Here are your three disability-related links for Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
1. Make Neurodiversity Boring
Ari Ne’eman, Boston Review - May 29, 2024
“The distinction matters because it speaks to the different culture of advocacy in the two movements. Disability rights activism has generally focused on modifying law and policy through lobbying and litigation, often failing to secure corresponding cultural shifts. Neurodiversity activism has struggled with the opposite problem. While the movement has secured cultural recognition and helped frame neurological disability as identity, it has been largely unsuccessful in shifting public policy and clinical practice.”
This essentially sympathetic critique of current trends in the neurodiversity movement is an important read — and not just those concerned with how autism is regarded in society and how autistic people are served and still too often abused. Ne’eman underscores some extremely important differences in how disability movements more broadly defines and pursues its goals. Cultural acceptance is not the same thing as material progress, and vice versa. This seems like a persuasive argument that you have to work on both at once, in coordination, but also with different tactics and distinct goals. We still need new and revised concepts about disability — that’s why the title of this newsletter is what it is. But we also still need to free disabled people from confinement, discrimination, abuse, and poverty. We should be able to do both. But it won’t happen by accident.
2. Understanding and Combating Bullying Against Individuals with Disabilities
Kerry Wiley, Wiley’s Walk - May 29, 2024
“Bullying can take various forms, each with distinct characteristics and impacts. Understanding these types can help in recognizing and addressing bullying effectively.”
I am an instinctive classifier. Breaking subjective experiences into their distinctive types and patterns helps me understand them better. On the surface, it may seem a little cold-blooded to analyze something as emotionally devastating and personal s bullying by dividing it up into categories with academic-sounding names. But it helps to get a grip on these things. And while some of the solutions offered here seem a bit generic, they at least offer some actionable approaches to start with.
3. This Writer’s 800-Square-Foot LA Apartment Puts Accessibility First
Morgan Goldberg, Clever - May 31, 2024
Source: Kelly Dawson on LinkedIn
“In furnishing the 800-square-foot abode, Kelly made sure to prioritize both accessibility and style. All of the seating, for example, had to be a particular height (three feet from the ground) and sturdy enough to support her pushing off, but it also had to match her sophisticated California aesthetic. She paired a midnight blue Living Spaces sofa with a camel leather Home Goods armchair in the living area, while she chose sage spindle-back chairs from Article for the dining zone.”
This is an aspect of accessible home design that I don’t think gets enough attention. Most disabled people focus on purely practical accessibility and affordability, without much mental space or resources to think about atmosphere. That’s by necessity. If it’s harder than ever for people to find affordable housing these days, it can be nearly impossible for disabled people to find places they can afford to live in and actually use. But any space can be made more comfortable and cozy. And this is arguably more important for those of us who have disabilities. Once we do find a place to live, we often have to commit to it for the long haul. We can’t just up and move when the mood strikes us. So making a place ours is critical — even, or especially, when it’s more modest than what most people aspire to. And it shouldn’t be a revelation by now that accessible spaces can also look amazing.
Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and videos.
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