Getting Down to Navigating Setbacks
+ Season 10 of Down to the Struts is here!
Welcome back, dear DTTS community!
I hope everyone is taking care in these times.
Season 10 of the podcast is here. Don’t miss the season premiere, featuring my conversation with advocate, scholar, and one of the many architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Chai Feldblum. Chai is a living legend, and I’m so fortunate that she agreed to share her wisdom with our community.
If you want a sneak peek into the other amazing voices you’ll be hearing from this season, check out the trailer. Over the next 12 weeks, we’re going to take a deep dive into disability history and culture to explore how the disability experience can be a blueprint for the inclusion, accessibility, and justice that we so desperately need in our world right now.
There’s a lot in store, so be sure you’re subscribed, and spread the word! You can also follow us at our new pages on LinkedIn and YouTube.
Navigating setbacks
It has been a time of setbacks. For many, the setbacks may be personal and professional, as people lose their jobs and livelihoods every day. They are also global and systemic, as people around the world are deprived of life-saving resources. Here in the U.S., marginalized communities face the dismantling of decades of progress towards equality and justice.
But this season of setbacks is certainly not the first, nor will it be the last. Disabled people, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC communities in particular have always danced the dance of ten steps forward, five steps back. Whether it’s the right to vote followed by the evisceration of voting rights, the eradication of slavery followed by Jim Crow, or deinstitutionalization followed by mass incarceration—our communities know well the endurance required to press forward against the forces that continually push us back.
Surviving the setbacks does require grit and perseverance, but it also requires patience, rest, and a sustainability strategy. We must struggle against the forces that are determined to erase us, but we cannot let that struggle steal our joy. For the expression of that joy, of that sense of embodiment, that understanding that we deserve to live and thrive in the world, is one of our greatest acts of resistance.
Wherever you are, and whatever setbacks you face, I hope that you find even the tiniest pathways to defy the forces against you by exuding joy and taking up space with your beautiful humanity.
Community shout-outs
Here’s a snapshot of what’s going on in the community right now.
A huge shout-out to our amazing audio producer, Ilana Nevins, who was honored with a first place award by the regional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ’s “Top of the Rockies” awards honor the best journalism in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Ilana took home the first place prize for Health Features, for her story The Gift of Silence presented on the podcast Out There. Go, Ilana!
This summer, DTTS alum, Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, her partner, and three guides will be making the trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with Accessibility Accelerator. They’ll be sharing about their training journey, including insights on ensuring that the wonders of nature are accessible to all. You can support Team Unseen Trailblazers with a donation here.
The Center for Racial and Disability Justice at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law has launched Justice Junction—part forum and part social network, this new platform is fully dedicated to building collective power. Whether you’re an advocate, organizer, scholar, lawyer, funder, or community member, Justice Junction is here to help you engage in discussions about critical racial and disability justice issues; stay informed with news and policy updates that affect our communities; discover opportunities for funding, jobs, partnerships, and collaboration; join a mutual aid network, and much more. Visit crdjustice.org and click Login to create your profile and become part of the Justice Junction community.
Since its inception, the award-winning film UNSEEN was designed to uplift and prioritize blind and undocumented immigrant audiences—communities that are systemically pushed to the margins. In the face of ongoing threats against these communities, UNSEEN is reflecting on their journey and lessons learned as their impact campaign concludes. Join me and the UNSEEN team for “Impact Deconstructed: Learnings from UNSEEN’s Impact Campaign” on Thursday, May 8th at 7:00 pm EST / 4:00 pm PST, and participate in a live conversation unpacking the film’s impact work. Learn more and register for the event here.
Thanks for reading our newsletter this month. We’ll be back next month with more news from the podcast and the disability community!
In solidarity,
Qudsiya