accessibility Language Choices (buttondown.email)
In the first part of this three-part article, I talked about the four different sociological models of disability.
Disability and AI Bias (buttondown.email)
In May 2019, San Francisco passed an ordinance banning the city government from using facial recognition technology.
Crip Authorship (massmoca.org)
Join us for a tour of Joseph Grigely: In What Way Wham?, followed by a discussion of Crip Authorship: Disability as Method with the book’s artistic team.
Scottish disabled artists condemn access barriers ahead of Glasgow International arts festival (scotsman.com)
Questions over funding of venues that are not accessibly to physically disabled artists and audiences
Glasgow International 2024: Everything you need to know about the art festival (scotsman.com)
A free feast of visual art will be taking over Scotland’s largest city this June.
Freeing Palestine will Free us all: An American Crip Perspective on Breaking Rules Towards Better Futures (cripcrapmedia.com)
Our founder, Kennedy Dawson Healy, juxtaposes her self-advocacy at a recent hospital stay with the skill building required to end genocide in Palestine.
‘Empty Rooms’ Art Exhibit is a Reflection on Disability & Unorthodoxy (cairoscene.com)
Egyptian artist WeirDo deals with the isolation, reclusion and loneliness experienced by people with disabilities.
Disabled Ecologies (ucpress.edu)
A powerful analysis and call to action that reveals disability as one of the defining features of environmental devastation and resistance. Deep below the ground in Tucson, Arizona, lies an aquifer forever altered by the detritus of a postwar Superfund site.
High Concept Labs & Unfolding Disability Futures Team Up to Present Art/Access Labs (highconceptlabs.org)
High Concept Labs (HCL), in partnership with Unfolding Disability Futures (UDF), is launching Art/Access Labs, a series of convenings committed to fostering a vibrant disabled artist ecosystem through cross-discipline and cross-impairment professional development activities.
Wish You Were Here (americantheatre.org)
A roundtable on how to create radically welcoming access at the theatre.
European Commission offers clarification on reasonable accommodation at work (edf-feph.org)
We welcome the European Commission’s Guidelines and good practices on reasonable accommodation at work released 31 May. The guidelines have been released as part of the EU Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and we appreciate that they were developed in close consultation with the European disability movement.
Warren’s New Bill Makes Private Equity’s Death Grip on Hospitals a Crime (cepr.net)
Private equity in healthcare. Learn how lax regulations allowed corporate owners to profit while driving hospitals to financial disaster.
VisionIntoArt Receives Major Grant from Mellon Foundation (operawire.com)
VisionIntoArt has received a $600,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation.
New bill highlights importance of trail access for Americans with disabilities in Utah (disabilityinsider.com)
The new Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that federal land managers evaluate how their plans affect Americans with disabilities. This would require the Bureau of Land Management to either reopen previously closed motorized vehicle routes or create new ones if the route density falls below a certain threshold, reported FOX 13 News.
DOJ ensures Texas election websites accessible for persons with disabilities (disabilityinsider.com)
The US Justice Department announced Monday that the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas secured settlement agreements with Colorado County, Runnels County, Smith County and Upton County to resolve the department’s findings that the counties violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by maintaining election websites that discriminate against individuals with vision or manual disabilities.
UK General Election 2024: How Are The Political Parties Pledging To Support Disabled People? (criplife.co.uk)
The UK General Election 2024 will take place on Thursday 4th July. We go through five of the main Parties’ manifestoes to find out how they pledge to tackle the important policies for disabled people.
Wheelchair Travel Newsletter: My 2024 "Hidden Gem" of Accessible Travel Destinations (wheelchairtravel.org)
When public and private institutions join together to advance accessibility in the travel industry, the progress of inclusion accelerates.
The European Accessibility Act: Driving Inclusion and Market (abilitynet.org.uk)
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive published in April 2019.Its goals are to benefit both businesses and disabled people and older people.
We speak to disabled BBC weather presenter Lucy Martin (disabilityhorizons.com)
In an industry often criticized for lack of diversity, Lucy Martin is pushing forward . Born without her right forearm, Lucy’s journey to becoming the first visibly disabled BBC weather presenter is a testament to determination and talent. From her early passion for geography to overcoming challenges in her career, Lucy shares her inspiring story with Disability Horizons. Discover how she navigates the highs and lows of broadcasting, the impact of her visibility, and her vision for a more inclusive future.
EXPRESS '24 Digital Download (dancesyndrome.co.uk)
On 17th March 2024 DanceSyndrome presented EXPRESS '24 at the Blackburn Empire Theatre.
How I Chose (And Funded) My New Power-Chair (lifeofpippa.co.uk)
Looking for a new power-chair can feel overwhelming, especially when you have a chronic illness. Here's how I chose and funded my new one!
SHRUTI PUSHKARNA (axschat.com)
Shruti has a knack for applying her skills, experience and ideas to varied platforms and subjects. In the last 18 years, she has worked as a copywriter, a news television producer, a communications specialist, trainer, and an inclusion advocate. Her content creation ranges across subjects like politics, business, food and entertainment, environment, defense and strategic affairs, disability and more.
8 LGBT Activists Who Are Working for Progress in Differently Abled Communities (afterellen.com)
As visibility for LGBT people grows in the mainstream media, it’s all-too-often lacking in the true diversity of our community, and that includes those who are disabled. But just because we don’t see them, doesn’t mean they’re not there, doing the crucial work to create conversations and positive representations of differently-abled-bodies. Meet 10 LGBT women who are working in this realm of activism, working to make things better for every kind of body.
6 tips to keep in mind when talking to someone who stutters (mashable.com)
Here are six listening tips for more positive and successful communication with someone who stutters.
10 People Discuss Life With Disability And Illness (buzzfeed.com)
"I don’t want anyone to pity me; I just want people to respect me like they do everybody else.”
Vision (hachettebookgroup.com)
A Memoir of Blindness and Justice.
DC Bar - Former Judge David Tatel Writes About His Undiminished Vision of Justice (dcbar.org)
David S. Tatel’s upcoming memoir, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, is a glimpse into the 1960s and ’70s civil rights turbulence, a rumination on judicial philosophy, and a candid reflection on the challenges of living with a disability.
Fading Scars: my queer disability history, by Corbett O'Toole (corbettotoole.com)
Fading Scars distills 40 years of activism in disability, queer, parenting communities. Funny and engaging, Corbett pulls the curtains back on the humor and pathos of living as a disabled queer in a world that doesn’t welcome either with open arms.
Nursing Homes: What to Know (health.usnews.com)
Learn about what nursing homes are, who lives in them and how much they cost.
The Unexpected Plight of Whistleblowers (geneticsandsociety.org)
Reflections on "The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Cost of Saying No" by Carl Elliott.
Latonya Reeves Freedom Act (latonyareevesfreedomact.org)
The legislation, a previous version of which was known as the Disability Integration Act, builds on decades of Disability advocacy and activism to end the institutional bias and provide seniors and people with disabilities Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) as an alternative to institutionalization.
Painting The New Mural At The Judy Heumann Center (youtube.com)
Amazing things are happening with our Adult Transition Services at the Judy Heumann Center. The students there helped artist Kyle Holbrook of the MLK Mural Project design and paint a new mural in the center that highlights what Adult Transition is all about. It shows the growth of our students as well as and the community they help to inspire. Hear from Kyle about why this mural was so special and from the students who are taking so much pride in a mural that will be seen for years to come.
Access to art is a human right (unlocked.microsoft.com)
In museums, a typical description of a piece of art can tell you factual details like the title and date of the artwork, the origins of the artist, and the history and inspiration for the art. But many times, the literal and emotional details of the piece—crucial for interpretation by people that are blind or low vision—are missing.
Meet Antoine Hunter: 2024 Rainin Arts Fellow In Dance (youtube.com)
Antoine Hunter, Purple Fire Crow, is an award-winning, internationally known Black, Indigenous, Deaf and Disabled choreographer, dancer, actor, instructor, speaker, producer, and Deaf advocate. Hunter creates opportunities for Disabled, Deaf, and hearing artists and produces Deaf-friendly events. Hunter founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company in 2007 and the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival in 2013 to promote Deaf culture through dance. Hunter’s recent work “GentriDeafcation: Echoes of Houselessness in the Bay” explores true stories of Deaf and Disabled individuals experiencing homelessness within Hunter’s community. Hunter's work has been performed globally and Hunter is a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Dance Magazine Award and the 2022 Disability Futures Fellowship.
Do Touch The Artwork At Prado's Exhibit For The Blind (npr.org)
The renowned Spanish museum has made 3-D copies of some of its most iconic works to allow blind people to feel them.
The Future of Accessible Learning (mos.org)
Dr. Christine Reich, the museum's Senior Vice President of Exhibits and Research, sits down with Universal Design pioneer Dr. Richard Jackson to discuss inclusive education in the museum world.
Status of Disability Museum Initiative (wecandothisifwetry.blogspot.com)
I can't believe I have not written a post since last July! Well, I have news on the group focused specifically on the brick and mortar effort. We have created a group called Friends of the Museum of Disability History and Culture (FMDHC). We are working on incorporation, obtaining nonprofit status, and planning to solicit funds from an established funding source. We have formed a steering committee made up of the right kind of experts to guide us. We are working with Senator Casey to introduce legislation on a commission to assess the potential of authorizing a Museum of Disability and Culture. This is the first step. If a Commission is enacted and it recommends Congress pass a legislation for an actual museum, separate legislation must be passed for that -- step 2. So, we have a lot of work ahead of us.
Disabled radicals (radical-guide.com)
Disabled people have existed for as long as humanity. They have been active parts of every society and liberatory movement. Yet when history is written, disability is often erased or stigmatised. This zine aims to celebrate the lives of disabled radicals. To frame disability not as an individual shameful failure that undermines one’s agency, legitimacy and personhood, but as a neutral characteristic within the natural variation of humanity.
Webinar Resources from “The Camera’s Eye: Telling the Story of Disability Through the Power of Film” (wpdhac.org)
Here are links to resources that Dan and Samuel shared during the webinar. All links will open in a separate tab or window, depending on your browser settings.
RACE + DISABILITY Recordings (disabilityinclusionpgh.org)
On March 14th, 2024 the RACE+DISABILITY series presented a webinar titled “Reproductive Justice and Disability Justice: The Intersectional Struggle for Autonomy and Equality”. The webinar featured esteemed disability and sexuality expert Robin Wilson-Beattie in conversation with Michelle McMurray, Vice President, Program and Community Engagement at the Pittsburgh Foundation.
Digital Campus Encampment (callingupjustice.com)
We are building digital student encampments for disabled students and others who cannot attend encampments in person for safety reasons. The site was inspired by Pandemic Solidarity 4 Life, Maiamama’s CUJ Digital Studios, and our Virtual Pride gathertown.
Abandoned, abused and belittled: how Oksana Masters survived a torturous childhood – and became a world-beating athlete (theguardian.com)
Born with disabilities in the shadow of Chornobyl, she spent her early life in an orphanage that was also a brothel. Then Masters was adopted, and thrived, becoming a phenomenal rower, skier and cyclist
NEAS Introduces British Sign Language Relay Service for Deaf Emergency Patients in England (assistivetechnologyblog.com)
NEAS introduces a BSL Relay Service with SignVideo app on ambulance iPads, enhancing communication for Deaf patients in emergencies.
Accessibility Scorecard Impact Report 2023 — FWD-DOC: Documentary Filmmakers With Disabilities (fwd-doc.org)
The Scorecard Report unveils the first 16 months of data from the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard. Between July 22, 2022 and November 20, 2023, 353 respondents provided feedback on 75 film events worldwide. The Scorecard Report aims to create guideposts for film event organizers to provide equal access to these important events for both disabled audiences and disabled industry members.
Kevin Nealon — A Hike Best Taken (abilitymagazine.com)
Before Michael Che and Colin Jost, Kevin Nealon sat at the “Weekend Update” desk of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Multiple replacements (joints) later and at the age of 70, Nealon isn’t sitting or slowing down. He’s hiking.
“Debilitating a Generation”: Expert Warns That Long COVID May Eventually Affect Most Americans (ineteconomics.org)
In a candid discussion with INET's Lynn Parramore, Dr. Phillip Alvelda highlights the imminent dangers of long COVID, criticizing governments and health agencies for ongoing preventable suffering and deaths. *This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plans for restaurant criticised for failing to provide facilities for disabled people (braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk)
PROPOSALS for a new Spanish restaurant in Witham have been criticised for failing to provide facilities suitable for disabled people.
9 Things I Wish People Knew About Dating Someone In A Wheelchair (buzzfeed.com)
Love is love, no matter what kind of equipment I’m lugging around.
Coming to Terms: Shame, Sex and Disability (huffpost.com)
In honor of it being National Masturbation Month, I thought it was important to share a masturbatory moment that made me question myself.
Access denied: the disabled customers failed by customer service (share.snipd.com)
Explore the challenges faced by disabled customers in accessing customer service and the legal protections in place to support them. Learn how companies are failing to accommodate disabled individuals, leading to dissatisfaction and the need for change.
Prioritizing accessibility at Microsoft with feedback from people with disabilities (microsoft.com)
Check out how prioritizing accessibility at Microsoft is getting boosted by doing inclusive usability studies with people with disabilities.
The Police Aren't Coming, But If They Do — Prepare to Get Paid (wheelchairtravel.substack.com)
It may be shocking to learn that airlines routinely threaten disabled passengers with arrest — here's how to respond if it happens to you.
Marriott agrees to address barriers to accessible room reservations (kdvr.com)
Federal prosecutors in Colorado have reached an agreement with Marriott International that ends an investigation into mobility-accessible room reservations at the hotel chain.
Access denied: disabled consumers are being failed by poor customer service (which.co.uk)
We investigate where providers of essential services are falling short
Autism Europe (autismeurope.org)
Autism-Europe (AE) is an international association whose main objective is to advance the rights of autistic people and to help them improve their quality of life. AE also strives for more awareness and understanding of autism in society.
Designing Toast Messages for Accessibility (buttondown.email)
A toast is a non-modal dialog that appears and disappears in a few seconds. It may also optionally have a small close “X.” Typically, toast messages display one or two-line non-critical messages that do not require user interaction. For example, once you hit the search button in a map client, the toast may display a message that looks like “Searching for location,” which disappears once the matching results or “no results found” are displayed.
Department of Justice to companies with inaccessible websites: We’re back! (buttondown.email)
On November 1, 2021, the Department of Justice published a settlement agreement it entered into with the nationwide pharmacy chain Rite Aid specifically concerning the inability of people with disabilities to use both Rite Aid’s COVID vaccine service web pages and portal.
‘Sikka’ harmonises diversity and accessibility (kathmandupost.com)
Blind Rocks’s new music video with audio description and closed captions ensures accessibility for blind and deaf audiences.
After Losing Half My Vision, Makeup Taught Me How to Love My Eye Again (popsugar.com)
After losing half my vision, makeup taught me how to embrace my eye.
MaRS and Toyota Mobility Foundation announce first cohort of Mobility Unlimited Hub (newswire.ca)
MaRS Discovery District and the Toyota Mobility Foundation today announced the seven Canadian startups selected to participate in the Mobility Unlimited Hub inaugural cohort in Toronto. These ventures are poised to revolutionize personal mobility and bring innovative solutions to market.
Realwheels Theatre to Release New Radio Play DISABILITY TOUR BUS (broadwayworld.com)
Realwheels Theatre will release a new radio play, DISABILITY TOUR BUS in July. Learn more and see how to listen!
10 special needs summer camp options packed with friendship, fun and independence (care.com)
Want your kiddo to have an epic summer? Check out our list of special needs summer camps with great reputations.
Anthropologie is Showing Other Brands the Future of Adaptive Inclusive Fashion (msn.com)
This is how we should all be doing it.
Finally, some positive disability representation in a new movie (alsnewstoday.com)
Columnist Dagmar Munn is thrilled to see ALS portrayed accurately in the film "New Life." Disability representation is improving, she says.
Dr. Victor Pineda Talks Championing Disability Inclusion, Accessibility As Innovation In Interview (forbes.com)
Dr. Victor Pineda and I share a common (if cynically accurate) bond between us: We both were born into worlds undesigned for us.
I’ve Come To Accept Almost Everything About My Disability. But There’s One Part I Just Can’t Get Over. (huffpost.com)
"I felt like a 4-year-old, unable to take part in the adult discussion. I could have been working on a coloring book, for all I was able to participate."
Avid gamer looks to champion accessibility in industry beyond graduation (brocku.ca)
As someone who has always loved playing video games, Evan Sawatsky feels strongly about ensuring anyone who wants to give a game a try has the opportunity to do so.
Low Poetics: On Cubism, Disability, and the Distance Between the Reader and the Poem (lithub.com)
Twenty years ago I was in an accident that resulted in the loss of function and feeling in my right hand. I was a child playing ice hockey. A friend’s skate found, somehow, the underside of my wrist. There was a lot of blood. There was surgery. Years of physical therapy. I’d been, at the time, right-handed.
Traveling to New York without worrying about accessibility issues (rettsyndromenews.com)
Accessibility issues still popped into columnist Jacqueline Babiarz's mind on a trip to the Big Apple without her late daughter, Cammy.
How to Plan an Accessible Vacation for Visually Impaired Travelers (tabifolk.com)
Traveling is one of life’s greatest pleasures, offering opportunities to explore new cultures, taste exotic food, and create lifelong memories. However, visually impaired travelers often face unique challenges when planning their travel adventures. Difficulties range from navigating unfamiliar environments to finding accessibility information about attractions and accommodations. There are several factors to consider when organizing an accessible vacation.
Exploring Accessible Paris: From the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre (tabifolk.com)
Paris, the city of lights, is a dream destination for many travelers. It’s also a city that I am fortunate enough to have visited many times over the years.
Event guide: Stuttgart Accessibility (uefa.com)
It's our aim to celebrate diversity and inclusion and ensure all fans can be part of the celebrations in Stuttgart at EURO 2024.
Curb Free With Cory Lee: How One Blogger Is Making a Difference in Accessible Travel (success.com)
Blogger Cory Lee is making a difference for people traveling with disabilities, but there's still much work to be done for accessible travel.
Airbnb, United Spinal Association Executives Discuss ‘First-Of-Its-Kind’ Academy, Accessible Travel In Interview (forbes.com)
Earlier this month, San Francisco-based Airbnb announced a partnership with the United Spinal Association in hosting the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy.
How to do Disney World with an invisible disability (theweek.com)
Accessible travel at Florida's famous theme park is about more than wheelchair access
Marriott Deal With DOJ Signals Stricter Compliance With Accessibility Rules (skift.com)
Marriott has reached a deal with the U.S. Justice Department to address barriers faced by people booking accessible rooms.
MS quandary: Perspectives on good vs. bad – A Couple Takes on MS (acoupletakesonms.com)
Not everything is bad about living with a chronic illness. There. I said it.
Fitter, Happier (uapress.ua.edu)
The Eugenic Strain in Twentieth-Century Cancer Rhetoric.
Deaf Lit Fest - spotlighting authors, poets and graphic novelists (deafspotlight.org)
Deaf Lit Fest is a brand-new event being hosted by Deaf Spotlight on October 11-12, 2024 at Hugo House in Seattle, Washington.
David Roche ~ Standing at the Back Door of happiness (youtube.com)
Popular motivational speaker and entertainer David Roche discusses his new book, Standing at the Back Door of happiness: And How I Unlocked it, exploring the beauty found in unusual places with elegant humour and compassion.
Ash Atalla: ‘I cry easily. I get nostalgic about the passing of years’ (theguardian.com)
The comedy producer, 51, reflects on early ambitions to be a stockbroker, dodging racism by being a wheelchair user, and being noisy enough to get invited to the party
Robbed in New York: First Crime Story in 10 Years of Wheelchair Travel (wheelchairtravel.org)
Any person can fall victim of petty theft, and the lesson is obvious — never leave your bags unattended or unsecured.
The Pervasive Harms Of “Ableism” and “Inspiration Porn” in Storytelling (reframingdisability.substack.com)
Hello! Howdy? I’m Priti Salian, an independent journalist, editor, researcher, media trainer and the author of this fortnightly newsletter which simplifies disability inclusion for content creators.
NI police detective who had paralysing stroke honoured in king’s birthday list (theguardian.com)
Clodagh Dunlop recognised for work with stroke survivors as others who have overcome adversity also receive MBEs
Furiosa and the Disability Wasteland (reactormag.com)
Even before she lost an arm, Furiosa had a sense of what a disabled body felt like.
Accessible and ‘a pleasure to read’: how Apple’s podcast transcriptions came to be (theguardian.com)
Apple rolled out a feature highly requested by both disabled users and podcast creators. Why did it take so long?
Doing Nothing Sounds Great, Thanks (meriahnichols.com)
This is the first time in my life that I have not wanted to travel. Well, I suppose that’s actually not true. I remember when I was a kid, I did not want to travel, did not want to go anywhere new and did not want anything new coming into my life. As a kid, I wanted to be blanked in the known, surrounded and comforted by the familiar.
The Importance of Independent Living for the Neurodivergent Community (enil.eu)
As we commemorate ND Pride Day, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the significance of Independent Living (IL) for neurodivergent (ND) individuals and discuss the steps needed to enhance their access to independent living. The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) stands at the forefront of advocating for the rights and empowerment of disabled people across Europe. ENIL’s mission to promote a barrier-free environment and ensure that all disabled individuals, including those who are neurodivergent, can exercise choice and control over their lives is critical in advancing social inclusion and human rights.
Policies for the Independent Living of neurodiverse people (enil.eu)
As a person with at least two neurodiverse conditions, neurodiversity pride day is a special occasion for me. Two weeks ago, a politician in Germany accused the chancellor as autistic and meant it as an insult. For me only the intend was insulting, not the term as such. Neurodiverse conditions can bring challenges, it is true, but they also hold advantages. Like the term says, neurodiversity is part of human diversity. With our unique qualities we contribute to the enrichment of society. I am a proud of my neurodiverse identity.
Celebrate Neurodiversity Pride Day with ENIL! (enil.eu)
As co-chair of the European Network on Independent Living, I congratulate the neurodiverse community to neurodiversity pride day!
Advocating for True Inclusion (enil.eu)
Today, 16 June, is a great day when the great community of diversity comes together to celebrate and vindicate the difference of being in our society. For me, being able to write on such an important day is a source of pride and happiness.
Independent Living for all Autistic People (enil.eu)
I am an AAC user, a non-speaking French autistic student in sociology at the University Rennes 2. I am 24 years old and I need a full time assistance . I am “severely autistic”, “low functioning” , according to ableist terms. The way to get non-neurodivergent people to understand us is not to raise awareness, but simply to demand our right to independent living. However, most of the time people don’t see us as capable of living independently. Independent living means having access to education, personal assistance and the power to make decisions about our lives.
Advocating for Person-Centred and Intersectional Approaches (enil.eu)
June 16th marks Neurodiversity Pride Day, and the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) wishes to highlight the importance of person-centred practices in care and support that respect and support neurodiverse people. Person-centred approaches place people at the heart of their own care and support, prioritising their unique needs, preferences, and experiences. To adequately support neurodiverse individuals, this requires adopting person-centred approaches that account for intersectionality. This also involves comprehensive training for the care and support workforce.
Adapt the space, not me (enil.eu)
I would like you to imagine witnessing a supervisor at work saying to a wheelchair-user “We would like you to make more of an effort to go up the stairs, you can’t expect everyone to change for you”, or to a Deaf person: “We want to do a workshop for you to learn how you can lip-read and fit with your coworkers. If we give you a sign language interpreter all your workers will want one too”. Seems ridiculous, right?
#AutismNotInvisible (enil.eu)
In celebration of Neurodiversity Pride Day on June 16, Autism-Europe stands proudly in leading advocacy for the rights and visibility of autistic people.
Invisible, yet obscene (enil.eu)
If I don’t go, my books will be overdue, and I’ll have to pay a fine. Stupid ADHD… I’ve set several reminders in my diary to return them on time and still forgot. Oh well. Too late to worry about it now.
ENIL representatives lobby the European Commission (enil.eu)
On Monday, June 3rd, a delegation from the ENIL Secretariat participated in a civil dialogue meeting with the European Commission on the transition from institutional to community-based care. Human Rights Coordinator Rita Crespo-Fernandez and Policy Coordinator Florian Sanden spoke up and highlighted key elements for policies in support of Independent Living.
Your guide to accessible restaurants in Boston, recommended by disabled diners (wgbh.org)
We asked diners with disabilities where they like to go for an accessible experience and tips for how restaurants can be more accommodating.
Film festivals are failing delegates with disabilities, study finds (exclusive) (screendaily.com)
Organisers said the film circuit has a history of disabled delegates experiencing a lack of accessibility at events and festivals.
France Télévisions to offer 24-hour coverage of Paris 2024 (paralympic.org)
France Télévisions will provide continuous 24 hours a day coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, ensuring the French public do not miss a moment of the event.
Disability & Artificial Intelligence - with Lawrence Weru, Ariana Aboulafia, and Jennifer Gray (disabilityrightsflorida.org)
A conversation with with Lawrence Weru, Ariana Aboulafia, and Jennifer Gray about artificial intelligence (AI) impacts the disability community.
Disability Culture in Action (gaelynnlea.substack.com)
Reflections on the Five Pillars of Disability Culture, as well as videos from my concert with the Music Inclusion Ensemble!
FURI (enil.eu)
The EU Funds for Fundamental Rights project (FURI) aims to address fundamental rights compliance in EU-funded projects. The initiative brings together different stakeholders across Europe to ensure that EU funds are allocated in ways that comply with and respect the fundamental rights of marginalized groups, such as Roma, disabled people, and people with a migrant background.
Disabled high-rise residents ‘still at risk’ seven years after Grenfell fire (theguardian.com)
Firefighters and charities criticise government failure to implement evacuation plans for vulnerable people
Film Event Accessibility Scorecard Impact Report: Most Film Festivals Inaccessible to Disabled Filmmakers and Attendees (respectability.org)
For the first time, there is a large-scale report providing quantifiable data regarding the lack of accessibility at film festivals for disabled filmmakers and attendees.
‘Seven years wasted’: Grenfell bereaved fight for evacuation plans on anniversary (theguardian.com)
Shah Aghlani, whose disabled mother was trapped on 18th floor, says personalised plan would have saved her life
Athletic Inspiration Porn Is No Excuse to Shame Me for My Disability (everydayfeminism.com)
“What's your excuse?” Have you encountered “inspirational” memes of disabled athletes? There are many different types of disability, and here's how those memes are spreading some harmful misconceptions.
Wheelchair Accessible Trails & Maps Near Me (traillink.com)
Explore the best paths for wheelchairs, strollers, and people with ADA compliance needs in your area. Get trail reviews, maps, directions, and more on TrailLink.
Does Labour’s manifesto deliver what the country needs? Our panel’s verdict (theguardian.com)
Our experts previously revealed what pledges they wanted to see from Keir Starmer in The manifesto Britain needs. Are they impressed by the real thing?
Cookie Banners and Accessibility (buttondown.email)
Each privacy regulation has its own rules about consent to data collection, and that is where the cookie banner comes in. A cookie banner appears across an entire screen or webpage. It asks the user to consent to the data being collected and the purposes for which it is being collected. Cookie banners typically have links to the full terms and conditions, which contain detailed legalese that very few people ever read in-depth.
Context is the most critical aspect of alt-text everyone seems to miss (buttondown.email)
Twenty-two months ago, when I started this blog, I swore I would never write an article about alt-text or headings because I thought those topics had been written about to death. However, every article I read on these two topics (yes, I read other people’s accessibility articles) leaves out part of the story that *I* think is incredibly important. So here we go, Sheri’s take on alt-text. Sheri’s take on headings is will come in a couple of weeks.
Convincing People to Be Accessible (buttondown.email)
Product owners and people above them in the executive hierarchy frequently hold the position that current customers and what they want are the most important things to implement in products. Anything that threatens current customer desires is an enemy to be slain, a distraction not to be given into.
Cost per hour for Accessibility Testing (buttondown.email)
This is part one of a two-part article. The second part focuses on whether you should staff testing resources as employees, or contractors, or use crowdsourcing.
COVID-19 vaccine workplace accommodation requests (buttondown.email)
Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and is my own opinion. It in no way should be considered the opinion of my employer.
The Anti-Ableist Manifesto (hachettebookgroup.com)
Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World.
Gardening changed how I see myself as a disabled woman (washingtonpost.com)
For Rosemary McDonnell-Horita, a 29-year old with multiple disabilities, gardening gave her an opportunity to be a caregiver rather than a care-receiver.
Delta and Collins Aerospace Race Toward Onboard Wheelchair Securement (newmobility.com)
Two new prototypes would allow passengers to fly in their wheelchairs.
Inside a School That Doesn’t Single Out Students With Special Needs (edweek.org)
Students with disabilities at this school near Seattle rarely have to leave mainstream rooms to receive the services they need.
Recap of Marlee Matlin on “Celebrity IOU” (dailymoth.com)
Here is a recap of Marlee Matlin’s appearance on HGTV’s “Celebrity IOU” that aired on Sunday, June 9th. The show features well-known HGTV hosts Drew and Jonathan Scott as they work with Hollywood celebrities to transform the homes of “everyday people” who had an impact in the celebrities’ lives.
Disability ReFramed: In Media (wgbh.org)
Disability ReFramed: In Media considers the opportunities, strategies, and challenges facing journalists and filmmakers on both sides of the camera, and imagines what the future could be.
Dispatches from Disabled Country (ubcpress.ca)
Dispatches from Disabled Country; Dispatches from Disabled Country is a nuanced and unmistakably poetic introduction to the rich landscape of disability activism and culture from one of Canada’s most recognized voices, Catherine Frazee.
Reframing Special Education Using Strengths-Based IEPs with April Rehrig (mcie.org)
About the Guest(s): April Rehrig is the founder of Rise Educational Advocacy and Consulting, LLC. With over 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher and school psychologist in Los Angeles, April is a licensed educational psychologist and a board-certified special education advocate. She has attended the prestigious COPAA SEAT 2.0 and 3.0 programs and is a certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist and Master IEP Coach. Her services include parent advocacy, IEP coaching, and DIY IEP workshops.
Revolutionizing Captioning at the DTG Summit (ai-media.tv)
AI-Media used a simple and efficient strategy to ensure the success of the LEXI & LEXI Viewer solution at the DTG Summit.
What do Business Disability Forum’s members need from a future Government? (businessdisabilityforum.org.uk)
At Business Disability Forum (BDF) we have been considering everything our Members and Partners, and disabled people working with them, will need from a future Government to expand disability inclusion even further, in their own organisations as well as in society.
20 Accessible Arts & Crafts Products (disabilityhorizons.com)
Arts and crafts provide a wonderful outlet for creative expression, stress relief, and a sense of accomplishment. However, for people with disabilities, traditional art supplies and techniques can sometimes present challenges. Fortunately, there are many adaptive tools and technologies that make arts and crafts accessible to people with a wide range of abilities. In this post, we’ll showcase 10 ingenious gadgets that empower disabled people to fully participate in the joys of crafting.
Finding lost hope: APEX NEURO (activehands.com)
APEX NEURO is one of Europe’s leading neurorehabilitation clinics, specialising in MND, MS and Functional Neurological disorder.
Manifesto calls for UK disability, health and employment strategy (businessdisabilityforum.org.uk)
Business Disability Forum's manifesto calls for a future Government to introduce a UK-wide strategy on disability, health and work.
‘It’s basically inaccessible without a phone’: are kids losing their love for music? (amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org)
Children used to obsessively put CDs and 7-inches on repeat, but streaming means they need digital devices and parental permission to play music. And there’s little being done to help
TEDx Talk NOW LIVE (Big Impact with just 30 seconds) (quirkyquad.com)
I am so excited to share this with you — My TEDx talk: TURNING PARALYSIS INTO PURPOSE: USING ADVERSITY TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS.
Why is it still so difficult for blind people to cast their vote in secret?
Press release: AbilityNet and Citizens Online charities announce (abilitynet.org.uk)
On 1 July 2024 AbilityNet and Citizens Online charities will merge, joining forces to support more digitally excluded people, and create stronger impact.
Captioning: It’s Time for a Revolt (buttondown.email)
What if every person who was deaf, Deaf, had hearing loss (plus those peoples’ friends and family) refused to do business with a company that didn’t caption its videos?
Can’t Find Underrepresented Minorities for Tech Jobs? (buttondown.email)
As should have been easily predicted, the backlash was both swift and brutal. It was then disclosed that seven high-ranking black women had quit Wells Fargo in the past year, citing gender and race issues in their decisions to leave.
Can I go to beta with an inaccessible product? (buttondown.email)
I get asked the question, “Can I go to beta without being accessible?” frequently. This question usually comes outside of my employment situation, most often from companies that either sell software or use websites to provide software, services, or information.
SC college programs provide a path to independent living for students with disabilities (newsfromthestates.com)
Alex Eveland dreams of working for a hotel or restaurant — preferably one that serves Mexican food — once he completes the ClemsonLIFE hospitality certificate program at Clemson University.
Deaf Studies professor strengthens Gallaudet’s French connections (gallaudet.edu)
Dr. H-Dirksen L. Bauman, Director of Gallaudet’s Deaf Studies Program, was honored to continue this tradition of transatlantic cooperation as a visiting professor in Paris this past March. He was invited by EHESS (École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, or the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences), the same institution where Mottez and Markowicz made history.
Disability Justice Social Group (aconhealth.org.au)
ACON is hosting a new online social group for LGBTQ+ people with disability in NSW who are over 18 years old.
Places Of Worship Take Steps To Be More Inclusive (disabilityscoop.com)
More places of worship are working to be accessible and inclusive, with accommodations ranging from adding ramps, to having the choir sing on the main floor or having a sensory room.
Beyond Coercion and Institutionalization: People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Need for Improved Behavior Support Services (autisticadvocacy.org)
What people call “behavior supports” covers a wide variety of services, and not all of these services are truly helpful to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. How can we move away from services that try to change people’s behavior without understanding what people are thinking and feeling? What would it take to create behavior support services that help us live self-determined lives in the community?
Constructing an accessibility elevator pitch (buttondown.email)
An accessibility elevator pitch is a quick summary of who you are and what you want the person you are speaking with to engage in with respect to accessibility. Like a regular elevator pitch, it should be shorter than the amount of time it takes to ride an elevator which makes it roughly 30 -45 seconds or 75–90 words.
Color Blindness Considerations for Designers and Content Managers (buttondown.email)
1 in 12 men have some form of color blindness (also referred to as Color Vision Deficiency or CVD) as do 1 in 200 women. That is 4.25 % of the population, which is a significant figure. McDonald’s serves 3 MILLION colorblind customers per day. Over 1.1 million of Amazon’s daily customers are colorblind.
Coming soon: New anthology edited by Alice Wong (disabilityvisibilityproject.com)
It’s official! I signed a contract for my next anthology, DISABILITY VULNERABILITY, to be published by Vintage Books in spring 2026. If you told me ten years ago that I would become an editor and author I would find it hard to believe. Many thanks to my agent Julia Kardon of HG Literary and my editor Anna Kaufman. I’m really excited to work on this one which will be the final anthology in a trilogy including DISABILITY VISIBILITY (2020) and DISABILITY INTIMACY (2024).
Disabled LGBTQ+ People Share Experiences (mydiversability.com)
People who are disabled and LGBTQ+ may experience their own adversities and points of pride.
Michelle's Mission is moving! (michellesmission.net)
Michelle's Mission is moving! Much like the pictures of the butterflies and flowers listed below my website is changing. The new home of Michelle's Mission is https://www.mrsmichellesmission.com/ You will still be able to find information about my life with a learning disability and the podcasts that I am on. I will also have my online store. Thursdays will also be tech Tuesday where I will talk about different adaptive equipment and review it.
You Say Walker, I Say Rollator , The 'D' List Looks at What's New With Mobility Aids (bluebadgestyle.com)
This ‘D’ List takes a look at new mobility aids and their innovation. We previously tested a few, see the results here as well as our last review of rollators in 2020. Since then there have been developments……
Xfinity Olympics - Watch the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (xfinity.com)
Watch the 2024 Olympics in Paris from anywhere with Xfinity! Catch The Olympic Games on Peacock Premium, plus 250+ of the top streaming apps you love on your Xumo Stream Box.
New Biden administration rule would ban medical debt from credit reports (19thnews.org)
The burden of medical debt disproportionately falls on women, Black people and people with disabilities.
Disability Representations in the New Testament with Dr. Lamar Hardwick and Dr. Amy Kenny (respectability.org)
Join RespectAbility in conversation with leading scholars of Christian Disability Theology to learn about representations of disability in the Second Testament.
In Pursuit of Good Leadership (commonpurpose.org)
A podcast where we ask big questions of leaders in our quest to uncover the real, gritty and honest principles that truly define good leadership.