Weekly Reading List

This list is mostly last week’s list, which I never finished. The first article is more recent though. I’m going to try to keep to my new schedule from now on. I promise.

Denied a Cab Ride, Grieving for Who We Are …
Stephen Kuusisto, Planet Of The Blind - December 3, 2016

There are legitimate dilemmas in ADA compliance ... like the problem of service dogs and allergies. But, the hostility with which they are discussed shows that often the real motivation is good old fashioned ableism, bolstered by an "anti-minority" ideology. This cab driver could have handled the problem in a completely acceptable and non-harmful way, and he chose not to.

How The Oppressor Expresses Remorse
Mike Ervin, Smart Ass Cripple - November 28, 2016

As usual, Smart Ass Cripple uses a silly idea to highlight very non-silly observations. Smart Ass Cripple is an essential and probably under-appreciated voice in the disability community.

Education Secretary Calls For End To Corporal Punishment
Shaun Heasley, Disability Scoop - November 28, 2016

When my family moved to the State of Washington from New York in 1980, I was mildly shocked to find that my new middle school used corporal punishment. I'm not sure how long they kept doing it, but it was so bureaucratic and ritualized that in addition to being cruel, to the students it was completely meaningless. I can't believe any school still do this. And by the way, how many important declarations like this can we expect from the Education Department over the next four to eight years?

The Problem With Paternalizing Disabled People to Protest Donald Trump
Kim Sauder, crippledscholar - November 19, 2016

Democrats and progressives probably made scores of that contributed to Clinton's election loss. I really think that one of them was how we brought disabled people and disability concerns into the election. The progress is undeniable, but aside from a single afternoon where where Hillary Clinton discussed disability policy, and some great #CripTheVote chats on specific issues, most of the appeal to disabled voters was tinged with this paternalism, along with some very simplistic and one-dimensional shaming of Donald Trump ... in a year when a lot of voters simply didn't care that their candidate was rude and offensive. In fact, for many, if not most Trump voters, Trump’s rudeness was a feature, not a bug. I don't doubt anyone's sincerity. We all probably tried to do what we really thought was best, But we need to insist going forward on a much more rapid evolution to a more sophisticated dialog around disability in politics.

Why Disability Activism Needs to Be More Inclusive of People of Color
Keah Brown, Everyday Feminism - November 24, 2016

I am finally getting to the point where intersectionality is no longer an esoteric idea to me, to be researched and interrogated. Now it feels like simple common sense. I hope I'm really starting to get it, and I hope it's not just me.