Monthly Reading List - January 2019

Each month I select and share five disability-related articles I read the previous month. Here are the five from January 2019:

4 Ways To Respect The Needs Of Employees With Disabilities
Amanda Reaume, Forbes - December 14, 2018

I’m not sure why, but Forbes has been publishing a lot of articles on accommodating employees with disabilities. It is a business magazine, so it fits with its profile, but the number of articles on this topic is surprising. I wonder if there is a specific reason for this. In any case, the articles are usually pretty good, though not very ground-breaking or audacious. It’s mostly standard “disability is diversity” and “being decent to disabled people is good business” fare.

Navigating the Wheelchair Accessible Path to Adoption
Katrina Kelly, Center for Disability Rights Blog - January 2, 2019

A great and very personal take on a disability topic not often discussed, but probably more common and relevant than most people would think.

Hiring People with Disabilities is Good Business
Ted Kennedy, Jr., New York Times - December 27, 2018

Again, the disability employment arguments are pretty standard and unchanged for decades. It’s essentially the same pro-business argument that took shape right after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s not a bad argument, but it might be a little stale. It also might be more valid in “white collar” workplaces than it is in lower wage occupations.

Why cast Bryan Cranston as a quadriplegic man when disabled actors are queuing up for roles
Rachel Charlton-Dailey, Metro.UK - January 9, 2019

This to me is the best argument for why it’s morally objectionable for non-disabled actors to platy disabled characters … not just representation for the audience, but employment opportunities for disabled actors who need to make a living.

I Prefer That You Say I’m “Disabled”
Robyn Powell, Dame - January 15, 2019

A nice articulation of a classic disability question … how we want people to refer to us, and how we think of ourselves.