Journalist – Historian – Speaker
This is not a big deal requiring massive internet outrage spirals, but I do want to make this point very clearly: Disability stigma and stereotypes aren’t funny memes you get to use in marketing. OCD, for example, is a serious condition that can play a major role in the structure of the lives with people …
We need to talk about the way that 100% of the coverage of this story is about mom’s heroism not her son FINISHING SCHOOL DESPITE ABLEISM. https://t.co/RjY37Y3il1 — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) May 24, 2017 A classic piece of inspiration porn. A disabled young man wants to go to school. The school has no way …
Before Flint’s water crisis hit national news, I often wrote sentences that read something like this: lead poisoning is the most critical disability story that not enough people are talking about. Then Flint’s crisis became visible, and suddenly people talked about this issue a lot more often, but mostly just about Flint. Lead poisoning is …
Yosio Lopez is a 7 year old boy with ADHD and other emotional disabilities in a Dallas school. Sometimes he has behavioral meltdowns when overstimulated and an aide helps him through the process. As reported on CNN: Yosio Lopez was handcuffed, Tased and bruised by Dallas Independent School District (DISD) Police after the boy started …
Betty Shelby, a police officer, shot and killed an unarmed black man who was complying with orders. There’s video. Yesterday, a jury acquitted her of all charges. There’s lots to say here and others are writing importantly about the case, but I just want to focus on the disability issues. Terence Crutcher had a prosthetic eye …
Arnaldo Rios is the autistic Latinx individual who was shot at by a cop when he was sitting still in the street holding a toy truck. The bullet struck Charles Kinsey, his therapist, who was lying on the ground next to Rios raising his hands in the air. Kinsey has recovered physically. Rios is now …
I’m heading to Macalester College to teach a public writing workshop today. Hey, I could come to your college or university and teach one! I offer them to both faculty and graduate students, or both together! Image Description: A flyer with pictures of me and some keen stock photos. Accessible infoat the “Speaking” page above.
I am giving a talk today at the Wisconsin Historical Museum. A few resources: My presentation A Google Cultural Institute introduction to the disability rights movement for which I was the lead writer. EUGENICS IN WISCONSIN Persons sterilized in Wisconsin from 1931-1933 (499 individuals. Author advocates continuing). By Frank C. Richmond, State Director of Psychiatric …
So Comey said Trump is “crazy,” but before that George Will said Trump is “disabled” by Hubris. Will, of course, is the famous father of a man with Down syndrome, so this is particularly disappointing. One of my critiques of the mental health discourse is that by all accounts Trump has spent his life acting …
The video linked here shows an aide hitting a 6 year old autistic child in the face. The school’s excuse – the child spit on the aide. There’s plenty to be said about the lack of training of aides, lack of standards, the rise of video surveillance in school and the potential problems (video can …