Journalist – Historian – Speaker
I wrote a piece about the shootings in San Bernardino for CNN. Once the media realized it was neither terrorism nor Sandy Hook style massacre, national interest quickly faded. That’s precisely the wrong choice. My son is a 10-year-old boy with Down syndrome. He spends part of every school day in a special education classroom. …
I love the way the show Switched at Birth handles disability. I’m an overthinking critic, and I’m happy to overthink and criticize any cultural product, but I think Switched at Birth is amazing for so many reasons. But here’s why I started watching it. Emmett, in this scene, is arrested. He’s working on his bike and can’t …
The most interesting thing happening in hearing aid technology is not found in the tiny, expensive, invisible devices, but in the erosion of social stigma over visible assistive technology. Because big headphones with computers inside to manage sound are easier, and cheaper, to build. David Owen, writing for The New Yorker, offered a long and …
Rikers Island is going to close. Good. Talila TL Lewis, the founder of HEARD, writes: Don’t forget Deaf prisoners in the ongoing fight to reform/abolish the legal and carceral system. READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE. Deaf people at Rikers are not only denied meaningful communication with practically everyone on the island, they are denied meaningful access …
A year ago I wrote on the case of Anna Stubblefield for the Los Angeles Review of Books. Here’s a long excerpt, stay with me: Michael Gill has just published Already Doing It: Intellectual Disability and Sexual Agency (University of Minnesota Press, 2015). Gill’s book emphasizes the prevalence of sexual ableism, a “denial of ability …
Arlet, a Latina American who crossed into this country at six months old, built a wall and put out chalk. Take a look. @DominicanU pic.twitter.com/NidPnqjQuX — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) April 5, 2017 No blog today because I was running an event FILLED WITH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS. It’s one of the things I get to do. …
911 for man in mental health crisis, family asks for calm intervention. Cops kick open door, tase and beat. He dies. https://t.co/6v7xgHbVsd — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) March 29, 2017 It isn’t safe for families to call 911 when their loved ones have mental health crises. It isn’t safe for families to not call 911 …
@jonlovett @chrislhayes @autismspeaks You might read @autselfadvocacy statement on “Light it up Blue,” and see why many autistic folks are furious. https://t.co/EXQDJ0HA2K — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) April 3, 2017 I am struck by how often the conventional wisdom of the disability rights movement does not extend into broader cultural areas, including quite progressive ones. …
Ana Marie Cox interviewed Alice Wong and then myself about disability and language and being uncomfortable. Alice’s interview is great! I haven’t listened to mine yet. Stay tuned … Alice: I consider myself a cousin of Darth Vader.Ana: It’s ok to say crip?Alice: Let’s get awkward, let’s get really real. #CripTheVote https://t.co/hO53qy3H8c — David M. …
Celebrities are good for fund raising. Autism Society is backing “Aut Fest,” an autism-related film festival. The good news: The latest anti-vax film isn’t on the schedule that I can see. The bad news: Autism Society is banking on Ben Affleck bringing in the big bucks. Affleck played The Accountant, an autistic hitman whose character …