There’s a pretty good middle of the week mix today.
Here are three disability-related links for Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
1. Justice Department Launches Updated Voting Rights and Elections Website
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice - April 18, 2024
“The Department updated its guide on The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities. This guide describes the legal protections designed to allow equal access to every aspect of elections, including registration and voting, for people with disabilities.”
As I have previously mentioned, I will be sharing quite a few links this year on voting and elections, as it’s a General Election year here in the U.S. and in several other countries too. And it is worth repeating that in recent years, the concept of “voting accessibility” has taken on many more facets in the U.S. It’s not just about wheelchair accessible polling places, but also access to early or multiple day voting, voting by mail or drop box, accessible voting machines and ballot marking devices, and the complications that come with stricter voter I.D. laws.
2. Who coined the term ‘neurodiversity?’ It wasn’t Judy Singer, some autistic academics say
Sara Luterman, The 19th - April 23, 2024
Found: X (Twitter)
“The claims come on the heels of a rocky year for Singer, who has been accused of making transphobic statements on social media, allegations she denies. The letter’s authors say it has been those comments that spurred them to speak out.”
Looking at these sorts of “Who coined it?” / “Who founded it?” arguments in disability spaces both intrigues and tires me. Sara Luterman does great work here running down all the threads about who should be “credited” with the word “neurodiversity.” Or is it the concept they are fighting over? How much does it matter? It seems to me that Singer has either turned some sort of corner to become a vindictive grouch, or she was always a self-aggrandizer who was just better at covering her ego before now. On the other hand, I continue to wonder whether it makes sense to discredit previously admired people in social movements only when they make fools or monsters of themselves in social media posts. If Singer didn’t “invent” neurodiversity, then the claim that she did should be corrected, whether or not she has also recently made transphobic comments. On the other, other hand, what does it mean to invent an idea, or coin a term? Does it only count if it’s in an academic paper? Or do online discussion archives count as definitive documentation of who was thinking what, and when? In a way it’s interesting. But in another way, it’s kind of not.
3. All Of Me
Laura Winters, The New Group - April 23, 2024
Found: Facebook - New Mobility
“All of Me is a boldly humorous and candid love story exploring class and disability in America today.”
There’s something uniquely encouraging about a play by what looks like a major theater company, featuring disability themes and disabled actors playing disabled characters. But I especially appreciate the idea that this play explores disability and class. That’s an intersection that I think needs a lot more attention. To quote Tyrion Lannister from “Game Of Thrones,” (another disabled character played by a disabled actor):
“If you’re going to be a cripple, it’s better to be a rich cripple.”
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