News
Peter Torres Fremlin

A thrilling new era

America ablaze, harmful charities and curated news from 64 countries

Dear Debriefers,

Welcome back to disability news updates from around the world.

All eyes are on the United States as Trump comes in with his wrecking ball, and the fires in California make clear what's at stake for our planet.

But don't worry, there's plenty of news from the rest of the world: some sharp critiques of disability charities, a range of updates in international research, and profiles of some of our movement's boldest activists.

Explore the full guide with over 200 links: curated across 64 countries or according to subject. This edition picks up from the update last November.

The Debrief runs on a pay-what-you-can basis.

“A thrilling new era”

As Trump came back to his second term as United States' Commander-in-Chaos he welcomed a “start of a thrilling new era of national success”. Many of the rest of us are so thrilled we are wondering how to hide.

A flurry of opening week executive orders includes dismantling federal efforts on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and removing protections for trans people.

Plans to “Dismantle DEI” threaten marginalized communities. Plans to limit federal education will “screw over disabled kids”. And one of the “grim signs” of the poison of the new political moment is a resurgence of the R-word.

On the international front Trump ordered the US to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, leave the World Health Organisation and pressed pause on foreign aid.

“I had to take my chances”

Among the Biden's administration's last hurrahs was an important measure on disability. The Department of Transport issued new protections for airline passengers with disabilities, building on momentum I'm worried we'll lose under Trump.

Another was the Federal Trade Commission cracking down on misrepresentation of accessibility promises. AccessiBe, a software provider, got Accessi-Busted with a million dollar fine for over-promising its AI-powered web accessibility tool would make websites compliant with access standards.

The US was also in the news this month for the devastating fires in California. Disabled people were among those who lost their lives given the “nightmare” of evacuations for them and older folk.

One person who made his own daring escape was Galen Buckwalter, a 68-year-old electric wheelchair-user. He set out alone to get to a safe-zone and was forced onto the roads due to debris on the sidewalk. Hoping that cars wouldn't hit him:

“I had to take my chances. It was totally surreal, almost post-apocalyptic. The hills were just ablaze on my right, the power was off, there was no light, and there was crap blowing through the streets and winds were the strongest I’ve ever experienced in Sierra Madre.”

Charities “actively harmful” to our movement

In the United Kingdom, Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs), led for and by people with disabilities, have critiqued big charities working on disability. £460 million of government contracts went to nine large disability charities whereas just £12.5 million went to ninety DPOs:

“Non-Disabled People Led Organisations are actively harmful to DPOs and the Disabled people’s movement. They appropriate our language about empowerment yet do not share their access to decision-makers or people in power with us. They take up the majority of funding going into the disability space whilst not letting Disabled people lead their organisations, campaigns and policy work. This perpetuates the paternalistic and charitable marginalisation of Disabled people. In the context of a professionalised sector, organisations not led by Disabled people financially benefit from talking about our oppression in the same society in which they are privileged by it.”

And in New Zealand, blind advocate Jonathan Mosen has shared why he's leaving the country to work in the United States:

“Mosen said 30 years ago New Zealand was considered a leader for innovation in the blind world, but a deterioration of blindness services was echoed by a lack of leadership of blind people in their own foundation.”

Meanwhile, in Uzbekistan, academic Dilmurad Yusupov critiques how the international day of people with disabilities has “turned into another charity feast”. Quoting activist Natalia Plotnikova:

“It just pisses me off when they make a holiday out of this day. They set tables, organise concerts, etc. On this day it would be good to demonstrate our achievements in the field of protecting the rights of people with disabilities.”

Isolation from democratic countries

In the country of Georgia, persons with disabilities have joined other protesters in pushing back against the new government and its anti-European politics:

“Isolation from democratic countries means isolating the entire nation, and especially the isolation of the disability community”.

Even on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, police beat up disabled protestors.

Meanwhile, in Myanmar, where life of disabled people, has gotten worse since the military coup in 2021, there are considerations for its pro-democracy stakeholders on how disabled people can be included in its transition.

See previously for exclusive Debrief features: a song for freedom in Myanmar and the stakes for disabled people in Georgia's politics.

International research and policy

There's plenty of new research and policy developments internationally.

An update from Inclusion Europe on the rights and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in 31 European countries, where twelve countries do not even have a plan to close their institutions:

‘852,000 people with intellectual disabilities are in segregated “care” institutions where there are more than 10 people in one place.

107,000 people with intellectual disabilities are in small care homes.

Over 32,000 are placed in psychiatric hospitals’

Research and policy of note:

And the International Disability Alliance looks ahead to 2025 sharing its plans for governance reform. (I had other suggestions for them.)

As soon as I get home

In other news...

As soon as I get home. In Gabon, disabled people consider the annual allowance of 75,000 CFA francs (almost 120 USD) to be insufficient:

“We are tired of having 75,000 francs. As soon as I get home, it's over, it won't even last.” (Translation from French)

Reunited with family. Of the disabled people Russia abducted from Ukraine (see previously), one teenager returned home after over two years.

Inclusion or exclusion? Vignettes of students with disabilities in Nigerian higher education.

Accessibility principles for data visualisation. A brilliantly clear exposition by Sarah L. Fossheim.

Borg.Diem. A dictionary of words for the disabled experience.

Chain yourself to the busses

A life of joy and justice. It is with sadness that I share the passing of Anita Ghai (1958-2024), a scholar and activist in India, whose work resonated around the world. Rachana Johri, who knew Ghai for decades, mourns her:

“Anita wanted a life of both joy and justice. Her most lasting contribution was to ask difficult questions, to confront and challenge, and to ask for a better world.”

Reaction of the police. South Korea sees some of the boldest direct action disability protests in the world today (see previously). A profile of one of its leaders Kyung Seok Park reveals his background in Navy Special Forces, and reflects on a lifetime of activism:

“Since I’ve been protesting, I’ve noticed that the reaction of the police depends on our country’s leader. Now a conservative government is in power, the attitude has shifted. Authorities have stolen our placards, stopped us from riding the subway and thrown us off the trains. They mock us, damage our wheelchairs and I’ve been strangled to the point where I couldn’t breathe.”

The “war” on disabled people. Video profile of British musician and activist John Kelly:

“You've got to chain yourself to the busses
Show them what the fuss is.”

Here's to showing them what the fuss is,

Peter

Outro

Further reading. All the links from these curated editions go into the Debrief library, which organises 5,700+ links across over 160 countries. See below for contents from this month's update.

Let your friends know. Sharing the newsletter is how people find it!

Connect. Get in touch. You can find me on Linkedin and Bluesky.

Help us do more. The Debrief is free thanks to reader support.

Recent News

This update has 223 curated links from 64 countries and regions, organized across 46 subjects.

You can explore it organized by subject or by country.

Subjects

Countries

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the readers and organisations whose support makes this work possible, and to everyone who shares links, news and reports with me.

Popular tags

News Feature