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] Reflections on Disability Visibility podcast by students from Mid-Peninsula High School students Follow and check out these amazing disabled podcasters! Down to the Struts podcast with Qudsiya Naqui Contra* podcast with Aimi Hamraie Power Not Pity podcast with Bri M. Reid My Mind with Thomas Reid No End In Sight podcast with Brianne Benness Pigeonhole podcast with Cheryl Green AAC  Town A treasure trove of learning, stories, and wisdom. Thank you for this podcast! https://t.co/cFd0mnsT21 — Jen Bokoff (@jenbo1) April 6, 2021 Just listened to latest episode of @DisVisibility podcast & teared up to learn it's the last (regular) one. Will miss it! The podcast was so important to me in embracing my disabled identity & useful for teaching DS. Thank you @SFdirewolf & team for all your amazing work! — Dr. Elizabeth Patitsas #BlackLivesMatter (@patitsel) April 6, 2021 I waited to listen to this episode b/c I thought it might make me sad — no more @DisVisibility pod regularly in my feed! — but it filled me w/ hope & excitement for the future. I remain so thankful to Alice Wong & her collaborators for bringing these conversations into my life. https://t.co/57NO02ykei — Karen Tani (@kmtani) April 7, 2021 This is a loss to disability culture. However, it won’t be a loss really, because @SFdirewolf will definitely offer more things in other ways. And ending the podcast intentionally is good modeling for others in the disability community who hesitate to exit or switch gears. https://t.co/Ui7DQFoAV2 — Andrew Pulrang (@AndrewPulrang) April 6, 2021 About Portrait photo of an Asian American woman looking directly in the camera with a slight half smile. She is wearing a light blue button-up shirt and a long earring on her right ear. She has a lip ring, dark eyes, and dark hair that is tied up with bangs that are cut in a diagonal line, slanting to her left. She is set against a silver background. Geraldine Ah-Sue is a cultural activist and independent radio producer primarily interested in stories shared by BIPOC communities about culture, community, and love. She has produced stories for outlets such as KALW’s newsmagazine show Crosscurrents and APEX Express on KPFA. She was the producer and host of the second season of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s podcast Raw Material, which focused on the intersections between art, community and social justice. Currently, she is enjoying working on her independent creative project Playing with Food: The Place where Food Comes to Life, and loving on her inquisitive, song-filled toddling daughter. Twitter: @geraldineah_sue A white woman with olive skin and long, dark brown, curly hair stands outside by a red wall that vanishes behind her in the distance. A line of enormous running horses are painted in a mural on the wall in black and white, their manes blowing in the wind. Cheryl stands with her arms folded in front of her, forearms chiseled from too many years typing, staring off in the direction the horses are headed. She has a solemn crow tattooed on one arm and wears a black t-shirt with white text, “No More Spoons” and a row of knives and daggers. Cheryl Green, MFA, MS is a multi-media digital artist, captioner, audio describer, a 2017 AIR New Voices Scholar, 2020 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader, and Digital Operations Lead and a Member-Owner at New Day Films (through July, 2021). She brings her lived experience with multiple invisible disabilities to creating media that explores politically- and culturally-engaged stories from cross-disability communities. She reported and produced one episode for the Peabody-nominated Season 2 of 70 Million and has audio described and captioned many films for Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival and Superfest International Disability Film Festival. Her audio and written blog, transcribed podcast, and documentary films are at www.WhoAmIToStopIt.com Twitter: @WhoAmIToStopIt A brown woman with long, curly, black hair, stands smiling while playing a ukulele. She is visibly pregnant, wearing a dark purple dress. The background shows a green wall with small paintings of flowers hanging. Sarika Mehta, originally from Chicago’s suburbia, loves things music, dance, and all that jazz. She’s been a producer with APA Compass radio collective, founded and hosted the podcast Intersections Radio, anchored the KBOO Evening News, and of course served as a producer for Alice Wong’s Disability Visibility Project Podcast. Currently she is the host and founder of Diaspora Blues Radio where she nerds out with her favorite artists. Her fascination with languages led her to the worlds of Sign Language Interpreting and journalism for the ears. She’s a busy mama with two little beautiful boys and she’s been known to make stuffed animals out of excellently patterned socks. Keep up at sarikadmehta.com.  Twitter: @sarikadmehta   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music electro-pop 01 loop by frankum, November 24, 2013. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.   Synth Pop Loop 01 by RokZRooM, March 21, 2021. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 3.0 License. Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 Andrew Pulrang, a white, clean-shaven man with glasses and black hair, wearing a blue shirt. A tracheostomy is visible around his neck just above the shirt collar. Andrew Pulrang is a disability-focused freelance writer, online activist, and former Center for Independent Living director. He is a contributing writer for Forbes.com. Andrew is also a co-partner of #CripTheVote, a nonpartisan online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people with fellow disabled activists Gregg Beratan and Alice Wong. Twitter: @AndrewPulrang   Gregg Beratan, a white man with brown hair and a brown beard. He is smiling and wearing a white shirt with narrow gray stripes. Gregg Beratan is one of the Co-founders and organizers of #CripTheVote. He is the Director of Advocacy at the Center for Disability Rights. He has been involved in Disability Rights and Disability Justice efforts in the United States, the UK, Poland & India. Twitter: @GreggBeratan   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music EDM Drop by DaveJf, March 5, 2021 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 (@annalandre) February 5, 2021 About Alena Morales, a Mexican Filipina woman, sitting in her wheelchair among San Diego palm trees. Her long brown hair is styled down around her shoulders, and she dons red lipstick with winged eyeliner. She is wearing a white button up shirt with black polka dots, and her central line hangs out from the neckline of her shirt. Alena Morales (she/her) is a queer disabled advocate of color. She will graduate with her DPD BS in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Disability Studies at UC Berkeley in Spring 2021. Alena is the former Chair and Co-Founder of the ASUC 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. After graduation, Alena hopes to combine disability justice activism and nutrition to ensure that people with disabilities are represented in key nutrition policy dialogues ultimately opening up her own disability justice organization that tackles socioeconomic and clinical nutritional inequities for the community she calls home.   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Gathering” by Podington Bear (Gathering by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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, August 27, 2018, Disability Visibility podcast. Refugees and migrants with disabilities,  Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UN. Persons with disabilities, UN Refugee Agency. “7 refugees paving the way on disability rights,” December 2, 2019, UN Refugee Agency. About Photo of Mustafa Rfat, a man with short dark brown hair wearing a navy blue blazer with v-neck blue shirt. Behind him is a dark gray background. Mustafa Rfat is a graduate student in the Public Administration Program and a trainee at Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) at West Virginia University. Mustafa came to the U.S. as a refugee from Iraq in 2011. He is a passionate advocate for equal rights for people with disabilities and refugees/immigrants. He is in the process of applying for Ph.D. programs in Social Work to further his education in research and community work.   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music Music for Manatees by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4102-music-for-manatees. License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Garden Music by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3796-garden-music. License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license. Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 Photo of curators Vanessa Chang and Lindsey D. Felt standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a graffiti installation, beaming at the camera. Lindsey has wavy blonde hair and wears translucent glasses and a gauzy black and white dress with a black double buckle belt. Vanessa has a short dark brown bob and wears a gold choker necklace and a long sleeved white kimono top. A brown bag strap crosses her chest.   Lindsey D. Felt and Vanessa Chang curated Recoding CripTech, a multidisciplinary art exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center in 2020. Their curatorial work has been profiled in venues such as Art in America, KQED Arts and DisTopia.  Dr. Lindsey D. Felt, a Bay Area native, writer and deaf scholar, is a lecturer at Stanford University, where she teaches courses on disability, writing, and technology. She received her Ph.D. in English from Stanford University. Her research focuses on disability innovation and technology in the postwar era, specifically how disability shaped conceptions of electronic communication; science fiction and disability futurity; access and assistive technologies; and disability rhetorics. Most recently, her writing has appeared in Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, and she serves as the Disability and Impact Lead at Leonardo/ISAST. Twitter: @ldfelt Dr. Vanessa Chang is a writer, curator and educator who builds communities and conversations about art, technology and human bodies. She is Senior Program Manager at Leonardo/ISAST and teaches in Visual and Critical Studies at California College of the Arts. She holds a Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University, where she was a Geballe Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center. Recent exhibitions include Intersections at Fort Mason Center for the Arts and Artobots, a CODAME festival of art, automation and artificial intelligence. She has appeared on NPR’s On the Media and State of the Art, and written for Wired, Slate, Los Angeles Review of Books and Noema Magazine, among other venues. Twitter: @vxchang   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Bleeping Demo” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7012-bleeping-demo. License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license. “Blippy Trance” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5759-blippy-trance. License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 people protesting right now that black lives matter just watched me get destroyed my institution's fitness for duty process in silence (without a single black person in sight on the "well being committee").#showupwhenitsuncomfortable — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) June 4, 2020 Update re: Physician Well Being Committee/Fitness for Duty Process(FFD)! Some powers that be thought they were sending me to get support; institution now seems to acknowledge that that was NOT the case and is trying to improve that for others…A THREAD/1https://t.co/uhj5lLdan4 — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) October 3, 2020 Despite this, I must have regular check ins with a faculty 'mentor', a case manager (whom I call my parole officer), I continue to meet with my own psychiatrist & therapist (as I was before all this). My institution was fixated on me doing a very specific type of therapy: DBT. /3 — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) October 3, 2020 I won't belabor the myriad of ways that the Fitness for Duty Process has undermined my current and future mental health, but what I would like to focus on are the changes that are currently underway. /5 — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) October 3, 2020 From my reports on the ground and from institutional leadership, the committee has already begun to diversify its membership. There is a task force currently reviewing the committee, and I have been asked to speak to share my story with the task force. /7 — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) October 3, 2020 Someone who deeply understands the nuances of the committee & has tangible power to change it was both apologetic and actionable oriented. We discussed how our institution exists w/in a challenging state legal structure w/ respect to providers w/ mental health & substance use. /9 — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) October 3, 2020 I end this thread for the first time in a long time, immensely and genuinely proud of my institution. I am still wounded, but I am healing and we are moving forward together. @UCSFMedicine #DocsWithDisability #BlackMenInMedicine #GayMedTwitter #MedTwitter — Justin Bullock (@jbullockruns) October 3, 2020 Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links DocsWithDisabilities Podcast Ep 17: Justin Bullock,  Dr. Lisa Meeks and Dr. Joe Murray, University of Michigan. #DocsWithDisabilities campaign, Meeks Research Group, Department of Family Medicine and MDisability Initiative, University of Michigan. “On National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, A Story Of Survival,” Jessica Gold, September 17, 2020, Forbes. “In My Experience: How Educators Can Support a Medical Student With Mental Illness,” Anonymous, November 2019, Vol 94, Issue 11, p. 1638-1639, Academic Medicine. About Dr. Justin Bullock, a Black man with short hair wearing a navy suit with a white shirt and dark red tie. He is smiling at the camera. Dr. Justin Bullock is a current Internal Medicine Resident in San Francisco, California. Justin is passionate about medical education, and diversity in medicine. His article in the New England Journal of Medicine titled “Suicide—Rewriting my story” tells the story of his battle with Bipolar Disorder and suicidality during undergraduate and graduate medical education. Twitter: @jbullockruns   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Pives And Flairnet” by Podington Bear (Pives and Flairnet by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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, NPR. “As Hospitals Fear Being Overwhelmed By COVID-19, Do The Disabled Get The Same Access?” December 14, 2020, Joseph Shapiro, NPR. Ep 81: Bioethics with Joe Stramondo, July 20, 2020, Disability Visibility podcast. Ep 50: Disabled Lawyers with Hamza Jaka and Britney Wilson, May 6, 2019, Disability Visibility podcast. “I’m disabled and need a ventilator to live. Am I expendable during this pandemic?” April 4, 2020, Alice Wong, Vox. “I will not apologize for my needs,” March 27, 2020, Off-Kilter podcast. National Center for Law and Economic Justice Disability Rights New York  NMD United Not Dead Yet   About Britney Wilson, Black woman with curly natural, black hair and glasses in a blue chambray suit and white and blue polka dot top standing on crutches in an office.   Civil rights attorney Britney Wilson is a staff attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice in New York. Twitter: @labelleverite   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Retro Metro” by Ketsa. (Source: FreeMusicArchive.org. licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.) “Smooth Lovin” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4379-smooth-lovin.  License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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. “Cleveland Baseball Team Will Drop Controversial Name To ‘Unify Our Community,'” Jaclyn Diaz, December 14, 2020, NPR. Tribal health officials say more than 60 communities on the reservation reported new cases Friday. https://t.co/AvOSVilL8w — Indian Country Today (@IndianCountry) December 19, 2020 Pregnant Native American women were singled out for COVID-19 testing based on their race and ZIP code, clinicians say. While awaiting results, some mothers were separated from their newborns, depriving them of the immediate contact doctors recommend. https://t.co/rsQOqZ9GfX — ProPublica (@propublica) December 27, 2020 “I knew if I could get Fresno High School to remove the mascot, that the logic of it would kick in, you don’t vote to remove a mascot that’s Native from one school in the district without saying, ‘We can’t just remove one.” – Jamie Nelson (Yokuts)https://t.co/84xoVAEfNI — IllumiNative (@_IllumiNatives) December 26, 2020 I always seem like a wet blanket because I do not stan or put folks on a pedestal. I am critical and very idealistic when it comes to Native representation because I am not just thirsty for representation….i am thirsty and starving for GREAT representation and accountability. — Johnnie Jae aka The Brown Ball of Fury (@johnniejae) December 18, 2020 My latest for the @AP: For many Native American tribes, losing elders to the coronavirus means losing irreplaceable pieces of culture. So tribes are fighting to protect their must vulnerable members. https://t.co/Lzunxsljr8 — Christine Fernando (@christinetfern) December 28, 2020 About Picture of Johnnie Jae, black hair, bangs brushed to the right side of her face. She is wearing glasses that are slightly too big for her head, nude pink lipstick, a dusky pink shirt with a necklace featuring a round citrine pendant. Johnnie Jae is an Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw rabble-rousing journalist, organizer, creator, and futurist who loves empowering others to chase their passions and create for healing and revolutionary change in the world. She is 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. Jae is a co-founder of Not Your Mascots and LiveIndigenousOK. She is a member of the Women Warriors Work Collective and served as a co-chair for the 2017 March for Racial Justice. She was the host of the Indigenous Flame and A Tribe Called Geek podcasts and worked as a producer for several other podcasts on the Success Native Style Radio Network. While primarily recognized for her work with A Tribe Called Geek, Jae also facilitates several workshops that address Mental Health and Suicide in Indian Country, Native Mascots & Stereotypes, Indigenous Representation & Journalism, Indigenous STEM & Tech, and the Utilization of Social & Digital media for Business and Activism. Her ability to seamlessly shift from humor and pop culture to advocacy and business has made her a much-sought after speaker, panelist, and commentator. Website: https://johnniejae.com/ Twitter: @JohnnieJae Instagram: @JohnnieJae Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialjohnniejae   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “acoustic guitar with non_standard tuning phrase” by timcan, May 28, 2010.  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “acoustic guitar” by alpersez, January 27, 2008.  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 black with an infinity symbol at the wrist in white with the words ‘Black Disabled Lives Matter’ below.   Wow. Thank you @AyannaPressley for sharing my #ToyinSalau visual tribute in solidarity. Her life had value and purpose and it continues to be our responsibility to uplift and understand that black women deserve protection, care, respect, and amplification. https://t.co/A6wCriWaHp — Jen White-Johnson (@jtknoxroxs) June 17, 2020 Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links “How the Black Disabled Lives Matter Symbol Took on A Life of Its Own.” Jennifer White-Johnson, November 11, 2020, AIGA Eye on Design.” “#BlackDisabledLivesMatter: Q&A with artist Jen White-Johnson.” Alice Wong, September 9, 2020, Break The Story Volume IV: Disability Visibility, Pop Culture Collaborative. “A young black autistic man was sentenced to 50 years for a car crash. Tens of thousands of people are now calling for his freedom.” Theresa Vargas, June 24, 2020, Washington Post. About Photo of Jen White-Johnson, an Afro-Latina woman who is wearing a light blue denim shirt. She has a cinnamon complexion with a small brown birthmark on her left cheek. She is wearing earrings with the raised solidarity fist with an inverted triangle below. She is also wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat. Jen White-Johnson is a Designer, Photographer, Art Activist, and Art Educator. Currently, she teaches as an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at Bowie State University where her work focuses on the intersection of content and caregiving with an emphasis on redesigning ableist visual culture. When her son was diagnosed as Autistic at age 2 she began to examine the absence of black disabled children in digital and literary media, this motivated the release of an advocacy photo zine entitled “KnoxRoxs.” Dedicated to her Autistic son, the zine is a way to give visibility to children of color in the black Autistic community. As an artist-educator with Graves disease and ADHD, her heart-centered and electric approach to disability advocacy bolsters these movements with invaluable currencies: powerful, dynamic art and media that all at once educates, bridges divergent worlds, and builds a future that mirrors her Autistic son’s experience. Since its release, the zine has received national and international recognition, including features in AfroPunk, Today at Apple, and is permanently archived in Libraries at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This year her activist work has been featured in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Crip Camp: The Official Virtual Experience, and she was recently selected as an honoree on the 2020 Diversability’s D-30 Disability Impact List. Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn /Instagram   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Maruken” by Polyrhythmics (licensed under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC 3.0 License). Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 Emily sits among plants in a power wheelchair behind a glass door. She is dimly lit, with long brown hair, a tan turtleneck, and black pants and boots. Emily Ackerman is a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering and a disabled activist. She is particularly invested in achieving equity in STEM education and technology for the disabled community. She lives in Pittsburgh with her cat, Poppy.  Website: https://www.emilyeackerman.com/ Twitter: @EmilyEAckerman   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Robot” by Razor5 (Robot by Razor5 is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License). Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 with Conchita Hernandez Legorreta about her experiences as a disabled immigrant.  Conchita was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS which stands for Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students, a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind, low vision students and other disabilities. She’s also a co-founder of the National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities that seeks to amplify the voices of disabled Latinx in the disability rights movement. Currently, Conchita works as a Blind and Low Vision Specialist for the state of Maryland. For more after this episode check out another short interview I did with Conchita for the podcast about the 30th anniversary of the ADA which is episode 82a. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links United We Dream National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students “What Is Public Charge?” Immigrant Legal Resource Center “Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule Designed To Impede Immigrants Seeking Green Cards,” Dustin Jones, NPR, November 2, 2020. Ep 82a: Americans with Disabilities Act with Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, Disability Visibility podcast, July 26, 2020. “Trump’s Public-Charge Rule Would Threaten Disabled Immigrants’ Health and Safety,” Rebecca Cokley and Hannah Leibson, Center for American Progress, August 8, 2018.   About Conchita Hernandez Legoretta, a Latina woman smiling at the camera. She has long wavy brown hair and is wearing gold hoop earrings. Maria (Conchita) Hernandez Legorreta was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad through a lens of intersectionality focusing on social justice. Conchita received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, majoring in International Studies, Spanish, and History. She then went on to Louisiana Tech University where she received her Master’s in Teaching with a focus on teaching blind students. As well, Conchita earned a master’s certificate in working with Deaf-Blind students from Northern Illinois University. She is currently a Doctoral student at George Washington University pursuing a degree in Special Education. Conchita has been published in Future Reflections and Rooted in Rights. Conchita keeps up with research in special education and serves as a peer reviewer on the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research. Conchita conducts workshops on best practices for educators and professionals in the field of disability and advocacy in the United States and internationally. Conchita worked in the rehabilitation field in Nebraska where she set up innovative programming for disabled adults. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS (Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students) a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind/low vision students and other disabilities. In this role she engages lawmakers in policy discussions around people with disabilities and inclusion. Conchita is also a co-founder of the National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities that seeks to amplify the voices of disabled Latinx in the disability rights movement. Currently, Conchita works as the Maryland Blind and Low Vision Specialist. Conchita strives to be a voice for change for educators, professionals and advocates to make full inclusion a reality for people with disabilities in Latin America. Twitter: @Conchitahdz     Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Moonglow” by Podington Bear (Moonglow by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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, an independent curator and critic from Sydney, Australia who is now based in the U.S. She received her PhD in Art History, Theory & Criticism from the University of California San Diego in 2017. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary art; curatorial studies and activism; exhibition design and access; decolonizing the museum; and the politics of embodied disability language in visual culture. You’ll hear Amanda talk about her scholarship and work as a disabled curator, museum accessibility during this pandemic, how curators can make accessibility part of their practices, and how technology can bring people closer to art in new ways. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links Alt-Text as Poetry, Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan No longer in extremis. Andrea Montiel de Shuman, June 15, 2020, Medium.com Curators Urge Guggenheim to Fix Culture That ‘Enables Racism,’ Robin Pogrebin, June 22, 2020, The New York Times.  How to Make Art in a Pandemic? Khairani Barokka, June 2020, Art Monthly. The Museum Does Not Exist, Dana Kopel, May 13, 2020, SSENSE How Colonial Visual Cultures Have Worsened This Pandemic and What Needs To Change, Khairani Barokka, April 13, 2020, Disability Visibility Project.  Ep 72: Disabled Curators with Anna Berry, March 8, 2020, Disability Visibility podcast. What Does It Mean to Be an Accessible Museum? Francesca Rosenberg, November 16, 2017, Museum of Modern Art. Smithsonian Standards and Guidelines for Accessibility and Accessible Exhibition Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_0cMvZf5CY&t=4s 1/4 Take a seat, stay awhile As part of our #MetAccess program, we're inviting Disabled artists to respond to works from the #MetCollection that spark curiosity or inspiration. Today, Shannon Finnegan (@shanfinnegan) shares her thoughts on this 19th-century folding armchair: pic.twitter.com/kzGwF4mEWI — The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) August 10, 2020 About A short-statured woman with long brown curly hair and brown eyes stands in the middle of a white cube gallery space, smiling at the camera. She is wearing red lipstick to match the red and white scarf wrapped around her neck. On every wall of the gallery space hangs contemporary art that includes brightly-colored photographs of abstract shapes, a round wooden ring hanging from the ceiling, a black and white video installation of a sign language interpreter and a low-lying red lounge chair on a mat. The ceiling is exposed so all the beams, wiring and fan ducts are visible.   Amanda Cachia is an independent curator and critic from Sydney, Australia. She received her PhD in Art History, Theory & Criticism from the University of California San Diego in 2017. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary art; curatorial studies and activism; exhibition design and access; decolonizing the museum; and the politics of embodied disability language in visual culture. She is currently working on two book projects: a monograph based on her dissertation entitled In My Language: Translation in Contemporary Disability Art solicited by Duke University Press, and the edited volume Curating Access: Disability Art Activism and Creative Accommodation for Routledge that includes over 30 contributors from around the world. Cachia currently teaches art history, visual culture, and curatorial studies at Otis College of Art and Design, California Institute of the Arts, California State University Long Beach, and California State University San Marcos. She serves as caa.reviews Field Editor for West Coast Exhibitions (2020-2023). Twitter: @AmandaCachia2   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Awakenings” and “Vantage Points” by Ketsa (Source: freemusicarchive.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 license). Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 Liz Weintraub. Liz is an advocate who has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations. She is a full time member of the policy team for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and she is also the host of Tuesdays With Liz: Disability Policy For All, where she talks about policy in accessible language. You’ll learn how Liz got involved in disability policy, why she loves it and why it matters. Please note our conversation took place before the coronavirus pandemic.  Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links About A picture of a woman with a blue sweater and a white turtleneck with glasses and smiling for the camera. Liz Weintraub has a long history of leadership in self advocacy, and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations. She is a full time member of the AUCD’s policy team and also the host of Tuesdays With Liz: Disability Policy For All, where she attempts to make policies in accessible language so policy is accessible to all. In the Spring of 2018, Liz served as a Fellow for Senator Casey of Pennsylvania, working in his DC Office where she helped lead the way on disability policy by helping the Senator hold the administration accountable for disability stakeholder input into key programs; calling attention to the need for accessible supports and services for students and employees with disabilities on college campuses who have been sexually assaulted, which resulted in a S.2530; and helped organize a first of its kind Pennsylvania Disability Employment Summit with over 250 participants. Said Senator Casey, “Liz has shown the Senate how important it is to have staff members who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. She’s helped reshape the culture of the Senate.” In the fall of 2018, Liz told the story of her personal experience as a woman with disabilities as she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the potential implications of a Kavanaugh confirmation to the civil rights of people with disabilities. Read her submitted written testimony and watch her oral testimony on AUCD’s website. Prior to coming to AUCD, Liz worked for the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL). Liz is an alumni of the LEND training program at the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University. Liz was a past chair of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council. Liz is rejoining the Council for another term. Liz has received numerous awards, recognition, and commendations for her work. Liz enjoys mentoring people with disabilities. Twitter: @tuesdaywithliz   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Frogs in Tuxes” by Podington Bear (Frogs In Tuxes by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 communities in social change, and crosses the intersections of indigenous & disability rights, health, and climate change. Kera will share about her involvement in climate activism and its intersections with disability and indigenous activism and why climate movements must center indigenous and disabled people. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links Ep 63: Climate Change with Layel Camargo & Elena Aurora and Alex Ghenis This is a call out to white disabled Aotearoa. Take a minute. Disability spaces are so exclusive against Māori & multiply oppressed folk, & yet there are lots of white disabled folk aligning with the people doing us harm without thinking about whakapapa of projects or orgs. — Kera O’Regan (@keraoregan) April 26, 2020 I am really sick of trying to be gracious and hold space for learning and growth for organisations and people who refuse to return the same care or awhi when we are harmed and seek support, and those who extract our knowledge to further divide our communities. — Kera O’Regan (@keraoregan) September 21, 2020 About Photo of Kera Sherwood-O’Regan, an Indigenous Māori woman with light olive skin and long brown hair, sitting in her living room. She is wearing a white collared jumpsuit, vintage style tortoiseshell glasses, Haus of Dizzy love heart earrings, and red lipstick. She wears a Māori pounamu greenstone pendant around her neck, and she is smiling slightly at the camera. There is a green houseplant and wooden furniture in the background. Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Kāi Tahu, Te Waipounamu) is an indigenous multidisciplinary storyteller and activist based in Aotearoa New Zealand. She runs social impact creative agency, Activate [www.activate.film], to co-create community-led stories and projects for social change. Kera’s work and activism centers structurally oppressed communities in social change, and crosses the intersections of indigenous & disability rights, hauora (health), and climate change. She is also the Founder of Fibromyalgia Aotearoa NZ [www.fibromyalgia.org.nz], and in her spare time facilitates support groups for people living with chronic pain, and collaborates with many NGOs on issues of climate justice. website: www.keraoregan.co.nz  twitter: @keraoregan instagram: @kera.oregan  linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keraoregan/   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Origami” by Podington Bear (Origami by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. Maddy will share how she first became interested in transportation and the results from a survey she conducted of people with disabilities in San Francisco about new mobility technologies and services. You’ll learn more about new mobility and Maddy’s vision for inclusive and accessible cities in the future. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links   “Access Denied? Perceptions of New Mobility Services Among Disabled People in San Francisco,” Maddy Ruvolo, 2020, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies. The Untokening is a multiracial collective that centers the lived experiences of marginalized communities to address mobility justice and equity. “American cities are a nightmare for disabled people. Coronavirus is giving us a chance to change that,” Luke Ottenhof, July 29, 2020, Mic. About A white woman with curly brown hair is standing at a microphone, smiling. She is wearing a green dress and a simple gold necklace. Photo credit: John Livzey. Maddy Ruvolo (she/her) is a disabled urban planner and researcher passionate about transportation access for the disability community. She has worked for the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and the Oakland Department of Transportation. Maddy has a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a B.A. in American Studies from Scripps College. Maddy began her career at disability rights organizations and brings her lived experience with disability to all facets of her work. Twitter: @MaddyRuvolo   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Night Watch” and “Pinky” by Blue Dot Sessions. (Source: FreeMusicArchive.org. Licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 Fat Rose and an organizer for the No Body Is Disposable campaign. Caleb is a performer-scholar-activist. They are a Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, where their research focuses on historicizing performances of eating and cultural representations and fat embodiment. Max and Caleb will talk about their lived experiences as fat people, the hate, violence, and oppression toward fat people and what fat politics and liberation is all about. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links No Body Is Disposable, campaign against discrimination in triage “An Unacceptable Sacrifice: Fatphobia, Ableism, and the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Finn Gardiner, March 30, 2020, Disability Visibility Project. Fat Activist Vernacular, Charlotte Cooper, 2019. Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement, Charlotte Cooper, 2016, HammerOn Press. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, Sabrina Strings, May 2019, NYU Press.   About Caleb, a fat brown disabled femme, places their hands on their hips and looks at the camera defiantly. They are wearing blue plants, a blue bomber jacket with pink florals, and a black t-shirt that reads GORDA in a cursive script. Caleb Luna (they/them) is a performer-scholar-activist. They are a Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, where their research focuses on historicizing performances of eating and cultural representations and fat embodiment. They are interested in embodied difference as a generative resource toward fatter understandings of collective freedom. You can find their writing online at Black Girl Dangerous, Everyday Feminism and The Body Is Not An Apology. Their print publications include Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color (2018); Canadian Art magazine (Winter 2018); and the forthcoming Queer Nightlife anthology. They also produce exclusive content at Patreon.com/CalebLuna. Twitter: @chairbreaker_   Max Airborne, a fat white person wearing blue jeans, an aqua t-shirt, a red knit beanie and round glasses, sits on a scooter in front of San Francisco ICE headquarters, speaking through a bullhorn. Resting on the front of their scooter is a large cardboard sign hand-painted with the words “No Body Is Disposable.” On their left someone is interpreting in ASL, and on their right someone is recording audio using a handheld device. Max Airborne is an organizer for collective liberation, rooted in fat liberation and disability justice. They co-founded Fat Rose: fatrose.org Instagram: @fatlibink  Twitter: @fatroseaction   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Affairs of State” by Shaolin Dub. (Source: FreeMusicArchive.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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. I also have a new anthology out this summer titled Disability Visibility and so excited to have this conversation with Kelly as two disabled editors. You’ll hear about the unique aspects of anthologies, Kelly’s approach to finding contributors and editing their writing, and wondrous radicalness of bodies. And full disclosure, I have an essay in Body Talk about saliva and you can read a short excerpt here.  Book with a blue cover with a background showing illustrations of different types of bodies. The title reads, “BODY TALK: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy” edited by Kelly Jensen, editor of (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY. On the right side is a list of the 37 contributors. You can also join Kelly and me in conversation for an online book event on September 27, 2020, 4 pm Pacific co-organized by the Disability Visibility Project and Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University. Register:  tinyurl.com/DisabilityAnthologies Anthologies by Disabled Editors with Kelly Jensen and Alice Wong. September 21st, 2020, 4pm PT/7pm ET. Join us for a conversation between Kelly Jensen and Alice Wong, two disabled writers/editors who both have anthologies out this summer. Kelly Jensen’s “Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy” is available now by Workman Books. Alice Wong is the editor of “Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century.” 10 lucky participants will win a free copy of either book! ASL/captioning provided. Register: tinyurl.com/DisabilityAnthologies. Webinar co-organized by the Disability Visibility Project and the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability. Text is on a white background bordered by yellow. To the left of the text is an image of Kelly and the cover of her book, and to the right is an image of Alice and her book. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] About Black and white headshot of Kelly Jensen. Kelly Jensen is a former teen librarian who worked in several public libraries before pursuing a full-time career in writing and editing. Her current position is with Book Riot (bookriot.com), where she focuses on talking about young adult literature. Her books include Here We Are: Feminism for The Real World and (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, a collection of art, essays, and words to launch a powerful and important conversation about mental health. It was named a best book of 2018 by the Washington Post and earned a Schneider Family Book Award Honor. Her new anthology is Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy, available August 18, 2020 by Workman Books.  Website: https://kellybjensen.com/ Twitter: @veronikellymars Instagram: @heykellyjensen   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Rebound” by Podington Bear (Rebound by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 how she became involved in dance and what it means to her, what accessed centered movement is and how it’s rooted in disability justice, and the connections between bodywork, dance, and healing. Please note our conversation took place in January of 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF]   About IMAGE OF MIXED ABILITIES DANCE TEACHER INDIA HARVILLE. SHE IS AFRICAN-AMERICAN WITH HAIR IN LOCKS, WEARING ALL BLACK, SITTING ON THE FLOOR WITH HER HANDS CLASPED, SMILING AT THE CAMERA.   India Harville is an African American queer disabled femme teacher, somatic bodyworker, dancer/dance instructor, performance artist, social justice activist, and educator dedicated to facilitating people in personal and collective healing and transformation.   India has over 17 years experience in the fields of embodiment via massage, somatics, and dance. India is trained in several massage/somatic modalities including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy, Shiatsu, Thai,  and Rosen Method Bodywork.  India has studied several forms of dance including NIA, Zumba, KiVo, Dancing Freedom, DanceAbility, and American DanceWheels wheelchair ballroom dance. India has over 15 years teaching experience. India’s eclectic toolkit makes her very adept in helping people deepen their connection to themselves and to helping people find more pleasure and ease in their lives. India holds a BA in health psychology from New College of Florida and a MA in Integrative Medicine from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).   India has received many awards/fellowships including the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship Award to conduct research on the body’s response to stress in Dusseldorf Germany, three scholarships/residencies to study/teach/perform mixed abilities dance, including one with Sins Invalid in Berkeley California, and has conducted research at The Touch Research Institute in Miami Florida, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco State, and Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley California. India has had health challenges since infancy, but she did not adopt a politicized disabled identity until 2011. In the last seven years her health conditions have been her greatest teacher. Her personal journey with disability deeply informs how she works with others. India is originally from Michigan, but considers herself a Bay Area convert after living here for over a decade.  When India is not working with clients, she enjoys time in nature, reading, and meditation. Website: http://lovingtheskinyouarein.com/   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Loca salsa 2” by zagi2, March 3, 2015 (Licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported license CC BY-NC 3.0) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 Conchita Hernandez Legorreta for an upcoming conversation on immigration and Conchita had some really important thoughts about disability rights, leadership and the ADA. Here is a short excerpt from my interview with Conchita. You can also learn more about Conchita in episode 90 of this podcast. Transcript [Google doc]  Related #ADA30InColor: 13 essays by disabled people of color on disability rights and justice About Conchita Hernandez Legoretta, a Latina woman smiling at the camera. She has long wavy brown hair and is wearing gold hoop earrings. Maria (Conchita) Hernandez Legorreta was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad through a lens of intersectionality focusing on social justice. Conchita received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, majoring in International Studies, Spanish, and History. She then went on to Louisiana Tech University where she received her Master’s in Teaching with a focus on teaching blind students. As well, Conchita earned a master’s certificate in working with Deaf-Blind students from Northern Illinois University. She is currently a Doctoral student at George Washington University pursuing a degree in Special Education. Conchita has been published in Future Reflections and Rooted in Rights. Conchita keeps up with research in special education and serves as a peer reviewer on the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research. Conchita conducts workshops on best practices for educators and professionals in the field of disability and advocacy in the United States and internationally. Conchita worked in the rehabilitation field in Nebraska where she set up innovative programming for disabled adults. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS (Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students) a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind/low vision students and other disabilities. In this role she engages lawmakers in policy discussions around people with disabilities and inclusion. Conchita is also a co-founder of the National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities that seeks to amplify the voices of disabled Latinx in the disability rights movement. Currently, Conchita works as the Maryland Blind and Low Vision Specialist. Conchita strives to be a voice for change for educators, professionals and advocates to make full inclusion a reality for people with disabilities in Latin America.  Twitter: @Conchitahdz   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp” Album: NO BIG DEAL Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

  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 comfortable asking questions, but I’m gonna share my personal story with you all on this occasion in this interview by my friend Rochelle Kwan. The tables are turned! Rochelle is the Community Producer for the podcast Self Evident and the storytelling team lead at Think!Chinatown, a community organization based in New York City Chinatown. I first met Rochelle when she worked at StoryCorps and we immediately bonded about Lunar New Year festivities and dumplings. You’ll hear about my early years, the influence of the ADA on my life, my thoughts about the future of accessibility, and more. Three Asian Americans taking a selfie at an outdoor sidewalk. In the back is Luigi Villanueva, on the left is Alice Wong, a wheelchair user with a mask over her nose attached to a ventilator, on the right is Rochelle Kwan. Everyone is smiling. Transcript [Google doc]     [PDF] Related Links #ADA30InColor: 13 essays by disabled people of color on disability rights and justice Chang, Momo. (February 18, 2015). Lunar New Year Memories with StoryCorps. Center for Asian American Media. Kwan, Rochelle. (February 19, 2019). Stories From The Lunar New Year With A National Facilitator. StoryCorps.     About Rochelle Kwan, a Chinese-American woman with short black hair, stands in the middle of a San Francisco Chinatown street looking down at the camera with a soft smile. She wears a long, red cheongsam dress, black boots, gold hoop earrings, and a jade ring. In the background are rows of hanging red lanterns, neon signs with Chinese characters, and parked cars. This photo was taken by her sister, Elodie Kwan. Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan is a writer, audio producer, and cultural organizer who brings together her backgrounds in social work and media to engage with communities to celebrate the power of everyday voices. Her work includes developing a community engagement program with AAPI communities at StoryCorps, training students to lay the foundation for the Hunter College Asian American Studies Oral History Archive, producing Chinatown community storytelling projects with Think!Chinatown, and cultivating meaningful relationships with AAPI communities around the country with Self Evident. When she’s not thinking about storytelling, you can typically find her dancing all night long, cooking family recipes, or eating mangoes. Photo of an Asian American woman in a power chair. She is wearing an orange-red jacket and black pants. She is wearing a mask over her nose attached to a gray tube and bright red lip color. Her hands are resting over her joystick. Photo credit: Eddie Hernandez Photography Alice Wong is a disabled activist, media maker, and consultant. She is the Founder and Director of the Disability Visibility Project® (DVP), an online community dedicated to creating, sharing and amplifying disability media and culture created in 2014. Currently, Alice is the Editor of Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century, an anthology of essays by disabled people, available now (June 30, 2020) by Vintage Books. Twitter: @SFdirewolf @DisVisibility   Support Disability Media and Culture DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®   Credits Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host Cheryl Green, Text Transcript Lateef McLeod, Introduction Mike Mort, Artwork Theme Music (used with permission of artist) Song: “Dance Off” Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp Music “Gentle Marimbas” by Podington Bear (Gentle Marimbas by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.) Sounds “VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. “8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.