Crip News v.66
Using the law for abolition, access nonsense at Sundance, more news, new works, calls, and events. Hit "View entire message" for the full issue.
NEWS
Disability, Law, and Decarceration
In November, Professor Jamelia Morgan launched the Center for Racial and Disability Justice at the Northwestern School of Law “dedicated to promoting justice for people of color, people with disabilities, and individuals at the intersection of race and disability.”
When Crip News spoke with Prof. Morgan last week, she shared some of the ways the Center will expand the use legal instruments in the praxis of abolition. Through research, technical assistance and support, and public programming, the Center will become a collaborative space for movements and practitioners, especially those already at work in Chicago, to address social problems.
Prof. Morgan cited student and alumni communities for channeling the demand for the Center. After its current build-out phase, we can look for initiatives that decouple crisis response from criminalization, support litigation that limits police power, address policy for better parole conditions, and more.
Without Access at Sundance
The jurors for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival walked out of a premiere on Friday, Jan. 20th. Jeremy O. Harris and Eliza Hittman left in solidarity with Deaf juror Marlee Matlin when her closed captioning device did not work.
One of the only films to provide open captions is Alison O’Daniel’s The Tuba Thieves, whose team has been working with Sundance for months to make sure the festival has enough ASL interpreters. Sources tell Variety that some buyers at the festival even believe open captioning hurt films’ asking prices as they seek to land distribution.
In Other News…
Last week, the Dutch Senate approved an amendment to the Netherlands' constitution to make it explicitly forbidden to discriminate against someone on the basis of their disability or sexual orientation.
Seoul Metro, the operator of the subway system in Seoul, is seeking 601.45 million won ($484,000) in damages against the group Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) for 75 direct action protests staged since the beginning of December.
Google Maps recently rolled out new access features in some locations, including “search in Live View,” AR overlay, “fast charge” filter for finding EV charging stations, and expanded “Accessible Places.”
The new winter season of Love Island features disabled contestant Ron Hall.
New Works
In High Country News, Alice Wong offers an hour-by-hour account of the storms that recently battered northern California. Despite PG&E’s nearly $17 billion annual profits, “disabled and older people,” she writes, “are left behind or not prioritized in emergency planning.” Don’t miss Alice’s recommendations for utility companies at the end of the article.
Jade T. Perry writes about navigating play parties as a disabled, immunocompromised kinkster for Autostraddle. “Safety work is work that we’d all be wise to do.”
Vilissa Thompson writes for Prism that Twitter’s meltdown is not just inconvenient for disabled people - it’s dangerous.
Kimberlee Collins, Chelsea Temple Jones, & Carla Rice have published Relaxed Performance: An Illustrated Guide, with illustrations by Sonny Bean.
New Mobility recently featured the work of several instructors who are expanding access to self-defense training for wheelchair users.
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha was recently featured on The Laura Flanders Show discussing The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs.
The current issue of The Massachusetts Review focuses on Disability Justice and features an amazing array of work by disabled artists. Check out their reading event this Wednesday.
For IEEE Spectrum, Eliza Strickland & Mark Harris report on Second Sight’s abandonment of its Argus II retinal implant system. The company leaves hundreds of people across the world with an obsolete and unsupported implant.
Janine Jackson interviewed the Disability Economic Justice Collaborative’s Rebecca Vallas about the economics of disability for the December 16, 2022, episode of CounterSpin.
A variety of disability artistry was recently on display at Purple Fest in Panaji, India.
i-D, Samsung, and Google have created Selfiezine, featuring models Aaron Rose Philip, Kiara Marshall, Cameron Lee Phan, and Deon Hinton, with photographer John Guerrero, stylist Milton Dixon III, and movement director Jerron Herman.
Elizabeth Guffey reviews Sophie Calle: Because—The Blind at the Art Institute of Chicago, which closed today.
Kit Edwards reviews Leah Clements—INSOMNIA at South Kiosk, Peckham, London, open through Jan. 29th.
CALLS
Support Agustina Vidal: “A longtime human rights and disability justice organizer, Agustina has supported so many community members through countless crises, at Fireweed Collective and beyond. We created this fundraiser because we want to follow her example and help bring as much collective care as possible to her and her family in this moment.”
Inclusive Arts Vermont is seeking an Executive Director.
Opportunity for Disabled Poets is written across the top of the flyer and is on top of a dark lavender header. Directly beneath to the right there's a aqua blue background with a type writer with the word Zoeglossia written in a typewriter font. On the left hand side there's a medium sized black bold font that reads: Become a 2023 Zoeglossia fellow. There's a call for poets that reads: If you are a poet (age 21+) who identifies as disabled, interested in building community while growing in a diverse cohort, we highly encourage you to apply today. Towards the bottom of the page sitting above the teal footer on the flyer is the symbol for a location pin with "Fellowship will be held virtually" in bold. There is a QR code in navy with bold black writing that reads: Submissions Close on February 15th 2023. Apply at: bit.ly/submit-2023. For More information: www.zoeglossia.org/
EVENTS
Understanding and Transforming the Medical Industrial Complex, Part 2: Climate Justice Edition
“Graphic with photos of 4 of our Spring Pol Ed Series facilitators. A pink circle in the center has black text reading, ‘Understanding and Transforming the Medical Industrial Complex, Part 2: Climate Justice Edition. Registration opens January 23!’”
Kinetic Light’s Under Momentum
Feb. 17-19th in the Clark Studio Theater at Lincoln Center.
Access: This performance will include haptic interpretation of sound scores ASL interpreters before, during, and after the show; audio description through Kinetic Light’s Audimance app; CART captioning; accessible seating; tactile experiences; sensory kits; a “chill out” quiet space; and exit and entry welcome during performances. Access ushers will be available and on-call. Masks and proof of vaccination are required.
Choose-what-you-pay $5-$25
Eco Soma Methods: Tuning into our Worlds by Petra Kuppers
Friday, Jan. 27th & Saturday, Jan. 28th 2023 in-person at the University of Toledo
The Institute for Dance Studies at the CDTPS invites you to its 2023 keynote lecture and workshop presented by disability culture activist and community performance artist Petra Kuppers.
Captioning on Captioning
Today, Jan. 23rd at 20:30 BST as part of the London Short Film Festival
A short film by Louise Hickman (London, UK) and Finnegan Shannon (New York City, US) in collaboration with real-time writer Jennifer (San Diego, US).
ART, GENDER, AND DISABILITY: AESTHETICS OF ACCESS
Feb. 18th & 24th in person in NYC and on Zoom.
TFAP@CAA Day of Panels brings together exceptional groups of artists, art historians, curators, and critics for a free and open to the public day of dialogue during the annual College Art Association (CAA) Conferences. Featuring Jesse Darling (Keynote), Shannon Finnegan, Bojana Coklyat, Jordan Lord, Krishna Washburn, Kayla Hamilton, Jerron Herman, Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez, Panteha Abareshi, Jillian Crochet, Berenice Olmedo, Feminist Health Care Research Group (FHCRG), Sickness Affinity Group (SAG), Power Makes Us Sick (PMS), and Critical Design Lab REMOTE Access Party.
iele paloumpis: illder wisdoms
Jan. 23 - 25th (Wed, self-led) from 11am-1pm EST at Movement Research’s Courtyard Studio/Asynchronous is self-led