New Ruderman White Paper: Disability and TV – Danny Woodburn

The Ruderman Foundation has just released a new white paper, in collaboration with actor Danny Woodburn, on people with disabilities on scripted TV. What they found wasn’t surprising, but it’s also not good. You can read the white paper here. Coverage from Variety here. An LA Times op-ed by the Woodburn and Jay Ruderman here. There are … Continue ReadingNew Ruderman White Paper: Disability and TV – Danny Woodburn

Adventures in #MedievalTwitter – Racists and Swans

I was going to post this yesterday, but was too sick. Below is a tweet from former graduate student in medieval literature, responding to a petulant tweet by a racist UKIP (right-wing English political party) about an actress of color playing Queen Margaret of Anjou. Hi @CllrChrisWood that’s a lovely medieval image you have there. … Continue ReadingAdventures in #MedievalTwitter – Racists and Swans

Inspiration Porn Part 2 – Abled woman tells Disability Community that Inspiration Porn is Great!

This is one of the worst essays I have ever read on disability. An abled person informing the disability community that inspiration porn is a good thing. She even has the audacity to cite Stella Young. Here’s the piece, then a commercial that I think does a better job. There’s a debate raging on the … Continue ReadingInspiration Porn Part 2 – Abled woman tells Disability Community that Inspiration Porn is Great!

Disabilities and Identity – Spectrum, not Binary

Today I have a new piece on CNN about Kanye West. I build on yesterday’s blog post, expanding my argument that the Kanye West’s behavior is a magnified celebrity egotistical version of the kinds of skepticism and suspicion faced people with disabilities all the time. In the piece, I write: Reaction to this incident throughout … Continue ReadingDisabilities and Identity – Spectrum, not Binary

Rethinking Trigger Warnings – David Sedaris and This American Life

[Content Note: Ableist Speech including use of the “r-word.” Later, I quote a passage from Huckleberry Finn that contains the n-word, not spelled out.] This post works with a 1996 piece from David Sedaris and This American Life that contains terrible depictions of the intellectually disabled. It was re-broadcast in 2013. I’d like to see content notes … Continue ReadingRethinking Trigger Warnings – David Sedaris and This American Life

This American Life and the R-word – a 2013 Re-broadcast of a cruel joke from 1996

Yesterday, I published a piece on CNN focusing on an episode from This American Life that, I felt, mocked people with Down syndrome. What was interesting to me, though, is that the comedian in question (Wyatt Cenac) wasn’t just telling jokes using the r-word, but had something more complex going on. As a listener, it … Continue ReadingThis American Life and the R-word – a 2013 Re-broadcast of a cruel joke from 1996

Resource Post: This American Life and Down Syndrome

Resource Posts on “How Did We Get Into This Mess?” provide full or partial transcripts of relevant documents, organized links, and minimal commentary on issues.  A fellow parent and internet friend alerted me to a show on This American Life in which Wyatt Cenac, former Daily Show correspondent and comedian, made some jokes about Down syndrome. … Continue ReadingResource Post: This American Life and Down Syndrome