Hello DTTS community!
A warm welcome to our new subscribers—thank you for sharing this space with us! As we wind down Season 6, as I begin to wrap up my year of teaching at CUNY Law School, and I embark on some new professional adventures, I’ve been thinking a lot about sustainability. How do we continue to make progress on our goals while conserving our energy and living a life full of the things that bring us joy? As usual, the principles of disability justice give us permission to center our own needs even as we advocate for change by holding up the principle of sustainability at the core.
There is so much I want to do, so many people and causes I want to support and hold close. It’s difficult at times to remember that I am one person in one body with a finite capacity. The best thing I can do for myself when these thoughts do come is to remember that it’s okay: my one body and my finite capacity are enough.
Not only that, my body and my mind deserve rest, relaxation, and joy. They deserve sleep, and time to read a good book, and moments of silliness with loved ones. Disability justice is a movement that gives us this permission—nay, this instruction—to sustain ourselves so that we can carry on and thrive for years to come.
This month, as spring comes upon us, I wish everyone many moments of sustainability, rest, and rejuvenation.
Building your knowledge
I leave you this month with a wonderful meditation on disability and climate justice from our friends at the Disability Debrief.
Where Disability and Climate Meet (Disability Debrief)
This is an excellent and comprehensive analysis of why we must consider disability in our climate advocacy from climate, disability, and migration activist, Aine Kelly-Costello. You should also check out her podcast, Disability Crosses Borders.
Down to the Struts alumni corner
The DTTS Alumni Corner is a place to spotlight the latest accomplishments, announcements and projects from past podcast guests. If you are a past guest and subscriber to this newsletter, please get in touch to share your news.
Activist and author Alice Wong (season 3, episode 1) has a new column in Teen Vogue. Check out her first installment on the unwinding of Medicaid and its implications for disabled people.
Disability justice activist Conchita Hernandez Legorreta (season 1, episode 5) was featured in Tracee Ellis Ross’s podcast series I Am America.
Other great listens
This month, I wanted to lift up one of my favorite episodes of Power Not Pity—“The Ancestors Woke Me Up feat. Leroy Moore.” Power Not Pity features some of the most innovative BIPOC disabled storytelling I have come across.
I love this conversation with Leroy Moore, founder of Krip-Hop Nation, a global platform for disabled musicians, about his book, Black Disabled Ancestors. Host Bry and Leroy dream about what it would be like if the ancestors were still with us today. I highly encourage you all to give this a listen.
New opportunities
It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the impact producer for the documentary film, Unseen, which will have its world premiere at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, Canada on May 5 (streaming in Canada from May 5-9). Unseen tells the story of Pedro, an aspiring social worker, as he navigates the dual experiences of being undocumented and having low vision in America.
Director Set Hernandez Rongkilyo shares this story with deep empathy and power, centering the humanity of undocumented immigrant communities who so often exist at the margins.
If you are based in Toronto, or know of individuals or organizations who might be interested in participating in the film’s world premiere, please do spread the word through your networks. If you are interested in learning more about the film, please reach out at downtothestruts@gmail.com.
Finally, check out this announcement from Empower Her Camp—a program geared toward building leadership and community among disabled girls. Please share with your networks!
Disability EmpowHer Network is now accepting applications for this year’s EmpowHer Camp!
EmpowHer Camp is a fun and exciting one year program for girls with disabilities ages 13-18 that starts with one week of adventurous camping in the Adirondacks where campers explore nature, make friends, and laugh around the campfire. Campers also connect with mentors who will help them set and achieve goals! After the camping trip is over, participants go home and work on a yearlong project geared towards emergency preparedness for people with disabilities on a topic that interests them with the help of their mentor who they talk with every month! The next summer, participants reunite in Washington, D.C. where they present their projects, spend time with friends and mentors, meet with Congress, practice job skills, explore our nation’s capital, and more. However EmpowHer Camp is more than just a year long experience, the connections made are lifelong and focus on supporting women’s independence, growth, facilitating professional opportunities, and economic self-sufficiency.
Disability EmpowHer Network will be accepting up to 10 girls with disabilities to EmpowHer Camp. General Application Deadline is April 16th at 11:59pm ET. Adirondacks Trip takes place July 30 – August 4, 2023 and the reunion trip will be July, 2024. Disabled girls from across the nation are encouraged to apply!
Check out the website to learn more and apply. If you have any questions please contact EmpowHer Camp Director, Curran Brown at Curran@disabilityempowhernetwork.org.
Thanks for reading our newsletter this month. We’ll be back in your inboxes next month with more updates from the podcast and the disability community!
In solidarity,
Qudsiya