Crip News v.137

A long Covid dispatch, new works, media news digest, other news, calls, and events.

Jun 24, 2024

A Long Covid Dispatch

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) have released a long-awaited definition of Long COVID (LC). “A complete enumeration of possible signs, symptoms, and diagnosable conditions of LC would have hundreds of entries,” the report says. Nonetheless, NASEM put forward a single definition to generate better clinical care and wider access to insurance coverage, disability benefits, and accommodations at school and work.

NASEM also published a study of the long-term health effects of COVID, commissioned by the Social Security Administration. This spate of new literature, including others recently glossed by Eric Topol and those from the RECOVER Initiative, offer a solid foundation for combatting misinformation and medical gaslighting.

Over a year after the end of the declaration of a Public Health Emergency and more recent ends to key programs like Test to Treat, the fight for what scholars Katie Savin, Laura Guidry-Grimes, and Olivia S. Kates recently called “antimicrobial stewardship” remains an form of Disability Justice.

New Works

British artists Sacha Wares and John Pring’s mixed reality installation Museum of Austerity recently closed at Bristol Old Vic.
Responding to a recent forum on “The Future of Neurodiversity” published in the Boston Review, Co-Founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Ari Ne’eman writes that to secure material change, we must “Make Neurodiversity Boring.”

The cover of Grace's book features pink abstract swirls and white text against a gray background.

Co-Founder of Open Style Lab Grace Jun’s Fashion, Disability, and Co-design: A Human-Centered Design Approach is out from Bloomsbury. Designer Sara Hendren talks with Jun in a review of the book.
The 5th issue of Able News is out from Long Island’s Viscardi Center, edited by Emily Ladau.
Home Sweet Home, a disability-led play about independent living and disability rights, recently played at the Cork Midsummer Festival in Ireland.
Architectural Digest recently profiled disabled writer Kelly Dawson and her access-first apartment.

A Media News Digest

Disability news satire show The Squeaky Wheel: Canada debuts tonight at 9pm ET on AMI-tv.
Alejandra Ospina, currently a fellow in the Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program, recently penned “Exploring Disability Inclusion in the Arts and Entertainment Industry.”

In a movie still, a femme amputee is working on a metal prosthetic arm, sending sparks flying down on a workshop table.

For Reactor, Elsa Sjunneson writes about “Furiosa and the Disability Wasteland.”
FWD-Doc recently published the Accessibility Scorecard Impact Report 2023
with data from 75 film events worldwide.

In Other News…

The Longmore Institute on Disability has announced its next cohort for the Emerge Summer 2024 Disability Studies Workshop for Disabled Activists, Artists, Cultural Producers, Filmmakers, and Academics: Capria Berry, haejin bang, Jesenia M., Jess Martínez, Jumoke Abdullahi, Keidra Chaney, Mick Moran, Mikey Mercedes, Ruben Ç, and Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine.

A Black woman in a suit is smiling widely at the camera.

The American Bar Association recently profiled Prof. Britney Wilson, Associate Professor and the Founding Director of the Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic at New York Law School.
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Ben Ray Luján have re-introduced the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

CALLS

A new mutual aid group in NYC, Queer Disability Aid, is open for requests, volunteers, and donations. More here.
A Disability Justice Organizer in the East Bay of California is seeking a Personal Assistant. More here.
The Spoonie Uni Project’s #Dis Juneteenth Fund is open for donations to Disabled 2SQTGNC Black folks in need, and to Black led collectives in the Global South and Global North. More here.
Audio Description Training Retreats is seeking applicants for a paid training opportunity in September and October. Apply by July 1. More here.

EVENTS

a photo from a darkened dance floor toward a stage with a dj at work against a collage of images from summer in new york city. another person is working at a computer, typing captions on a screen nearby: this song has another iconic femme vocal telling us we are superstars. — Photo by **Lawrence Sumulong**

An Evening of Access Magic

Saturday, July 6, 6 - 8pm ET, at the dance floor at Lincoln Center

Join us on the occasion of Disability Pride Month to explore the magical possibilities of access. The Silent Disco will bring us together to share in the manifold dimensions of disability-centric nightlife with ASL song- signing, audio description by Madison Zalopany, creative captioning by danilo machado, choreographic offerings, access doula-ing, and music. Together, we’ll open a portal to an ecology where access is a coordinating principle for sharing space, contemplation, and joy.

Curated by Kevin Gotkin and featuring a dance lesson led by Jerron Herman and DJ set with DJ Who Girl.