Trump and Ableism – Resources

New from the L.A. Times Donald Trump is the most ableist presidential candidate in modern U.S. history… “Naming something an “-ism” won’t persuade the bigoted to surrender their bigotry and might even harden differences. But sometimes it’s important to identify ideas and acts that marginalize and discriminate, to group them together, and to name them … Continue ReadingTrump and Ableism – Resources

10 Year Old Disabled Child Doused with Gasoline and Set on Fire by Classmates

This story is so awful that I can’t quite process it exists. A child with a hearing aid and lisp was a frequent target of bullying in school in San Antonio. Then his classmates set him on fire. UPDATE: The other children are saying it was an accident. Please exercise care if you go read … Continue Reading10 Year Old Disabled Child Doused with Gasoline and Set on Fire by Classmates

#CripTheVote – Disabled child and mother escorted from Trump rally

In Colorado, a woman and her disabled daughter were escorted from a Trump rally for their own safety. The story is not written well in terms of explaining what actually happened, but if you watch the video (there’s adequate captioning), the story is clear. Basically, an “undecided” Colorado voter – Jennifer Mau – went with … Continue Reading#CripTheVote – Disabled child and mother escorted from Trump rally

Free College: Labor and Who is going to Teach?

Matt Reed, a writer at Insider Higher Ed and a community college Dean, wrote a blog post on “Free Community College,” asking whether it’s worth going free if that means hiring LOTS more adjuncts. If free college required a dramatically higher adjunct percentage, should we do it? Yes, that’s a loaded question. It assumes that the … Continue ReadingFree College: Labor and Who is going to Teach?

Universal Design for Work/Life Integration (and the Notorious RBG)

Today and tomorrow I am doing workshops at Northwestern (both campuses on subsequent days) on work/life integration for academics and people who work for institutions of higher education. You can see the flyer here. “In this talk, David will draw from his work in disability rights and propose a new way to think about integrating … Continue ReadingUniversal Design for Work/Life Integration (and the Notorious RBG)

Cult Of Compliance: Child Criminalized over Stolen Milk that Wasn’t Stolen

Ryan Turk, then 14, gets free lunches at his Virginia school. One day, he forgot to grab milk, so went back to grab a 65 cent carton. The School Resource Officer assigned to the lunchroom accused of him of stealing and Turk, alas, did not instantly comply with the SROs orders. He might have talked … Continue ReadingCult Of Compliance: Child Criminalized over Stolen Milk that Wasn’t Stolen

Sheep/Sheepdog/Wolf – Cop Metaphors and the Humanities

Charles Huth, a Captain in the Kansas City PD, has written an outstanding essay taking apart two metaphors commonly employed by police trainers: The “warrior” and the “sheep/sheepdog/wolf” metaphor. Not only is he on point when it comes to the analysis itself and what it says about modern policing, but I was also struck that … Continue ReadingSheep/Sheepdog/Wolf – Cop Metaphors and the Humanities