NEWS
Legal & Legislative Victories
Despite the dismay of major rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court recently, there are some wins that have received less notice:
A major threat to the rights of people who use Medicaid and other government supports has been quashed. The 7-2 decision in Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County v. Talevski preserves the ability of individuals receiving services to sue state and local governments if their civil rights are violated.
And the Court has let stand a ruling that determines gender dysphoria is protected by the ADA.
In other legal news, NYC is suing the architects of the Queens Library at Hunters Point, hailed as “one of the finest public buildings New York has produced this century,” for non-compliance with the ADA. A central staircase blocks access to other areas, the bathrooms are inaccessible for wheelchair users, and a ramp on a rooftop terrace has a dangerous and unlawful grade.
In Texas, organizers won passage of the so-called “no kids in cuffs” bill, which bans school police officers and security guards from restraining, tasing, or using chemical irritants like pepper spray on students below 6th grade.
New Works
Sustaining Air: The Life of Larry Eigner by Jennifer Bartlett, a biography of the disabled poet that has been 12 years in the making, is out this month from the University of Alabama Press.
For The OPEN Notebook, Marion Renault writes about how journalists can contribute to anti-ableism.
The Alchemy of Care by Thai Lu & Suki Sekula is “a cookbook born from a deep commitment to mutual aid for an immunocompromised, disabled community member who fights for the visibility and survival of themselves and other chronically ill and disabled people.”
Osman Can Yerebakan reviews Chella Man’s film ”The Device That Turned Me Into A Cyborg Was Born The Same Year As I Was” for the Asian American Arts Alliance Magazine.
At the recent convening of the Representative Assembly of the National Education Association, 14-year-old disability organizer Helena Donato-Sapp addressed educators on ending disability discrimination to thundering applause.
The BBC has greenlit We Might Regret This, a comedy-drama series about a disabled Canadian woman moving to London, from the producer of Stath Lets Flats.
Jason Wilsher-Mills brings large-scale inflatable sculptures to Mansfield, U.K. this month, including one that draws attention to accessible toilets.
Copeland Gallery in London recently exhibited A Lion in the Studio, a group show of 22 disabled artists from Intoart.
In The New York Times, Nicolas Rapold writes about the enduring legacy of Freaks (1932) for disability representation in film.
In Australia, the Richard Llewellyn Deaf and Disability Grants are funding more than $195,000 for employment of 59 artists, 17 arts workers and 23 others.
POVOAfrika Trust has launched the Musicable project, “an empowerment programme that is aimed at supporting people with disabilities in the music industry” by facilitating access to home recording equipment.
CALLS
The AXS Film Fund will award up to five creators with grants of up to $10,000 each to assist them in finishing their projects in any stage of production. Deadline July 31st. More here.
The Inevitable Foundation’s Accelerate Fellowship gives “mid-level disabled screenwriters” $40,000 in funding, plus mentorship and community facilitation. Submit an eligibility questionnaire to access the application.
The Foundation is also providing grants starting at $500 to disabled writers who lost income and job opportunities because of the WGA strike. More here.
EVENTS
Tools for Access Design: An Introduction to Access Ecologies
Thursday, July 13, 10 - 11am ET, on Zoom
This event will introduce an emergent ecological model for thinking about access. What we will call “access ecologies” will allow us to map interdependencies (or the ways we rely on each other in webs of connection) and plan for more intricate access interactions than compliance- and regulatory-minded approaches to accessibility currently offer. This event is designed for a general audience, including artists, organizations, and activists.
The Writing Brunch, hosted by Sueitko Zamorano-Chavez
Sunday, July 16, 11:3am ET, on Zoom
A monthly virtual writing workshop highlighting the voices of chronically-ill, disabled, and neurodivergent folks, especially those experiencing intersectional BIPOC and/or Queer/Trans identities. These workshops are created as individual, stand alone, experiences for writers and poets of all skill levels. Each event complements one other with the intention to bring life and instill power to often marginalized voices and communities. Attendees will experience readings and writings from chronically-ill, disabled, and/or neurodivergent writers/poets that inspire open dialog, guided discussion, prompted and free writing, as well as sharing reflections or a work in progress.