Accessibility and Design

France

500,000 cafes hotels and restaurants still not accessible according to the minister for tourism. (In French, Sep, Nice-Presse)

India

Over 1.4K accessibility complaints filed on govt app with approximately 75 per cent of those resolved, according to official data. (Sep, Business Standard)

United States

Pay Rate for Access Workers Now (PRAWN):

“Accessibility as a field is growing, however, compensation for access workers often remains stagnant or is framed as a volunteer opportunity. This benefits the inaccessible institutions and hinders progress on making long-term changes.” (Sep, Madison Zalopany and Alison Kopit)

Virginia Rose on Birding and Accessibility “I really wasn't planning on starting a movement.” (Sep, PopSugar)

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Ageing

Australia

Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing. (Oct, Australian Human Rights Commission)

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Assistive Technology

International News

Apple gets FDA authorization to turn the AirPods Pro into hearing aids. “The second-generation AirPods Pro will be able to serve as clinical-grade hearing aids later this fall.” (Sep, The Verge)

Facilitating access to assistive technology and rehabilitation. Guidance to help prioritize and plan around the provision of assistive technology and rehabilitation services in settings where UNHCHR works. (UNHCR)

Africa

African Union commits to driving forward the agenda of Assistive Technology. “By committing to develop a comprehensive Assistive Technology (AT) strategy for Africa”. (Aug, ATscale)

Europe

Association between the hearing aid and mental health outcomes in people with hearing impairment:

“Hearing aid use was associated with lower rates of depression and [unmet mental health needs], bases on 17,000 participants from 28 countries.” (Sep, Journal of Affective Disorders)

France

In the Paralympic Fix-It Shop, Plenty of Fractures but No Blood Repair technicians at the Paris Games fix everything from bent wheelchair frames to broken sunglasses. (Sep, New York Times)

Myanmar

Integrating rehabilitation and assistive technologies into community programs: Lessons from Kayin State, Burma (Jun, USAID)

New Zealand

Five mobility aids our community are obsessed with An ice cream-grabbing walking cane and other personalised aids. (Oct, The D*List)

United States

The $1,000 Wheelchair. “How the YouTubers from JerryRigEverything are Making Affordable Wheelchairs Without the Red Tape” (Oct, New Mobility)

Paralyzed man unable to walk after maker of his powered exoskeleton tells him it's now obsolete. Repairs were only done after a media campaign:

“When one of its small parts malfunctioned, however, the entire device stopped working. Desperate to gain his mobility back, he reached out to the manufacturer, Lifeward, for repairs. But it turned him away, claiming his exoskeleton was too old”. (Sep, Neoscope)

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Black Lives Matter and Racial justice

United States

The immovable veil of black disability: an introduction to Black disability threat theory and its application to the school to prison nexus:

“A major contribution of this theory is the notion that being visibly Black and visibly disabled causes moral panic to disabled and nondisabled populations belonging to any racial group including non-disabled Black American persons and disabled White American persons.” (Sep, Race, Ethnicity and Education)

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COVID-19

Impact

International News

Experiences of accessing education among people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from five low- and middle-income countries:

“The pandemic exacerbated the existing failure of education systems to cater to the needs of people with disabilities and their families. Beyond education, losses in functioning, mental health, and family wellbeing were acutely felt by caregivers.” (Jun, Oxford Development Studies)

United States

Long-COVID rate among disabled people double that of able-bodied:

“Over 40% of COVID-19 survivors who had disabilities before the pandemic had symptoms for 3 months or longer in 2022, compared with 19% of those without disabilities, further widening health disparities, finds a new report published in the American Journal of Public Health.” (Sep, CIDRAP)

Response

United Kingdom

First COVID-19 Inquiry Report Revealed: "Failure to Take into Account Vulnerabilities and Inequalities in Pre-Pandemic Planning”. (Jul, Disability Rights UK)

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Civil Society and Community

International News

Patriotism is Participation The constant battle between individual versus collective leadership and decision-making:

“Instead of philanthropy advancing conditions for people with disabilities, people with disabilities are improving philanthropy. Philanthropy will be most effective when the direction is set by diverse communities collaborating together to achieve transformative change.” (Aug, Proximate)

United Blind Leaders an international coalition:

“United Blind Leaders envisions a world where blind and vision-impaired people are fully represented in leadership roles, particularly in organisations that serve the blind community. We strive for a future where our leadership drives decisions that affect us.” (United Blind Leaders)

Africa

Africa’s 1st OPD-Led Regional Conference: 3 Key Takeaways for the Future of Inclusive Development:

“There is an urgent need for INGOs and donors to step up their support, not only through project funding but also through organisational strengthening.” (Sep, CBM Global)

Ecuador

Social and Productive Pact for the New Ecuador: Agreement for tax incentive for non-profit organizations that work providing care and service to people with disabilities. (In Spanish, Sep, El Nuevo Ecuador)

Europe

EU must stop funding care homes, people with disabilities demand, in ENIL's Freedom Drive: “Hundreds of people with disabilities gathered in Brussels to demand a strategic plan to guarantee independence outside residential care homes.” (Sep, Euronews)

United States

Three Indicted for Conspiracy to Launder Over $1 Million from Online Fraud Scams (Sep, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia) The three were Deaf people and part of the Deaf community, and one of them, Chidi Olujie, was President of the Nigerian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD).

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Climate Crisis and Environment

Overview

International News

Include Disability in Planned Relocation Processes “Equitable Adaptation to Rising Sea Levels Requires Consultations and Inclusion” (Sep, Human Rights Watch)

Disability, the Environment, and Colonialism An edited collection:

“The editor and contributors provide a careful analysis of the intersection of disability, the environment, and colonialism to understand issues such as eco-ableism, environmental degradation, homogenized approaches to environmentalism, and climate change. They also look at the body as a site of colonial oppression and environmental exploitation.” (Aug, Combined Academic Publishers)

Nigeria

Nnene’s Story of Climate Change and Social Challenges an illustrated story:

“One sunny day on October 1st, her peers, seven to ten years old, planned to go to the stadium to partake in the Independence Day Celebrations. This time, Nnene decided to sneak out to watch the Independence Day march without any sun-protective gear such as long-sleeved clothing and a wide-brimmed hat. The young, curious, and patriotic Nnene suffered severe sunburns that left her in agony for months. It was at this precise moment that she was confronted, as a child, with the harsh reality of living with albinism and the true reasons for her parents’ protection against the sun.” (Aug, Africa Albinism Network)

United States

Mapping Injury “Sunaura Taylor on what the environmental and disability movements can learn from one another.” (Aug, Boston Review)

Conference of Parties (COP)

International News

Global disability movement demands seat at the “COP table” (Sep, IDDC)

Azerbaijan

Accessible infrastructure at COP29 for inclusive participation Organizers have a core commitment to ensure inclusivity and accessibility:

“To achieve this, the COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company for the first time in COP history will provide sign language interpretation services at the COP29 Plenary Hall. The Baku Stadium will also have an audio induction system for individuals with hearing and speech impairments. Sign language interpreters will be on hand to facilitate accessibility during sessions and panel discussions.” (Oct, Report)

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Communication and Language

Overview

Australia

Facilitated communication: Does the 'miracle tool' really help non-verbal people speak? (Oct, BBC)

United States

Going Tactile: Life at the Limits of Language A book by Terra Edwards, an ethnographic study of the DeafBlind protacticle movement:

“When the world is collapsing around you, and existence is at stake, how can language be of use, where are its limits, and how can we understand the forms of meaning that lie beyond it?” (Aug, Oxford University Press)

Sign Languages

International News

Discuss, curse and flirt Debrief discussion of signed communication in Nepal and International Sign. (Oct, Disability Debrief)

Croatia

A breakthrough in Croatian sign language learning “Moja Prva Znakovnica is the first video dictionary of Croatian Sign Language (HZJ), designed to help hearing parents of deaf children and anyone interested in learning the language. ” (Sep, Croatia Week)

Uganda

When inclusion is an illusion: sign language interpreters and the pitfalls for ‘inclusive’ development. Exploring a 2018 case study:

“Yet when NGOs or government chose interpreters, they required the guarantee of ‘professionalism’ that came with being employed by the school. They did not check the quality of the interpretation, instead simply relying on the school’s reputation. Many local interpreters were never considered for ‘professional’ assignments, because they were considered part of the ‘community’, though they were sometimes asked to interpret informally and unpaid.” (Sep, From Poverty to Power)

United States

Inside Sign Speak’s Mission To Make Accessibility Out Of American Sign Language And Artificial Intelligence. (Sep, Forbes)

Braille

India

Braille wave: Pancham Cajla is on mission mode to provide accessibility solutions for the disabled. (Sep, The Tribune)

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Conflict and Peace

Overview

Cameroon

Disability, War & the Peace Process in Cameroon an interview with Kesah Princely Nfortoh. (Aug, The Pulse)

Lebanon

ILO and partners take shock-response measures to support persons with disabilities in Lebanon. “The ILO estimates that at least 30,000 persons with disabilities have been affected by the crisis so far and are in need of urgent support.” (Oct, ILO)

Israel-Palestine Conflict

International News

A tragedy within a tragedy: UN experts alarmed by harrowing conditions for Palestinians with disabilities trapped in Gaza:

”Persons with disabilities are being killed and injured by indiscriminate attacks despite posing no security threat, epitomising the deliberate assault on civilians by Israel,” (Oct, OHCHR)

Australia

On the rights of people with disability in Gaza a joint statement. (Aug, WWDA and NEDA )

India

India’s Disability Movement Must Stand with Palestine (Sep, News Click)

Palestine

“They Destroyed What Was Inside Us” A report on Children with Disabilities Amid Israel’s Attacks on Gaza. In the words of Ghazal, a 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy in Gaza:

“From the day the war broke out, they destroyed what was inside us. They demolished my house and my room, which held all my memories. They took everything that helped me to live, like my devices, my boot, and my wheelchair. How can I go back to how I was without all this?” (Sep, Human Rights Watch)

Gaza's Deaf Community in the Face of Genocide “An anthropologist who works with deaf communities in the Arabic-speaking Middle East argues that ending Israel’s war on Gaza and occupation of Palestine is a matter of disability justice.” (Sep, Sapiens)

For Gazans with disabilities, Israel’s genocide shows no mercy:

“Feeling but not hearing the bombs, displaced without their specialized equipment, mauled by army dogs: this is how Palestinians with physical and cognitive impairments are surviving and dying amid Israel’s onslaught.” (Sep, +972)

Voice Notes from Palestine. Featuring testimonies of Gaza students living with disabilities. (Short video, Sep, AOAV)

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Culture, Entertainment and Media

Overview

Greece

I’m a wheelchair pole dancer — Nina Alexandridou: “When I do pole dancing, I feel beautiful”. (Aug, NY Post)

New Zealand

New Zealand’s Disability-Led Path to Accessibility in the Arts “Other places could learn from the island country, where measures like audio description and braille surtitling have become standard practice.” (Sep, Reasons to be cheerful)

South Korea

Big Ocean breaks barriers as the first K-pop group whose members are hard of hearing. (Sep, The World by PRX)

United States

What’s So Funny About Disability? Comedian Tina Friml on Being “Unforgettable” (Sep, The Stranger)

Disability Works “A cultural history of disability, performance, and work in the modern United States” (Jul, NYU Press)

TV and Film

International News

Changing representation of dwarfism in Disney’s live action Snow White remake.

“Many of the fans expressing disappointment that the dwarfs will now be CGI fail to realise how the role impacts people with dwarfism in public. For example, in 2012 German lawyer Silke Schönfleisch-Backofen, who has dwarfism, successfully sued a man after he started laughing and singing Hi Ho, the song the dwarfs sing in the original Disney film, at her in court.” (Sep, The Conversation)

Nepal

How Nepal’s films are failing blind, deaf viewers: “Lack of audio descriptions and closed captions in movies is a critical shortfall for 2.2 percent Nepalis who are living with disabilities.” (Aug, Kathmandu Post)

Media

International News

Disability equality in the media: a practical manual exploring representation, accessibility, and management. Featuring examples from around the world. (UNESCO)

Australia

Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing. (Oct, Australian Human Rights Commission)

Belgium

Ableism, media and society: how media participates in the marginalization of people with disabilities. (In French, Sep, Média Animation)

Tanzania

Here’s Why Most of Tanzania’s Journalists Shy Away From Disability Reporting (Jul, The Chanzo)

Ukraine

UNDP helps develop methodological recommendations for ensuring accessibility in the media sector. (Aug, UNDP)

United States

A guide for reporting on how young disabled and chronically ill people use online communities. (Sep, J-Source)

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Data and Research

Overview

Canada

Household food insecurity among persons with disabilities in Canada: Findings from the 2021 Canadian Income Survey:

“HFI prevalence among CIS participants with disabilities was higher than for persons without disabilities, even after adjustment for well-documented sociodemographic risk factors.” (Aug, Statistics Canada)

Vacations for persons with disabilities could still include everyday barriers to accessibility. (Aug, Statistics Canada)

Changes in workplace accommodations among employed Canadians with disabilities, 2017 to 2022:

“In conclusion, the increase in working from home appears to have benefited PWDs through a decrease in their unmet needs for [workplace accommodations]; however, this decrease varied across groups.” (Aug, Statistics Canada)

Dominican Republic

Low labour inclusion: Only 15.8% of private companies hire people with disabilities, according to a report from the national statistics office. (In Spanish, Aug, Políticos en la red)

Germany

Young people with disabilities are less satisfied than others. Among youth surveyed, aged between 14 to 27, 53 percent of young people with disabilities are satisfied with their lives, compared to 78 percent of young people without disabilities. (In German, I used google translate, Sep, Zeit Online)

United States

When Designing Disability Survey Questions, Align Measurement To Purpose A Response To Landes et al:

“Focusing on functional difficulties in core domains makes it possible to produce an overall indicator but also provides information that is specific enough to be directly useful in removing key barriers that contribute to domain-specific difficulties. For example, people who cannot see face very different barriers than people who cannot hear; they require different accommodations or design elements.” (Oct, HealthAffairs)

Millions of people are missing from U.S. disability data:

“The first step in moving disability measurement forward is recognizing that defining disability solely by someone’s functioning is inadequate. While measures of functioning are important to understand the limitations certain disabled people experience and could identify disabled people who may benefit from specific programs or benefits, these surveys still fail to capture many disabled people. Using this data to determine national estimates of disability is akin to using data on languages used in the home to determine the national race and ethnicity estimates.” (Sep, Stat)

Disabled People Are Five Times More Likely to Experience Domestic Violence. Based on data from the Justice Department:

“People with cognitive disabilities, such as those who are autistic, are even more likely to be abused. Disabled women are also more likely to be the target of such violence than disabled men.” (Sep, Mother Jones)

Over 70 Million U.S. Adults Reported Having a Disability:

“The latest data, from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), reveal that more than 1 in 4—over 70 million—adults in the United States reported having a disability in 2022.” (Jul, CDC Newsroom)

Research

International News

Disability, the Environment, and Colonialism An edited collection:

“The editor and contributors provide a careful analysis of the intersection of disability, the environment, and colonialism to understand issues such as eco-ableism, environmental degradation, homogenized approaches to environmentalism, and climate change. They also look at the body as a site of colonial oppression and environmental exploitation.” (Aug, Combined Academic Publishers)

The Palgrave Handbook of Research Methods and Ethics in Neurodiversity Studies. (SpringerLink)

India

Disability as Diversity in India an edited collection on Theory, Practice, and Lived Experience. (May, Routledge India)

United Kingdom

Midgetism: a book by Erin Pritchard on exploitation and discrimination of people with dwarfism:

“This book introduces the critical term ‘midgetism’, which the author has coined, to demonstrate that the socio-cultural discrimination people with dwarfism experience is influenced by both heightism and disablism.” (Oct, Routledge)

Beyond Disability Stigma: Examining Tolerance and Intolerance toward Disability Issues:

“Recent advances from social psychology suggest that intolerance is conceptually distinct from stigma and prejudice and results from value-driven reasons to interfere with a person’s beliefs or practices that have little to do with their identity or characteristics like impairment. However, study of (in)tolerance has so far been neglected in the disability context. In this paper, we address this gap. We argue that studying disability-related (in)tolerance is crucial for understanding disability discrimination and designing interventions to combat it.” (Sep, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

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Digital Accessibility and Technology

Overview

Kyrgyzstan

Creating Digital Accessibility in Kyrgyzstan (Aug, UNDP)

Artificial Intelligence

India

Algorithms of Exclusion: Why Start-Ups Are Not Solving Our Mental Health Crisis. (Aug, The Wire)

United States

Inside Sign Speak’s Mission To Make Accessibility Out Of American Sign Language And Artificial Intelligence. (Sep, Forbes)

Online Accessibility

India

Why does India fail to address digital accessibility gaps? “There has been no progress in the number of accessible central government websites, which remains at 95 since 2020.” (Sep, Newslaundry)

Technology

International News

Introduction to Extended Reality (XR) Accessibility: “key considerations for designing and developing inclusive XR experiences”. (Sep, TetraLogical)

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response

South Sudan

Call to protect people with disabilities in ‘unprecedented’ floods.

“People with disabilities in South Sudan are among the hardest hit as the country faces flooding on a scale “unprecedented in the last century”.” (Oct, Light for the World)

South Sudanese living with disability bear the brunt of floods. (Short video feature, Sep, Africanews)

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Economics and Social Protection

Overview

Europe

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on persons with disabilities. “Surprisingly, the average rate of persons with disabilities in the EU at risk of poverty and social exclusion has not risen, despite the socio-economic challenges Europe is facing.” (Sep, EDF)

Financial Inclusion

Nigeria

Trapped in digital dark: How Nigeria’s financial system fails persons with disabilities. (Sep, Vanguard)

Social Protection

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan sees significant drop in disability pensioners: What's behind the change?

“In January 2019, there were 390,100 recipients of disability pensions. By January 2024, this number had fallen to 258,700.” (Sep, JAM News)

Egypt

Cars for disabled people: Government pauses duty-free system for disabled people to import cars, based on perception of its exploitation. (In Arabic, Aug, Aljazeera)

Malaysia

Dubious disabilities, duping doctors “Three doctors and a woman were among 33 people remanded yesterday for falsifying Socso disability claims amounting to RM2.1mil [483,000 USD] since 2017.” (Sep, The Star)

New Zealand

Concerns raised over Māori and Pasifika disability support in restructure of Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People:

“We don’t know if the Māori voice around disabilities will continue, because we’re not sitting at decision-making tables, and that’s where we all need to be.” (Aug, Te Ao Māori News)

Ukraine

Medical and social expert commissions will be liquidated at end of the year, according to presidential decree. (Oct, NikVesti)

More than $450,000 in cash was found in the head of the MSEC held by the head of the MSEC of the Mykolaiv region. (Oct, NikVesti)

Acting head of MSEC detained in Kyiv for extorting $10,000:

“According to the police, the official set up an illegal scheme to extort bribes from citizens for passing medical examinations and assigning them a disability group. This would further enable persons liable for military service to avoid mobilization.” (Sep, UNN)

United States

This disabled woman built a career. SSI once helped but now penalizes her. (Oct, NPR)

The Connection Between Social Security Disability Benefits and Health Coverage Through Medicaid and Medicare. (Oct, KFF)

Health Disparities in the Medical Record and Disability Determinations: Proceedings of a Workshop:

“When people with disabilities are denied the care they need, it is difficult for them to get the information they need into their medical record so they can successfully go through the disability determination process.” (Aug, National Academies Press)

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Education and Childhood

Overview

International News

Experiences of accessing education among people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from five low- and middle-income countries:

“The pandemic exacerbated the existing failure of education systems to cater to the needs of people with disabilities and their families. Beyond education, losses in functioning, mental health, and family wellbeing were acutely felt by caregivers.” (Jun, Oxford Development Studies)

China

Children with dwarfism discuss why accessibility, awareness are needed in Hong Kong (Sep, SCMP)

Ethiopia

From exclusion to inclusion: The need for improved education policies for girls with disabilities in Tigray. (Sep, Brookings)

India

Prevalence of functional difficulty among school-aged children and effect on school enrolment in rural southern India: A cross-sectional analysis:

“This study shows that at least one in a hundred children in this region have severe functional difficulties and nearly half of these children are not enrolled in school” (Sep, Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health)

New Zealand

The love/hate relationship we have with our teacher aides. “Our teacher aides helped us in the classroom when we needed it the most, despite our resentment for making us stand out when we just wanted to fit in.” (Oct, D*List)

Switzerland

Mis-education They want my good, but I prefer autonomy. Personal reflections on special educators. (Sep, Couper l'herbe sous les roues)

United Kingdom

Disabled children’s charity hands 43% of grants to rightwing think-tanks:

“Campaigners shocked to find that much of the Street Foundation’s funds are ‘not being spent on disabled children at all’.” (Sep, Good Law Project)

Restrained and scared: The £100k schools failing vulnerable children: “Private special needs schools accused of letting down children” (Aug, BBC)

Higher Education

United States

Inaccessible Access Rethinking Disability Inclusion in Academic Knowledge Creation. (Nov, Rutgers University Press)

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Employment, Business and Work

Australia

Australian Disability Enterprises can pay workers a fraction of the minimum wage. What place do they have in today's society? “Today, approximately 20,000 people with disability work in about 600 ADEs across the country.” (Sep, ABC News)

Canada

Changes in workplace accommodations among employed Canadians with disabilities, 2017 to 2022:

“In conclusion, the increase in working from home appears to have benefited PWDs through a decrease in their unmet needs for [workplace accommodations]; however, this decrease varied across groups.” (Aug, Statistics Canada)

Dominican Republic

Low labour inclusion: Only 15.8% of private companies hire people with disabilities, according to a report from the national statistics office. (In Spanish, Aug, Políticos en la red)

India

Working to work Disabled people fighting for accessible livelihoods in India:

“Despite the hurdles, disabled people continue to work the best with what we’ve got. So many of us don’t just have to contribute to the workforce but also look after ourselves and advocate for our rights to work at the same time. We’re stretching ourselves thin just to be able to secure a livelihood. The hard-won successes of working as a disabled person are bittersweet.” (Oct, Disability Debrief)

Iraq

Workshop to launch the Iraqi Business and Disability Network (Jul, UN)

United States

This disabled woman built a career. SSI once helped but now penalizes her. (Oct, NPR)

Work from Home and Disability Employment. “A back of the envelope calculation reveals that the post pandemic increase in working from home explains 80% of the rise in full-time employment.” (Sep, NBER)

Disabled Union Members Are Strengthening the Labor Movement “Disabled workers are getting louder and more effective as they push their unions to be more accessible and inclusive. All workers are benefiting.” (Sep, The Nation)

Many disabled workers earn subminimum wages.

“Tens of thousands of disabled people in the United States are paid less than the federal minimum wage — with some workers making as little as 25 cents per hour.” (Aug, Washington Post)

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Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities

Benin

Alternative Report on the Human Rights Situations of Women with Albinism:

“Albinism groups in Benin have also reported numerous incidents of discrimination against women with albinism in various areas, including marriage, employment, and education.” (Sep, Africa Albinism Network)

Ghana

Alternative Report on the Human Rights Situations of Women
with Albinism (Jul, Africa Albinism Network)

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Health

Overview

International News

Guidance to make telehealth services accessible an implementation toolkit. (Sep, WHO and ITU)

World Alzheimer Report 2024:

“The report highlights how different communities and individuals experience and address dementia stigma, from advocacy in low- and middle-income countries to innovative outreach programmes for youth and marginalised groups. The report underscores the urgent need to address the stigma and discrimination that exist around dementia globally and provides real-world examples of how this can be achieved.” (Sep, Alzheimer's Disease International)

Brazil

Inclusion of disability in primary healthcare facilities and socioeconomic inequity. (Sep, Saúde Pública)

Chile

Inclusion of people with disabilities in Chilean health policy: a policy analysis:

“Participants described a fragmented disability movement and health policy, related to a dominant biomedical model of disability. It appeared that disability was not prioritized in the health policy agenda, due to ineffective mainstreaming of disability by the Government and the limited influence and engagement of civil society in policy processes.” (Aug, International Journal for Equity in Health)

India

Women who are blind identifying possible breast cancers 30 blind women from India trained as part of a global project called “discovering hands”. (Sep, NPR)

For disabled aspirants, new clause crushes hopes of nursing career.

“In 2020, INC revised the BSc (Nursing) curriculum for the first time since Independence. Now, its clause 8 states that only those ‘with a disability of locomotor to the tune of 40% to 50% of the lower extremity’ would be eligible for graduation in nursing. This excludes candidates with other disabilities such as muscular dystrophy, dwarfism, acid attack victims, low vision, hearing impairment, speech disability and intellectual disability. Despite so many senior nurses with varying levels of disabilities working in Delhi, none of them were invited to be part of framing the regulations.” (Sep, Times of India)

Female doctors with disabilities in India say they face double discrimination (CNN)

Uganda

Suggested solutions to barriers in accessing healthcare by persons with disability in Uganda: a qualitative study. (Aug, BMC Health Services Research)

United States

Johns Hopkins health system to pay disabled patients “The health system will pay $150,000 to the patients who were allegedly denied support people during their hospital stays.” (Sep, Washington Post)

Rehabilitation

International News

Disability and Road Traffic Accidents: Assessing the Costs and Consequences of Rehabilitation and Living with a Disability Following a Road Traffic Injury:

“We believe that such disabilities are a major (and currently overlooked) component of road traffic safety efforts and disability initiatives and a major concern in global health and international development.” (Aug, WHO)

Myanmar

Integrating rehabilitation and assistive technologies into community programs: Lessons from Kayin State, Burma (Jun, USAID)

Food Security and Nutrition

International News

Inclusive feeding and disability resources for nutrition practices a tool for screening, management and follow-up for frontline health workers. (Sep, Global Nutrition Cluster)

Canada

Household food insecurity among persons with disabilities in Canada: Findings from the 2021 Canadian Income Survey:

“HFI prevalence among CIS participants with disabilities was higher than for persons without disabilities, even after adjustment for well-documented sociodemographic risk factors.” (Aug, Statistics Canada)

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History and Memorial

Asia

The tactile reading systems in East Asia: missionaries, colonialism, and unintended consequences. (2023, International Journal of the History of Education)

Canada

Review of 'Beryl: The Making of a Disability Activist'.

“The book is an exploration of the life and exploits of Beryl Potter, a Canadian disability rights advocate and activist born in the early 1920s, based primarily in the Toronto region and active in the 1970s to the mid-1990s. Her life experience and activism mirror activities undertaken by many other disabled people nationally and globally during this period, disabled individuals charting a new path and bringing disability forward, gradually shifting the focus on disability issues from charity to civil rights.” (Sep, H-Net)

China

Forming the Chinese Deaf Community a history of early experiences from the nineteenth to twentieth centuries. (Sep, History Workshop)

France

Designing deaf spaces: education, hygiene, and citizenship in nineteenth-century France:

“The renovation of the Paris Institute for Deaf-Mutes during the 1820s–30s engaged pressing questions about hygiene and social progress in the postrevolutionary era of national reconstruction. The architectural transformation of the Bordeaux Institute for Deaf-Mute Girls from the 1860s not only reflected the changing pedagogical focus from sign language to oralism; it was also imbricated in broader debates about laïcité and educational standardisation as France transitioned from empire to republic.” (Jul, International Journal of the History of Education)

India

G.N. Saibaba’s death is an injustice “What was the real crime of Saibaba? He constantly raised his voice for the human rights of the weak, the oppressed and the wronged by the system.” (Oct, The Hindu) See also memories of friends (The Indian Express).

Reading Mohini Mohun Majumder’s 'Muk-Shiksha' Special Education in Colonial India (Aug, Review of Disability Studies)

Malawi

Tribute to Mussa Chiwaula. Who led the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (Safod). (Oct, The Times Group)

Netherlands

Insider or outsider? Positionality and doing oral history as a disabled historian. (Sep, Rethinking Disability)

Türkiye

Embracing new citizens: the education of D/deaf pupils in the Late Ottoman Empire (2023, International Journal of the History of Education)

United Kingdom

Disabled People’s Activism in Victorian Britain:

“The politics of disability was bound up with the politics of labour. The spectacle of the suffering maimed body was deployed during the early decades of the nineteenth century by campaigners seeking the abolition of slavery in Britain’s colonies and the end of what was termed the ‘white slavery’ endured by British factory workers” (Oct, History Workshop)

United States

Steve Silberman, 66, Dies. Writer Deepened Understanding of Autism. (Sep, New York Times)

Education as spectacle: Helen Keller and the impossible performance of blindness at the Perkins Institution. (Jul, International Journal of the History of Education)

Constructing Disability after the Great War a book on American narratives about blinded soldiers versus the realities of their everyday lives. (Jan, University of Illinois Press)

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Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees

Overview

International News

Review, Adapt, and Action Learning Laboratories (RAAL Labs) a practical guide to “boost humanitarian actors’ skills so they can adapt their programming tools and processes to be more disability inclusive”. (Sep, HI)

Inclusive feeding and disability resources for nutrition practices a tool for screening, management and follow-up for frontline health workers. (Sep, Global Nutrition Cluster)

Facilitating access to assistive technology and rehabilitation. Guidance to help prioritize and plan around the provision of assistive technology and rehabilitation services in settings where UNHCHR works. (UNHCR)

Europe

UN slams EU Commission. “The chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities claims that a draft EU regulation on the cross-border protection of adults conflicts with several provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) - the Commission disagrees.” (Sep, Euronews)

Somalia

Somalia Humanitarian Fund makes disability-friendly latrines. (Sep, UNOCHA)

Migration

New Zealand

The pain of the policy that splits disabled kids from their parents Jap Sahib and his mother Prince are one of many families who have endured the pain of living split between countries. (Oct, D*List)

Family who couldn’t get residency due to child’s disability wins after nine-year battle (Sep, Stuff)

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Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization

Overview

Guyana

Government to close National Psychiatric Hospital, shift to decentralised mental health services. (Sep, DPI Guyana)

Uruguay

More Support Needed for Independent Living. A report on gaps in support systems for people with disabilities:

“Uruguay is among the first countries in the Americas to provide personal assistance for people with disabilities in their care system, but has yet to provide services for everyone who require them for independent living.” (Sep, Human Rights Watch)

Conditions in Institutions

Hungary

Judgement from the European Court of Human Rights:

“In a ground-breaking judgment today, the European Court of Human Rights (“the Court”) condemned Hungary for failing to protect the lives of institutionalised persons with disabilities. States must effectively investigate the context and conditions in which people in institutions die, the Court also said. The judgment sends a strong message against institutionalisation and guardianship regimes that continue to affect tens of thousands of people with disabilities in Hungary and beyond.” (Oct, Validity)

India

Shocking death toll exposes human rights abuses in Delhi’s Asha Kiran Shelter Home:

“Since January, 27 deaths have been reported at the shelter home in Rohini. One amongst the dead was a minor aged 14-15 years while 13 were adults above 20 years of age.” (Aug, Maktoob Media)

Following deaths, 24 residents of Asha Kiran moved to other facilities And disability activists staged a protest. (Aug, Times of India)

Russia

Ingushetia disability care home accused of chaining naked patients to benches

“Following social media backlash over the images of the abuse, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday that they had opened an investigation.” (Sep, OC Media)

United States

How a Leading Chain of Psychiatric Hospitals Traps Patients

“In at least 12 of the 19 states where Acadia operates psychiatric hospitals, dozens of patients, employees and police officers have alerted the authorities that the company was detaining people in ways that violated the law, according to records reviewed by The Times.” (Sep, New York Times)

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Indigenous People and Minority Communities

New Zealand

Concerns raised over Māori and Pasifika disability support in restructure of Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People:

“We don’t know if the Māori voice around disabilities will continue, because we’re not sitting at decision-making tables, and that’s where we all need to be.” (Aug, Te Ao Māori News)

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International Cooperation

International News

Localization and organisations of persons with disabilities: case studies on inclusion in humanitarian funding. One of the key takeaways is:

“Local OPD funding landscape is done as ‘indirectly as possible’. Donors prefer to fund project delivery INGO intermediaries. These intermediaries channel their funding to national umbrella OPDs/federations that then channel funding to other OPDs who are engaged to deliver smaller bits of the project. The amount that trickles from donors to smaller OPDs is small as huge chunks of budgets are retained by the INGOs and national OPD associations.” (Aug, GLAD)

Women Enabled Strategic Plan 2024 – 2028 “The Future of Gender Equality is Inclusive – The Future of Disability Rights is Feminist” (Jun, Women Enabled)

Our Model: Disability Rights Fund Theory of Change & 5-Year Strategic Plan (DRF)

Afghanistan

Vocational training empowers people with disabilities and fosters social inclusion. (Sep, International Committee of the Red Cross)

Asia-Pacific

Building bridges: experiences of interns with disabilities in UNESCAP. (Aug, UNESCAP)

Uganda

When inclusion is an illusion: sign language interpreters and the pitfalls for ‘inclusive’ development. Exploring a 2018 case study:

“Yet when NGOs or government chose interpreters, they required the guarantee of ‘professionalism’ that came with being employed by the school. They did not check the quality of the interpretation, instead simply relying on the school’s reputation. Many local interpreters were never considered for ‘professional’ assignments, because they were considered part of the ‘community’, though they were sometimes asked to interpret informally and unpaid.” (Sep, From Poverty to Power)

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Justice Systems and Legal Capacity

Europe

Widespread deprivation of legal capacity : A human rights report across EU countries finds that:

“no EU country fully protects persons with disabilities from losing their right to make decisions – and this enables violence and abuse against persons with disabilities.” (Sep, EDF)

India

Handbook concerning persons with disabilities:

“Sensitising judges to the principles of non-discrimination and reasonable accommodations and the societal barriers faced by people with disabilities is essential for upholding the rights of persons with disabilities and promoting a more inclusive and equitable justice system. Judges who possess a deep understanding of these issues are better equipped to render fair and impartial judgments, foster an environment of respect and dignity in their courtrooms, and contribute to the broader societal goal of empowering and including persons with disabilities in all spheres of life.” (Sep, Supreme Court of India)

United States

Disability rights and disability justice in prison: the limits of state-protected rights and the possibilities of mutual support:

“the research subjects not only revealed the limits of disability rights in prison, but ways in which corrections officers used accommodations and personal assistance as means of harassing disabled inmates. Despite the failure of rights, persons with disabilities and their allies found ways to access care through mutual relationships and informal networks. This finding supports a disability justice perspective that argues that argues state-sponsored rights have failed specifically marginalized persons with disabilities, but also argues that disability emancipation can be found through peer-based mutual care.” (Sep, Disability & Society)

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Lived Experience and Opinion

Australia

Dementia Awareness: A Waste of Time?

“It is important we call them out the ‘awareness’ campaigns for what they are – that is, they are ‘marketing campaigns’ – as they are primarily fundraisers for the charities. To date, they have made no difference to our lives.” (Sep, Kate Swaffer)

Disabled writers imagine a healthier world an essay exploring disabled collaboration. (Sep, The Conversation)

New Zealand

The love/hate relationship we have with our teacher aides. “Our teacher aides helped us in the classroom when we needed it the most, despite our resentment for making us stand out when we just wanted to fit in.” (Oct, D*List)

Nigeria

Nnene’s Story of Climate Change and Social Challenges an illustrated story:

“One sunny day on October 1st, her peers, seven to ten years old, planned to go to the stadium to partake in the Independence Day Celebrations. This time, Nnene decided to sneak out to watch the Independence Day march without any sun-protective gear such as long-sleeved clothing and a wide-brimmed hat. The young, curious, and patriotic Nnene suffered severe sunburns that left her in agony for months. It was at this precise moment that she was confronted, as a child, with the harsh reality of living with albinism and the true reasons for her parents’ protection against the sun.” (Aug, Africa Albinism Network)

United Kingdom

A moment that changed me: my dad helped me with everything – then suddenly he was gone. (Sep, the Guardian)

I’m living my life as the person I’m meant to be, not in spite of the person I am. (Sep, Disability & Society)

United States

In Defence Of Masking At Work: Four Challenges To The Current Trend. (Oct, Forbes)

Disability, pleasure and ageing. Alice Wong with an intimate and explicit essay on the “pleasure principle”:

“Because of, not in spite of, the current status of my health, I still lust for pleasure. Hands stroking my thighs, fingers running through my hair, an arm wrapped around my waist. I want to touch, taste, feel everything. My twisted body writhing from delight rather than pain. ” (Sep, Archer)

The Last Time I Climbed A Mountain

“That morning on the mountain, there are many things I don’t yet know: that this will be the pivot, that the pain will stay. That wheelchair tires leave tracks upon the land, a different kind of footprint. That I will learn to hike again, sometimes on pavement or on boardwalk, sometimes through moss or over hard-packed ground. But not across the sand. Not among the stones.” (Sep, Brevity)

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Mental Health

Australia

Diagnostic labels may increase our empathy for people in distress. But there are downsides too:

“We found the presence of labels increases empathy and concern for those affected, but also pessimism about their capacity to recover. Essentially, diagnostic labels appear to be a mixed blessing when used at the less severe end of the distress spectrum.” (Aug, The Conversation)

Europe

Association between the hearing aid and mental health outcomes in people with hearing impairment:

“Hearing aid use was associated with lower rates of depression and [unmet mental health needs], bases on 17,000 participants from 28 countries.” (Sep, Journal of Affective Disorders)

Guyana

Government to close National Psychiatric Hospital, shift to decentralised mental health services. (Sep, DPI Guyana)

India

Algorithms of Exclusion: Why Start-Ups Are Not Solving Our Mental Health Crisis. (Aug, The Wire)

United States

How a Leading Chain of Psychiatric Hospitals Traps Patients

“In at least 12 of the 19 states where Acadia operates psychiatric hospitals, dozens of patients, employees and police officers have alerted the authorities that the company was detaining people in ways that violated the law, according to records reviewed by The Times.” (Sep, New York Times)

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Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism

Overview

Australia

Queensland train fleet becomes inclusive and accessible for all.

“The Queensland Government invested more than $335 million into the upgrade of the entire South East Queensland train fleet, in response to a 2018 Commission of Inquiry which found the trains were seriously flawed and not disability compliant.” (Jul, Rail Express)

Canada

Vacations for persons with disabilities could still include everyday barriers to accessibility. (Aug, Statistics Canada)

Air Travel

United States

American Airlines to pay record $50 million fine over its treatment of disabled passengers. As well as allegedly mishandling or damaging 1000s of wheelchairs between 2019 and 2023:

“In an investigation into the carrier, the Transportation Department said it uncovered numerous infractions, including cases of American providing "unsafe physical assistance" to passengers. The alleged treatment "at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users," the agency said in an announcement Wednesday.” (Oct, CBS News)

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Policy and Rights

Overview

International News

The Charter of Solfagnano G7 commitment on disability inclusion:

“We strongly reaffirm our commitment to show leadership and ambition, in line with the UNCRPD, and to collaborate, towards its full implementation with all international institutional partners representing persons with disabilities, associations, third- sector organisations, local communities and the private sector that intends to support the recognition of the right of all to full and effective participation in the civil, social, political, economic and cultural life of our countries.” (Oct, G7 Italia 2024)

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities taking stock on a decade of the mandate and sharing a vision of “connecting to push forward”.

Australia

Getting it wrong on disability rights “Despite legal measures, as the evidence gathered by the Disability Royal Commission and elsewhere shows, recognition of the rights of disabled people lags behind that of many other marginalised groups.” (Sep, 360)

‘It’s the only disease where you’re not supported to fight for your life’: why Kate Swaffer is demanding dementia rights. (Sep, the Guardian)

Benin

Nassirou Domingo on promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities interview with the President of the Federation of Associations of People with Motor Disabilities. (In French, Oct, La Nation Bénin)

Alternative Report on the Human Rights Situations of Women with Albinism:

“Albinism groups in Benin have also reported numerous incidents of discrimination against women with albinism in various areas, including marriage, employment, and education.” (Sep, Africa Albinism Network)

Canada

Why Canada needs a national disability strategy (Sep, The Conversation)

Dominican Republic

The National Council for Disability at 24 years: its future, and reflections on challenges and opportunities:

“After 24 years of existence as a Council and more than a decade after the approval of this law, one could conclude that perhaps CONADIS should fine itself.” (In Spanish, Sep, Diario Libre)

Europe

New thematic factsheet on Persons with disabilities “This new thematic factsheet summarises steps taken by member states to protect the rights of persons with disabilities in response to judgments from the European Court of Human Rights” (Sep, Council of Europe)

Ghana

Alternative Report on the Human Rights Situations of Women
with Albinism (Jul, Africa Albinism Network)

Hungary

Can Disability Rights Flourish in Backsliding Democracies? The Case of Hungary:

“Results show that the space for disability rights advocacy has been shrinking for the Hungarian disability movement. Opportunities to influence and monitor public policy-making have been diminishing. Disability advocacy organisations have been less included in consultations and decisions about policies affecting disabled people. Due to fear of repercussions, disability movement actors often employ self-censorship when talking publicly. The meaning of human rights and civil society have changed in the public discourse. Legal obligations to consult with the disability movement, existing human rights laws, and statutory human rights bodies seem less and less effective amid eroding democratic structures. The disability movement has become fractured.” (Jul, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

Israel

The Face of Autism in Israel.

“in recent years, services for autistic individuals have declined. This decline, particularly considering the ongoing rise in the prevalence of autism, pose significant challenges for Israeli government authorities in ensuring that autistic persons receive appropriate support.” (Sep, Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment)

Kenya

Good laws have not translated into better life for persons with disabilities. Reflections on the African Disability Protocol and the gap between legislation and realization:

“Examples are rife across the continent. Inaccessible buildings; inaccessible public transport, children with disabilities missing out on quality inclusive education, women and girls with disabilities facing violence in their communities; less opportunities to work and employment in the open labour market; inaccessible voting processes; less involvement in public and political spaces are among many other ways that people with disabilities have been pushed to the margins in their own communities. This is inspite of laws that are said to be progressive and inclusive.” (Sep, Elizabeth Ombati)

Nigeria

The Stories of Discrimination Against Persons With Disability in Nigeria (Oct, HumAngle)

Pakistan

People with dwarfism continue to strive for accessibility and acceptance (Aug, T-Magazine)

Ukraine

Experts of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Appreciate Ukraine’s Efforts to Uphold the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the War, Raise Questions on Children Forcibly Transported to Russian Controlled Areas and the Construction of New Institutions. (Aug, OHCHR)

United Kingdom

The Big Picture: Behind the Social Model a illustration in comic form, by Hatiye Garip. (Sep, We are Unlimited)

Assisted Dying and Euthanasia

Canada

Disabled women are more at risk for assisted suicide:

“In 2022, the overall number of MAiD deaths [was] relatively equal between men and women (51.4% and 48.6%, respectively).” But when disability became a permitted reason to access MAID, “the ratio of women to men [was] significantly skewed: 59% of those who died by MAiD were women and 41% were men.” (Sep, Live Action)

From Exceptional to Routine. Report on the Rise of Euthanasia in Canada, which has is now tied with cerebrovascular diseases as the fifth leading cause of death in Canada:

“MAiD in Canada is the world’s fastest-growing assisted-dying program.” (Aug, Cardus)

New Zealand

Disturbing Data In Latest “Assisted Dying” Report 5% increase in assisted deaths in last twelve months and 12% of applicants had a disability:

“What is most disturbing is that one in four applicants weren’t receiving palliative care.” (Sep, Scoop)

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Politics and Elections

Georgia

What type of country we become Disabled people between Georgia’s Soviet legacy and European future:

“As disabled people, whatever happens in the world affects us. In article I explain how larger geopolitical battles also play out in the disability community. On the one hand the legacy of the Soviet Union is still present. And on the other hand Europe gives us an ideal of what rights can look like, even as they are held out of reach.” (Oct, Disability Debrief)

Mozambique

People with disabilities report exclusion from electoral compaigns. “Why don't they come by our houses? Is it because they know there's a person with disability there?” (In Portuguese, Sep, África & Diáspora)

United Kingdom

House of Commons has many more disabled MPs than previously thought based on the data that “43 out of a total of 650 MPs had discussed the possibility of having disability-related adjustments made for them”. (Aug, Disability News Service)

United States

How the Biden-Harris Administration Is Ensuring Voting Accessibility (Oct, American Progress)

Disability Rights Are Voting Rights

“There is a troubling history in our country of pitting accessibility against election integrity: if it’s easy to vote, the argument goes, then some of those votes must be illegitimate. This idea, of course, has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked, but misinformation persists, and it acts as a barrier to meaningful change—making it harder for everyone to access their vote.” (Sep, Ford Foundation)

Trump falsely attacks Harris as ‘mentally impaired’ and ‘mentally disabled,’ (Sep, Washington Post)

In Some States, Having a Guardian Means Not Having a Vote “More than a million Americans, many with disabilities, live under a court-approved guardianship. Many states block them from voting.” (Aug, New York Times)

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Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights

Europe

Perspectives from queer youth with disabilities. (Aug, EDF)

New Zealand

The rare and magical quality of our relationships “Relationships as disabled people hit differently; they ask us to be both courageous and vulnerable, and to provide and receive.” (Sep, The D*List)

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Space Exploration

Europe

To boldly go: “European Space Agency testing Paralympian sprinter to see how conditions in space would affect his prosthesis” (Oct, the Guardian)

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Sport and Paralympics

International News

What a Blind Photographer Saw at the Paralympics

“My camera was able to show me all the things my eyes couldn’t, and I began to hunt for things to photograph — cool shadows, interesting angles, repeating colors.” (Sep, New York Times)

Why the Paralympics ‘inclusive’ messaging is misleading

“Parasport is exclusionary on two fronts. Firstly, the classification system — a cornerstone of para sport — is inherently exclusionary because not all athletes who experience disability are eligible. Because the system categorizes athletes based on specific impairments, some are inevitably left out. Secondly, even for those who are eligible to compete, the opportunity to participate can be limited by the sport-specific classification systems. In others words, some sports within the para sport system are themselves exclusionary.” (Sep, The Conversation)

How Blind Soccer Is Played at the 2024 Paris Paralympics (Sep, Wired)

Angola

"People with disabilities need opportunities, not pushes" interview with athlete Juliana Moko. (In Portuguese, Aug, rfi)

Congo-Brazzaville

2 Paralympic athletes from Congo reported missing (Sep, NPR)

France

In the Paralympic Fix-It Shop, Plenty of Fractures but No Blood Repair technicians at the Paris Games fix everything from bent wheelchair frames to broken sunglasses. (Sep, New York Times)

United States

Four U.S. Paralympians disciplined for online comments about teammate “Decorated swimmer Jessica Long was among those barred from the Closing Ceremonies in Paris after questioning the disabilities of fellow athlete.” (Sep, The Washington Post)

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Violence and Harassment

United States

Disabled People Are Five Times More Likely to Experience Domestic Violence. Based on data from the Justice Department:

“People with cognitive disabilities, such as those who are autistic, are even more likely to be abused. Disabled women are also more likely to be the target of such violence than disabled men.” (Sep, Mother Jones)

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War in Ukraine

Response and Resources

Ukraine

A main priority in rebuilding Ukraine will be designing for disability “Approximately 300,000 Ukrainians registered for disability in the first 18 months of the war.” (Sep, The Architect's Newspaper)

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Water and Sanitation (WASH)

Indonesia

Dignity for Children with Disabilities: Making Toilets Safe at Home. (Aug, UNICEF)

Somalia

Somalia Humanitarian Fund makes disability-friendly latrines. (Sep, UNOCHA)

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