News and commentary from the broader disability community

The discriminatory reason doctors won’t give a baby the heart she needs
Timothy P. Shriver, The Washington Post, 8 April 2016
Lily Parra is 4 months old and needs a heart. But she has been told she can’t have one.

Not because she’s too sick but because of deep-seated discrimination against those who have — or might have — a developmental disability. An operation that could give Lily a shot at life, and hope to her family, is being denied apparently not because of Lily’s medical condition but because of who she may become ...

Anger, frustration over government silence on disability abuse royal commission
Judith Ireland, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2016

Disability advocates have slammed the federal government's "astounding silence" over a landmark Senate report, which called for a royal commission into disability abuse more than four months ago ...

Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology and Accessibility for People with Disability

Lisa Annese. ProBono News, 5 April 2015
We don’t need the Federal Government’s recent Innovation Statement that said advances in technology are transforming just about every part of our lives, from the way we work to the way we communicate and access services. It’s obvious and we are living it daily ...

When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful

Kim Sauder, Medium - Disability Stories, 4 March 2016
So there’s a debate going on, on Twitter right now between disabled people and people who either claim to care about the environment and or just want to complain about “lazy people” ...

‘What are you thinking?’: Provocative campaign targets disability stigma

Chris Davis, ABC27 News, 6 April 2016
Paper thought bubbles in Harrisburg aim to get people thinking about the way they think about those with disabilities ...

Why Working With Special Populations Doesn't Make Me A Good Person:What you're missing from the bigger picture

Katharine J Smith, The Odessey, 5 April 2016 

"What do you do?” might be one of my least favorite questions. Let me tell you why. I am currently a Registered Behavior Technician at a wonderful program (MAP) nestled in the heart of North Carolina. Usually when I tell someone what I do, their response is either an uncertain nod or a plain look of confusion. At that time, I break it down by saying, “Basically, I work with children who have autism.” Now, more times than not, the response I receive is along the lines of, “Wow, that’s so amazing of you” or my personal favorite, “Good for you. I could NEVER do that.”