Crip News v.73
Anniversary of the Capitol Crawl, new works, calls, events.
NEWS
HBD, Capitol Crawl
On March 12, 1990, a group of disabled activists gathered to demand the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has stalled in the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation. At the staircase that leads to the west entrance of the Capitol building, they set their access technologies aside and climbed. Their action dramatized the exhausting experience of living in an inaccessible world.
This action is often cited as key to the passage of the ADA. It’s also exemplary of the Disability Right’s Movement’s focus on legislation, physical disability, and the dignity of independence. For more about the beauty and power of disability direct action, check out Patrisha Wright’s “Lessons Learned From Enacting The Americans with Disabilities Act,” published by DREDF.
Oscars & Access
For the first time in 94 years, the Academy Awards show included live captions, an ASL livestream, and audio descriptions by a blind describer. Andraéa LaVant, president of the disability consulting firm LaVant Consulting Inc., talked to HuffPost about the changes.
New Works
Kennedy Healy and Bianca Xunise are the 2023 3Arts / Bodies of Work Fellows.
Lauren “Lolo” Spencer’s Access Your Drive and Enjoy the Ride: A Guide to Achieving Your Dreams from a Person with a Disability is out this week.
For Nonprofit Quarterly, Sonia Sarkar reports on a recent webinar about Disability Justice and its applications in the workplace, featuring Adela Ruiz and Sandy Ho.
“Disability Justice Isn’t Possible without Housing Justice” by Susan J. Popkin was published by the Urban Institute.
Elizabeth Maher writes “A Love Letter to Max Chapman: Autism and Race in A League of Their Own” for Crip Crap Media.
Amanda Morris writes about “Reporting on Assistive Technology” for The Open Notebook.
Henry Olaisen argues “The Best Disability Programs Are Designed By Those Who Use Them” for Next City.
CALLS
Support the Power Wheelchair Fund for Pete Rivera.
Image description: Dark purple background with a white text box in the middle. “HEARD IS HIRING! Prison Correspondent” is in white above the text box. “Start Date: May 2023; Remote (Must be based in the U.S.); Deadline to apply: March 31, 2023” is listed in black inside the white text box accented with light purple. Underneath the text box, “Swipe for the position description!” and “Apply at: bit.ly/heard-pc-application” is in white. [at]behearddc is at the bottom center of the page
📣 Apply now for PeoplesHub’s first-ever Undoing Internalized Ableism Cohort. Applications are open to any disabled person that does movement work and is serious about undoing internalized ableism both personally and within movement spaces. 🔗Info and application: bit.ly/UndoAbleism
The Art Institute of Chicago is recruiting a small team of “talented Adjunct Lecturers fluent in ASL and skilled in facilitating gallery conversations about art who can connect guests to artworks in the Art Institute collection.” Reach out to Sam Ramos, Director of Gallery Activation, at sramos@artic.edu with a resume/CV and a little information about your experience and interest in facilitating group conversations about art (a brief paragraph or two). No need for a formal cover letter.
EVENTS
Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez’s The Square: Displacement with no end
23–25 March 2023, 7:30pm, in-person at Abrons Arts Center (NYC)
Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez (Performance AIRspace Resident 2022–23) draws from his embodied memory, ancestry, anthropological research, and community stories to recount the colonial geographies faced by his nomadic Indigenous ancestors over the past 200 years. Audiences are invited to participate in a form of collective Audio Description to narrate this journey through time, space, and identity.
Writing for Stage: The Fun-Damentals presented by CRIPtic Arts
Tuesday, March 14, 18:30 – 20:30 GMT, online
Have you ever seen a play and thought you’d like to write your own? Learn the basics of script writing for stage in this fun, practical workshop! Caitlin will take you through three of the basics of writing for stage, Story, Character and Dialogue through a mix of discussion, clips and practical exercises. This workshop is open to everyone - if you’ve never written before, have an idea for a play, or are ready to start writing - and all are welcome!
Professional Audio Description Training with Gravity Access Services
Monday, April 10, 10am CT – Friday, April 14, 5pm CDT, in-person at Vesper in Austin, Texas
From April 10-14, 2023, Art Spark Texas is presenting an amazing opportunity to participate in a 5-day professional training for Audio Describers with Gravity Access Services, pioneers in the practice, who are known internationally for their vibrant, live audio description and extra-visual access techniques—particularly for dance and body-based performances.