Welcome to a new issue of Getting Down To It, direct from our new home on Substack!
Huge thanks to all of our patrons who have stuck with us, and a warm welcome to our newest subscribers. We hope you find the newsletter engaging and informative, and we always welcome your comments and ideas—tell us what you’re most interested in from the world of disability, design, and intersectionality by sharing a comment or emailing us at downtothestruts@gmail.com. And if you like what you read, share the newsletter with a friend—It’s completely free to subscribe!
The past month has been rich with opportunities to engage with the disability community. On April 30, I co-presented with the phenomenal Prianka Nair on immigration and disability. We talked about the twin roots of ableism and racism in our immigration system at the inaugural Mobilities Conference.
I also came together with the brilliant Azza Altiraifi and friend of the pod, Sandy Ho for a panel at the Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) conference in Houston to talk about how philanthropy can advance disability justice for disabled immigrants and in the practice of immigration law and advocacy. I feel incredibly blessed to have been in community with so many disability justice leaders. It’s thanks to you, the listeners, and your unwavering support for the podcast that I’ve had the opportunity to share space and be in solidarity with so many activists and influencers in this movement.
I also can’t believe that Season 5 is finally here! I’m honored to share this season’s conversations with you all. I hope you plan to subscribe, rate and review us, and to share your thoughts in our Facebook group if you haven’t joined us already. If you’d like to help keep the podcast and this newsletter going with a one-time or recurring donation, you can click here to learn more.
Building Your Knowledge
As the U.S. Supreme Court winds down a historic term, the lawyer in me can’t help but think about the momentous issues that the justices have taken up and how they affect the disability community. Here are a few great articles that touch on those issues.
There’s very little data capturing the opinions of disabled people on most issues, and until recently, there was almost none centering disabled people’s opinions about the polarizing topic of abortion. Sara Luterman breaks down the results of a first-of-its-kind poll from Data for Progress, revealing how disabled people feel about this issue as we await the Supreme Court’s final decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Make Real Change on Gun Violence: Stop Scapegoating People with Mental Health Disabilities (Autistic Self-Advocacy Network)
At the end of this term, the Supreme Court will also issue its opinion in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, a challenge to a century-old New York law restricting who can carry a gun in public. As we confront mass shooting after mass shooting, mental illness is repeatedly held up as the root cause of this violence. This brief clearly articulates the absurdity of this logic, citing numerous studies indicating that people with mental health disabilities are more likely to be the victims of violent crime, rather than the perpetrators of it, and that much of the violence inflicted on those with mental health disabilities is caused by police.
Nearly 44,000 disabled workers legally earn less than the minimum wage. In 2020, the unemployment rate for disabled workers was 12.6% compared to 7.9% for nondisabled workers. Countless other disabled people also experience wage theft like Robin Morgan. Though Ms. Morgan is not disabled, her brave effort to challenge injustice in her workplace lead to the landmark unanimous ruling in Morgan v. Sundance, which will ensure that people, including disabled people, who experience wage theft can have their day in court. Shout out to friend of the pod, goalball master, and public interest litigator, Karla Gilbride, who brilliantly argued this case!
Taking Action
Are you also a deaf or disabled podcaster? Have you toyed with the idea of starting a podcast? Or do you just enjoy content about deafness and disability? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” I urge you to head on over to the Pod Access Survey, created by the incredible Thomas Reid and Cheryl Green, with support from the Disability Visibility Project. Your responses to the survey will help Thomas and Cheryl create resources and build community for and among disabled audio creators, and will amplify the voices of deaf and disabled creatives in media and culture. The more disability stories we put out into the world, the closer we can move towards disability justice. So, be sure to complete the survey and share it far and wide!
Thanks for reading our newsletter this month. Please feel free to share your thoughts, feedback, and ideas in the comments or email us at downtothestruts@gmail.com. We’ll be back in your inboxes next month with more news from the podcast and the disability community!
—Qudsiya
Getting Down To It - June 2022
Thank you so much for including the ASAN article and your mention of the scapegoating of people with mental health disabilities. That is a subject that needs so much attention, and yet is so often neglected, even among disability rights/justice activism circles. As an Autistic adult, I greatly appreciate it!