Thoughts on disability justice, neurodiversity, intersectional activism from Lydia Brown, queer, autistic, east asian activist, writer, public speaker

As buzzwords like social justice, equity, and inclusion permeate our conversations, it’s essential for advocates of progress to remember another ‘ism.’

Thoughts on disability justice, neurodiversity, intersectional activism from Lydia Brown, queer, autistic, east asian activist, writer, public speaker

The global exclusion of persons with disabilities comes at significant economic, political, and societal costs. Decades’ worth of data substantiates this claim, yet progress has remained elusive. Now, due to the disruptions of a global health crisis and recession, it is likely that the situation for persons with disabilities will worsen. But this does not … Continue reading "The high cost of exclusion and what we need to do about it"

Preface: I wrote this post partly to try and capture/demonstrate/introduce/explain a concept that I haven't found an existing explanation on that would match my mental model. And partly to clear up m…

This blog post has been contributed by Portulans Senior Fellow Shane Kanady and Research Assistant Augusta Rentenbach, additionally co-authored by John Kelly, Isabel Hodge, Ronald Kasule and Petra Iuliana. COVID-19 has affected us all. The changes in our daily lives will surely lead to long-term effects for many, if not all, aspects of society. As … Continue reading "How COVID-19 is Affecting Persons with Disabilities Worldwide: Finding Opportunity in Adversity"

Individual differences is a natural encounter at the work place, nevertheless, the job must still be done but when one is working with the o...

The number of people with autism entering the workforce in the next 10 years and beyond is on the rise, with the growth cutting across racial, ethnic, and geographic lines. Currently, the unemployment rate among people with autism remains high, with some estimates coming in at over 80%. The heightened profile of disability, equity, and inclusion functions in major employers is already leading companies to think about forms of diversity beyond race and gender. Since the early 2010s, a network of major employers has developed targeted employment initiatives and protocols to better integrate this workforce into their companies. But the number of companies involved in neurodiversity hiring initiatives is modest today, as is the number of participating workers. What can we learn from the companies that have integrated these programs successfully, and how can companies without the resources for dedicated programs make real progress in bringing neurodivergent employees into their organizations?

Though many library staffers receive physical first aid and CPR training, mental health first aid training happens far less often. However, it can defuse tense situations, provide needed resources, and help patrons through crises.

. . . a work in progress

Statement from the National Alliance of Multicultural Disabled Advocates – August 26, 2019

The Navajo Nation goes before the Supreme Court in a water rights case it says is about ending nearly two centuries of injustice.

A longtime English professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University says his "decision to teach and speak about racial justice" led to a parent complaining and the university terminating his contract.

While many cheered the possibility of a huge financial windfall for the city's Black residents, one civil rights leader says the proposal is a distraction from tangible efforts to redress racism.

"In this long awaited new edition Oliver draws on his own experiences to paint a vivid picture of both the practical challenges of disablement and the theoretical understandings of disability. This approachable text is core reading for social work, nursing, health and social care and social science students taking modules in disability"--Provided by publisher.

This well-written and informative book has become the standard on the uses and laws regarding therapy and service dogs. With the expansion of new service dog types, a greater complexity with regard to service animal laws and regulations and the interpretation of these by the courts has developed. This book carefully examines these complexities at both the state and federal levels. In addition, the expanded use of therapy dogs in facilities and institutions has brought with it a paradigm shift in society's acceptance and acknowledgment of the canine capacity to contribute in meaningful ways to the lives of ill and institutionalized persons. This resource discusses the benefits of dogs as a therapeutic modality that reflects the importance of enrichment and healing to seizure patients, autistic children, and others with disabilities, including mental illness. Part I covers canines and canine caregiving, physical disabilities, mental disabilities, cancer sniffers, and the therapy dog movement. Part II explores traveling and living with canine caregivers, taking service and support dogs to schools, workplace scenarios, access rights of trainers and handlers, and proving service animal status and false assertions of such status. Part III discusses registration, licensing, tags, special gear for skilled dogs, traffic precautions, including cruelty and criminal interference laws protecting service animals. Part IV researches canine caregivers and social benefits, keeping animals with handlers in emergencies and disasters, tax benefits, and social service reimbursement for service animals. The author has provided a list of legal sources and service and therapy dog organizations by state. The information contained in this book is well-researched, factual, and appropriately cited. By reading this book, readers will acquire a clearer understanding of the many federal and state laws that apply to service and therapy dogs.

"A comprehensive study of the history of the Pennhurst State School and Hospital (1908-87), a state-operated institution in Pennsylvania for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Explores Pennhurst's enduring impact on the disability civil rights movement in America"--

This Handbook brings together twenty-nine authors from around the world, each expert in a different area within the history of disability. This collection of new and original essays forms a benchmark in a field of historical inquiry that has been growing and maturing over the last thirty years. It is the first book to gather critical essays that incorporate studies from South and East Asia, eastern and western Europe, Australia, North America, and the Arab world. This Handbook is unique among other disability history texts in that it engages simultaneously in methodological and historiographic debates and in a further articulation and analysis of the lived experiences of disabled people.

A sociological history of the fight for civil rights for people with intellectual disabilities. Allison Carey develops a relational practice approach to the issues of intellectual disability & civil rights, looking at how advocacy has progressed over the course of the past century.

"A study of the global oppression of people with disabilities and the international movement that has recently emerged to resist it ... A theoretical overview of disability oppression that shows its similarities to, and differences from, racism, sexism, and colonialism."--Jacket.

Many children have learning disabilities and it's up to parents and schools to work together to ensure that each child's unique educational needs are met. But what if the school disagrees with your goals for your child? You are at a disadvantage if you don't know the law. This book teaches you to: identify a learning disability; understand your child's rights to education; untangle eligibility rules and evaluations; prepare and make your best case to school administrators; develop IEP goals and advocate for their adoption, and explore and choose the best programs and services.

The memoir of a paraplegic journalist, describing his experiences as a reporter for National Public Radio in exotic locations, and the challenges of living in a wheelchair.

Theories of social justice are necessarily abstract, reaching beyond theparticular and the immediate to the general and the timeless. Yet such theories, addressing the world and its problems, must respond to thereal and changing dilemmas of the day. A brilliant work of practicalphilosophy, Frontiers of Justice is dedicated to this proposition. Taking up three urgent problems of social justice neglected by current theorie sand thus harder to tackle in practical terms and everyday life, Martha Nussbaum seeks a theory of social justice that can guide us to aricher, more responsive approach to social co-operation.

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, a Books for a Better Life Award, and one of The New York Times Book Review's Ten Best Books of 2012, this masterpiece by the National Book Award-winning author of The Noonday Demon features stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children, but also find profound meaning in doing so--"a brave, beautiful book that will expand your humanity" (People). Solomon's startling proposition in Far from the Tree is that being exceptional is at the core of the human condition--that difference is what unites us. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, or multiple severe disabilities; with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, and Solomon documents triumphs of love over prejudice in every chapter. All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent should parents accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on ten years of research and interviews with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges. Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original and compassionate thinker, Far from the Tree explores how people who love each other must struggle to accept each other--a theme in every family's life.

"At thirty-two, Ady Barkan had everything he wanted: a fulfilling career in the progressive movement, a brilliant wife, and a beautiful newborn son. Then his luck ran out. What he thought might be carpal tunnel was in fact ALS, a neurological disease that would probably paralyze and kill him quickly. But then, with his life slipping away and American democracy under grave threat, he turned a devastating diagnosis into his most potent tool. [This book] is a rousing memoir featuring intertwining narratives about determination, perseverance, and now to live a life of purpose. The first traces Ady's battle with ALS. The second shows his journey from a goofy political nerd to a prominent figure in the progressive movement, becoming one of today's most vocal advocates for social justice. [This book] is an evocative and unforgettable memoir about activism, dedication, love and hope."--Book jacket flap

Sensitive and practical, this book openly discusses the ways in which personal thoughts, feelings, and questions about disabilities can influence effective communication between people with and without disabilities. It offers simple and effective ways to become more comfortable with the concept of disability, and it opens the door to better social and professional relationships. Featuring activities and exercises that encourage self-examination, this guide helps us all create more enriching personal relationships and work toward a fully inclusive society. It will help you overcome fears and dispel stereotypes while enhancing personal growth, professional development, and community outreach.

For psychotherapist, painter, feminist, filmmaker, writer, and disability activist Harilyn Rousso, hearing well-intentioned people tell her, "You're so inspirational!" is patronizing, not complimentary. In her empowering and at times confrontational memoir, Don't Call Me Inspirational, Rousso, who has cerebral palsy, describes overcoming the prejudice against disability--not overcoming disability. She addresses the often absurd and ignorant attitudes of strangers, friends, and family. Rousso also examines her own prejudice toward her disabled body, and portrays the healing effects of intimacy and creativity, as well as her involvement with the disability rights community. She intimately reveals herself with honesty and humor and measures her personal growth as she goes from "passing" to embracing and claiming her disability as a source of pride, positive identity, and rebellion. A collage of images about her life, rather than a formal portrait, Don't Call Me Inspirational celebrates Rousso's wise, witty, productive, outrageous life, disability and all.

Based on interviews with almost a hundred activists, this book provides a detailed history of the struggle for disability rights in the United States. It is a complex story of shifts in consciousness and shifts in policy, of changing focuses on particular disabilities such as blindness, deafness, polio, quadriplegia, psychiatric and developmental disabilities, chronic conditions (for example, cancer and heart disease), and AIDS, and of activism and policymaking across disabilities. Referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act as "every American's insurance policy," the authors recount the genesis of this civil rights approach to disability, from the almost forgotten disability activism of the 1930s to the independent living movement of the 1970s to the call for disability pride of the 1990s. Like other civil rights struggles, the disability rights movement took place in the streets and in the courts as activists fought for change in the schools, the workplace, and in the legal system. They continue to fight for effective access to the necessities of everyday life -- to telephones, buses, planes, public buildings, restaurants, and toilets. The history of disability rights mirrors the history of the country. Both World Wars sparked changes in disability policy and changes in medical technology as veterans without without limbs and with other disabilities return home. The empowerment of people with disabilities has become another chapter in the struggles over identity politics that began in the 1960s. Today, with the expanding ability of people with disabilities to enter the workforce, and a growing elderly population increasingly significant at a time when HMOs are trying to contain healthcare expenditures.

Covers the entirety of U.S. disability history, from pre-1492 to the present. Disability is not just the story of someone we love or the story of whom we may become; rather it is undoubtedly the story of our nation. It places the experiences of people with disabilities at the center of the American narrative. In many ways, it's a familiar telling. In other ways, however, it is a radical repositioning of U.S. history. By doing so, the book casts new light on familiar stories, such as slavery and immigration, while breaking ground about the ties between nativism and oralism in the late nineteenth century and the role of ableism in the development of democracy. This work pulls from primary-source documents and social histories to retell American history through the eyes, words, and impressions of the people who lived it. As the author, a historian and disability scholar argues, to understand disability history isn't to narrowly focus on a series of individual triumphs but rather to examine mass movements and pivotal daily events through the lens of varied experiences. Throughout the book, he illustrates how concepts of disability have deeply shaped the American experience from deciding who was allowed to immigrate to establishing labor laws and justifying slavery and gender discrimination. Included are narratives of blinded slaves being thrown overboard and women being involuntarily sterilized, as well as triumphant accounts of disabled miners organizing strikes and disability rights activists picketing Washington. This work fundamentally reinterprets how we view our nation's past: from a stifling master narrative to a shared history that encompasses us all

How should we respond to individuals with disabilities? What does it mean to be disabled, and is a disabled person necessarily less independent and less competent than a person who is not disabled? Is a life with a disability a life worth living? In this compelling book, three experts on disability issues, ethics, and the law address several pressing issues in bioethics, including the prospect of genetic discrimination, heroic treatment of seriously impaired neonates, and whether severely impaired competent individuals should be permitted or assisted to die. Anita Silvers, David Wasserman, and Mary Mahowald bring important philosophical theories to bear on subjects of concern in a wide variety of disciplines dealing with disability, and they do so in the context of the groundbreaking Americans With Disabilities Act. Disability, Difference, Discrimination will be of great interest to the legal, philosophical, and medical communities engaged in ongoing debates about the disabled.