Voices
What’s Your Deaf Community Awareness Quotient?
Growing up in the 1980s in New Delhi, India, I was allowed limited television time. One of the permitted indulgences included a feature film on the national channel, Doordarshan on the weekend. It was preceded or followed by a news bulletin which had sign language interpretation. That acted as an effective tool of sensitisation for…
Read MoreSocial Security Disability Revealed – Reviewed
Social Security Disability Revealed, by Spencer Bishins, is an excellent and detailed book on how the Social Security Administration(SSA) makes its decisions on Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income(SSI) claims. He clearly explains the legal process and the many ways in which it is and can be manipulated toward making decisions that are…
Read MoreLiving in Disability Limbo
According to the US Department of Labor, nearly 19.1% of people with disabilities are employed. Many more, especially with Long Covid, are employed without realizing they qualify as disabled. Asking for accommodations is a process fraught with complications, and even if your employer grants them, they can be revoked at any time. At my previous…
Read MoreDisabled and Un-degreed – and Unpublished
Like many people with disabilities, I was not able to finish high school. In my case, it was not ableism that pushed me out of high school. Rather, I was too physically ill and otherwise impaired to participate in any way, regardless of what accommodations were available. While ableism did not make it easy for…
Read MoreDisability Invisibility and Stigma and Representation and Inclusion
We have to address the lack of representation of people with disabilities in arts, music, dance, cinema, theater, and media. We are not visible and when we are featured, we are often shown negatively stereotyped. We are depicted as objects of pity or as superheroes who have achieved great successes. Puneet Singh Singhal is the…
Read MoreSelf-Employment while Disabled
Can you work as a disabled person while maintaining your 1. Supplemental Security Income or 2. Social Security Disability Insurance? Can you be self-employed? 1. Yes. 2. Yes… but it is a bit tricky…. Alison Hayes launched Thriving While Disabled in 2018. Her primary goal is to help other disabled people understand and navigate the…
Read MoreThe End of Transportation Accessibility?
It was happening even before the pandemic struck. I couldn’t reliably get a wheelchair cab. It was hard to find an accessible restroom (one that fits my wheelchair and the door will still close). Public transit wasn’t up to snuff. My wheelchair was broken during airplane travel. Accessibility—full and real accessibility—for people with disabilities was…
Read MoreOn Celebrating Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month is here! Shame isolates people, but we can change it with Disability Pride celebrations. Throughout July, encourage your communities to amplify disabled voices & the beauty and joy in our lives. It’s high time to stand in solidarity and own our spaces which is long due. Divided by ages, races, genders, classes,…
Read MoreMaking Discharging Student Loan Debt Easier
No one with a disability should have to choose between paying for rent or basic needs and student loans. I live in Silver Spring, Maryland. I am on the autism spectrum and have anxiety, ADD, seizures, and a learning disability. I am writing to talk about the importance of helping people with disabilities get their…
Read MoreInvisible Disabilities
… people with invisible disabilities face rejection by family, friends, peers and society at large. Only because they seem incongruous with our limited definition of ‘normal’. In fact, they may be worse off than the disabled people in wheelchairs, people with white canes or hearing aids, because their condition isn’t ‘obviously’ seen or recognized. Lately,…
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