Accessibility and Design

Overview

Czechia

Prague Streets Pose Challenges: “The death of a blind man in August at a metro station has raised questions among advocates about safety for 80,000 visually impaired Prague residents.” (Aug, Prague Morning)

Ecuador

Accessibility initiatives in the canton of Baños especially in terms of people with visual disabilities. (In Spanish, Jul, Primicias)

India

Hyderabad Government Dental College Faces Accessibility Issues Amid Leadership Controversy. (Jul, TGNNS)

Indonesia

How accessible are the health facilities in Thousand Islands, Jakarta? Engaging video documentary of an access audit, by Debrief illustrator Kinanty Andini. (Jun, Kinanty Andini)

Mexico

Six essential characteristics of a good ramp. Searching for the worst ramp in Mexico. (In Spanish, Aug, Yo También)

Housing

United States

The Emotional Support Parrots vs. the Co-op Board “Three pet parrots at a Manhattan apartment building irritated their neighbors, who moved to evict them and their owner. The owner took the neighbors to court and was awarded $165,000 in damages.” (Aug, New York Times)

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Ageing

Bolivia

Disability and discrimination affect older adults article on elderly people living alone in Tacopaya municipality, Cochabamba. (In Spanish, Aug, Opinión)

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Assistive Technology

Africa

It's a Much Harder Journey: Scaling Assistive Technology Innovations to New Markets in Africa. (Jan, AfriCHI '23)

Australia

Adaptive musical instruments open up the world for people with disabilities and injuries:

“Modifying how we think about music to embrace people with disability can lead to new creative expressions, even new artforms.” (Aug, ABC News)

United Kingdom

17 accessible sex toys and aids for anyone with a disability (Jul, Disability Horizons)

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COVID-19

Impact

Vietnam

Effect of COVID-19 on livelihoods of people with and without disabilities: Results from a cross-sectional survey in 3 urban areas of Viet Nam: “People with disabilities were three times more likely to have stopped working completely”. (Jul, Disability and Health Journal)

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Civil Society and Community

International News

Celebrating Disability and Working Toward Disability Justice “Since 2016, we have made 81 grants that have touched disability issues, totaling almost $38 million across eight programs and initiatives.” (Jul, MacArthur Foundation)

Australia

‘Nothing unusual’ about blindness non-profit Vision Australia being led by someone who isn’t blind, chair says. The organisation is under pressure from campaigners. (Sep, the Guardian)

Bangladesh

Boy with disability not spared in wholesale arrest in government crackdown on student protests. (Jul, New Age BD)

Shot in the eyes, victims of Bangladesh protest violence face dark future “Hundreds of protesters and bystanders were hit in the eyes by pellets fired by security forces, and might lose vision forever — a lasting marker of the mayhem that engulfed the nation earlier this month.” (Jul, Aljazeera)

India

The Unseen Emotional Toll of Self-Advocacy Disabled Folks Are Paying “Being vocal about my neurodivergence has cost me three many jobs and one friend”. (Jul, Women Enabled International)

Indonesia

Unite to Thrive: Milestones of Indonesia's Disability Rights Movement. (Jul, Disability Rights Fund)

Kenya

New realities: Protests and disabilities. “Certainly, acquiring a disability can be devastating to say the least. But it doesn’t have to be.” (Aug, Elizabeth Ombati)

Philippines

In Conversation with Janine Cruzet on her advocacy trajectory. (Jul, IDA)

United States

A Prominent Accessibility Advocate Worked With Studios and Inspired Change. But She Never Actually Existed. An extraordinary investigation into accessibility advocates that appear to have been fictional creations. (Aug, IGN)

DeafBlind Leadership NOW

“The DeafBlind Leadership NOW (DBLN) movement ignited on July 22, 2024, when a hearing-sighted person was appointed as the Executive Director of Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), once again passing over talented and qualified DeafBlind candidates.” (Jul, DeafBlind Leadership NOW)

Spaces on the Spectrum a book on “How Autism Movements Resist Experts and Create Knowledge”. (Jan, Columbia University Press)

Venezuela

At least 16 people with disabilities arrested after protests and police and militrary action following July elections. (In Spanish, Aug, El Nuevo Diario) Further details from the Confederation of the Deaf.

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Climate Crisis and Environment

International News

OPDs and disability activists leading the way on climate justice Global GreenGrants work in the area of disability and climate justice: “$900,000 in small grants have gone to disability activists and grassroots organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs)” (Aug, CBM Global)

Europe

Surviving the Storm: a position paper on Independent Living in the Age of Climate Change:

“The urgency of the issue, teamed with the potential of collaborative action, paints a pathway towards a more inclusive, resilient, and fair society” (2023, ENIL)

Indonesia

An Inclusive Path to Dealing With Climate Disaster reflecting on the impact of Cyclone Seroja and beyond. (Jul, Impakter)

Philippines

Lapu-Lapu City’s climate crisis plans includes persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities “taught disaster risk reduction strategies in the event of any calamity.” (Aug, ABS CBN News)

Spain

Deaths of People with Disabilities Surge in Spain, As Does the Heat. (Aug, Human Rights Watch)

United Kingdom

UK government faces claim over alleged failure to protect people in climate crisis (Jul, the Guardian)

A green future is possible: “but only if disabled people are invited in.” Update on climate action in Bristol. (Jul, B24/7)

United States

How Extreme Heat Burns Chronically Ill Workers For the third of US workers who spend the day outdoors, “beat the heat” advice doesn’t cut it. (Aug, Mother Jones)

Scorching summers bring deadly heat for people with disabilities. (Aug, Stat)

States Could Help Disabled People Survive Climate Change —By Involving Them. “Independent living centers save lives in extreme weather. Why won’t more agencies give them a say?” (Jul, Mother Jones)

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Communication and Language

Sign Languages

International News

Sign Language Brokering in Deaf-Hearing Families Discussion of Jemina Napier's book. “Child language brokering (CLB) is a form of interpreting carried out informally by children, typically for migrant families.” (Jul, Language on the Move)

Researchers from Google DeepMind Introduce YouTube-SL-25: A Multilingual Corpus with Over 3,000 Hours of Sign Language Videos Covering 25+ Languages. (Jul, MarkTechPost)

AI can turn text into sign language – but it’s often unintelligible. (Jun, New Scientist)

Nepal

Making Sense an open access book on language ethics, and understanding in Deaf Nepal. By E. Mara Green. (Aug, University of California Press)

South Korea

Sign Language in K-Pop (Jul, Laura Wissiak)

Uganda

The Silenced Voices: Sign Language Interpreters Pave the Way for Deaf Access to Healthcare in Uganda. (Aug, The Elephant)

United Kingdom

Signature launches RE/SIGN campaign to tackle the influx of ‘Fake sign language’ on TikTok (BSL) (Jul, The Limping Chicken)

United States

A Road Trip into the Deaf History of Martha's Vineyard “In the 1800s, so many residents of Martha’s Vineyard were deaf that they created their own sign language. As a deaf traveler, I took a road trip to see how visitors can experience that legacy today.” (Aug, AFAR)

Braille

International News

First eBraille Public Working Draft is Published. “It is primarily meant for organizations that develop software that will read or write eBraille files.” (Jul, American Printing House)

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Conflict and Peace

Overview

Myanmar

Disability rights activist Brian Zaw fighting for those under the rule of Myanmar's military junta. (Jul, ABC News)

Israel-Palestine Conflict

Israel

Galilee center for kids with disabilities hit by an errant missile “Mevo’ot HaHermon Treatment and Rehabilitation Campus, closed since Oct. 8 and damaged by an errant missile, includes one of the largest hydrotherapy pools of its kind in Israel” (Aug, Times of Israel)

Palestine

Gaza’s Lost Generation The physical toll of Israel's war on Gaza has been disastrous, especially for children, with the strip's future permanently altered. (Aug, Tahrir Institute)

New Gaza camp offers relief for Palestinians with disabilities amid war “A newly opened camp for displaced Palestinians with disabilities is providing some much needed help for around 100 vulnerable people in the town of Deir Al-Balah in the central area of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, Reuters reports.” (Aug, MEMO)

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Culture, Entertainment and Media

Overview

Andorra

Universal Accessibility in Andorra's Museums. On the Right Track?

“Despite a high degree of goodwill and sensibility, the [Museu Carmen Thyssen Andorra] lacks elements in the exhibition space to facilitate enjoyment of its displays.” (Jul, International Council of Museums)

Australia

Adaptive musical instruments open up the world for people with disabilities and injuries:

“Modifying how we think about music to embrace people with disability can lead to new creative expressions, even new artforms.” (Aug, ABC News)

South Korea

Sign Language in K-Pop (Jul, Laura Wissiak)

TV and Film

India

Seen and unseen: Disabled characters lost in cinema. An essay exploring disability in Hindi films. (Aug, Hindustan Times)

Deafness, Kinship, and Formal Possibility in Bollywood Looking at two films that put Deaf protagonists at the center of romantic comedies the article finds “a space to rethink disabled kinmaking”. (Jun, Disability Studies Quarterly)

Ukraine

‘This is also about love!’: “Amputee war hero Oleksandr Budko will use his appearance as a contestant on The Bachelor to fight stigma – and hopefully find a partner”. (Aug, the Guardian)

United Kingdom

‘People always ask – can she have sex?’: “We Might Regret This is one of TV’s most frank depictions of caring for a wheelchair user – and one of its funniest. Its creators talk steamy scenes, stereotypes – and getting drenched in urine”. (Jul, the Guardian)

Media

India

Countering Ableism In The Paralympics And Disability Sport Coverage “Journalist Aman Misra on mainstreaming non-ableist coverage of Paralympics, acceptance of psychosocial disabilities in newsrooms, WhatsApp accessibility, and recommendations” (Aug, Reframing Disability)

Switzerland

Profession: disabled:

“12 years in journalism, 348 applications, 4 job interviews and zero fixed contracts. If the media encourage him to “advance ‘his’ cause”, why don’t they hire him? Malick Reinhard denounces the hypocrisy of the professional world regarding disability.” (Translated from French, Jul, Sous Les Roues)

United States

How Young Disabled and Chronically Ill People Use Online Communities A Guide for Reporting. (Aug, Julia Métraux)

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Data and Research

Australia

The percentage of Australians with disability has surged in a few years

“According to the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, gathered in 2022, the number of Australians living with a disability increased to 5.5 million or 21.4% of the population. This is a striking increase from 17.7% in 2018, a figure that had remained relatively consistent for two decades (15% in 1998)” (Aug, Phys)

Reasons why the percentage of Australians with disability has surged (Aug, The Conversation)

Canada

A profile of 2SLGBTQ+ persons with disabilities, 2022 “Among [Canadians with disabilities], approximately 8.7%, or 694,090 individuals reported being a 2SLGBTQ+ person, representing 2.3% of the Canadian population aged 15 years and over.” (Jul, Statistics Canada)

Europe

Disability statistics - poverty and income inequalities “In 2023 in the EU, 28.8% of people with a disability were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 18.0% among people with no limitations.” (Jul, Eurostat)

United States

Disability Mortality Disparity: Risk Of Mortality For Disabled Adults Nearly Twice That For Nondisabled Adults, 2008–19 (Aug, HealthAffairs)

To Reduce Disability Bias in Technology, Start With Disability Data. “This paper identifies the various ways in which data sets may exclude, inaccurately count, or be non-representative of disabled people.” (Jul, Center for Democracy & Technology)

Current Approaches to Measuring Disability Status in Federal Surveys May Limit Understanding of Economic and Health Disparities (Jun, Urban Institute)

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Digital Accessibility and Technology

Overview

International News

Designing For Neurodiversity Resources Roundup (Aug, DigitalA11Y)

Google Maps Adds Transit Alerts For Broken Elevators, Accessibility Issues (Jul, CNET)

United States

To Reduce Disability Bias in Technology, Start With Disability Data. “This paper identifies the various ways in which data sets may exclude, inaccurately count, or be non-representative of disabled people.” (Jul, Center for Democracy & Technology)

Artificial Intelligence

International News

Researchers from Google DeepMind Introduce YouTube-SL-25: A Multilingual Corpus with Over 3,000 Hours of Sign Language Videos Covering 25+ Languages. (Jul, MarkTechPost)

AI can turn text into sign language – but it’s often unintelligible. (Jun, New Scientist)

Online Accessibility

International News

How People with Disabilities Use the Web:

“This resource introduces how disabled people use the web, including people with age-related impairments. It helps developers, designers, content creators, and others understand the reasons behind creating accessible digital products — including websites, apps, browsers, and other web tools.” (Jun, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative)

Technology

International News

Xbox Unveils Four New Accessibility Offerings “Three new accessibility devices and 3D printable files for adaptive thumbstick toppers will join our current lineup.” (Aug, Microsoft)

Social Media

International News

“Tell Me You Have ADHD Without Telling Me You Have ADHD”: Neurodivergent Identity Performance on TikTok:

“I argue that in user-generated ADHD TikTok videos the performance strategies of creators and platform affordances of TikTok indicate these videos function as identity work rather than health information.” (Aug, Social Media + Society)

United Kingdom

Signature launches RE/SIGN campaign to tackle the influx of ‘Fake sign language’ on TikTok (BSL) (Jul, The Limping Chicken)

United States

A Prominent Accessibility Advocate Worked With Studios and Inspired Change. But She Never Actually Existed. An extraordinary investigation into accessibility advocates that appear to have been fictional creations. (Aug, IGN)

How Young Disabled and Chronically Ill People Use Online Communities A Guide for Reporting. (Aug, Julia Métraux)

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response

Bangladesh

‘I couldn’t carry my son who has physical disabilities, so I left him behind hoping he’ll be safe’: Families in Bangladesh forced to flee homes as floods wreak havoc. (Aug, ActionAid)

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Economics and Social Protection

Overview

India

Budget Gaps: How the 2024–25 Fiscal Plan Fails People with Disabilities. Continuing cuts to the budget for implementation of disability rights legislation. (Jul, The Wire)

Financial Inclusion

Barbados

A call for full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the country's financial system:

“It’s about making sure you have the knowledge and the comfort to interact with our financial system — whether it is earning money, spending money, or accessing money, whether it is personally or for a business venture you may have.” (Aug, Barbados Today)

Social Protection

Estonia

Põlva social insurance office inaccessible for people with mobility disabilities:

“If a wheelchair user wanted to visit the Social Insurance Board in the Põlva Public Services Building to apply for benefits, they wouldn't even be able to reach the door because the building lacks a ramp.” (Jul, ERR)

New Zealand

Dreams, realities, and the broken promises of disability support. (Aug, RNZ)

Disabled people deserve a meaningful place of our own. “The decision to downsize Whaikaha and strip it of its responsibility for delivering support services has outraged disabled people, who fought for decades for a ministry of their own, writes Robyn Hunt.” (Aug, The Spinoff)

United Kingdom

Reality of DWP benefits system: 'I'm going to die and can't get PIP' extract from the Department, a new book from John Pring, editor of the Disability News Service. (Aug, See also the Department Book.)

Growing pressures Exploring trends in children’s disability benefits, a report:

“Over the last decade, the number of under-16s in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in England and Wales has doubled, reaching 682,000 in 2023, equivalent to one-in-sixteen children. This growing caseload has been driven almost entirely by awards made to children whose main condition is either a learning difficulty, behavioural disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): in 2023, four-fifths of all Child DLA awards were for children whose main condition was one of these three.” (Aug, Resolution Foundation)

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Education and Childhood

Overview

International News

Not Invisible: Strengthening Protection for Children with Disabilities in Migration and Displacement. (Jul, USCRI)

Are children with disabilities more likely to be malnourished than children without disabilities? Evidence from 30 countries:

“Children with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience all forms of malnutrition, making it critical to accelerate efforts to improve disability inclusion within nutrition programmes. Ending all forms of malnutrition will not be achievable without a focus on disability.” (Jun, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health)

Angola

Meeting of children with disabilities and the Ministry of Finance supported by UNICEF. Dorivaldo Correia, aged 9, said his hopes and reams were like those of any other child. (In Portuguese, Jul, UNICEF)

Slovakia

Great expectations: Report on “Inclusion of children with disabilities in the context of deinstitutionalisation of substitute care”. (Jun, UNICEF)

United States

Beyond Inclusion: How to Raise Anti-Ableist Kids, a book (Jul, IPG)

Higher Education

Nigeria

The importance of inclusive rhetoric interview with Sunday A. Adegbenro, whose work explores what universities and other institutions can do to implement inclusive practices. (Jul, Vanguard)

United Kingdom

Developing neurodiversity-affirmative PhD supervision (Jul, Supervising PhDs)

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Employment, Business and Work

International News

New ILO working paper exposes significant ‘disability wage gap’. “Higher unemployment rates, lower earnings and a tendency towards self-employment characterize the world-of-work experience of many people with disabilities:”

“The paper, which includes new data, finds that those with disabilities who are working are paid 12 per cent less per hour than other employees, on average, and that three-quarters of this gap – 9 per cent – cannot be explained by differences in education, age and type of work. In low and lower middle-income countries this disability wage gap is much larger, at 26 per cent, and almost half cannot be explained by socio-demographic differences.” (Aug, ILO)

France

Paralympic Games: the Hellish Laundry Contract for laundry of Olympic and Paralympic athletes was won by sheltered workplaces that do not guarantee minimum wage or other labour rights. (In French, Aug, L'Humanité)

United Kingdom

What is disability pay gap reporting? “The government has committed to extending the UK’s framework for gender pay gap reporting by employers to other protected characteristics, including disability.” (Aug, Economics Observatory)

Why disability pay gap reporting may not lead to increasing employment opportunities: “Our research (and others’) consistently shows evidence for how introducing disability pay gap reporting reduces disability inclusive practices and opportunities in organisations” (Jul, Business Disability Forum)

United States

The Union Advantage for Workers with Disabilities: Higher Pay, More Benefits (Aug, CEPR)

How Extreme Heat Burns Chronically Ill Workers For the third of US workers who spend the day outdoors, “beat the heat” advice doesn’t cut it. (Aug, Mother Jones)

Project 2025 Would Make Workplace Discrimination a Lot Easier “When we look at the specifics, they really are trying to attack and decimate disability rights.” (Aug, Mother Jones)

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Gender Equality and Women with Disabilities

Cambodia

Creating a safe space for women with disabilities in Cambodia. “Vannet leads a women with disabilities group in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.” (Jul, ADD)

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Health

Overview

Africa

Women with disabilities’ use of maternal care services in sub-Saharan Africa (Jul, African Journal of Disability)

Brazil

Persons with disabilities access to health services: perceptions of primary care unit professionals. (In Portuguese, Jul, Saúde e Sociedade)

Guinea

Burden of discrimination faced by persons with disabilities testimonials and survey results, in healthcare and other areas. (In French, Jul, Africaguineee.com)

India

Barriers for medical students with disabilities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (Aug, Edex Live)

Indonesia

How accessible are the health facilities in Thousand Islands, Jakarta? Engaging video documentary of an access audit, by Debrief illustrator Kinanty Andini. (Jun, Kinanty Andini)

Uganda

The Silenced Voices: Sign Language Interpreters Pave the Way for Deaf Access to Healthcare in Uganda. (Aug, The Elephant)

United States

Disability Mortality Disparity: Risk Of Mortality For Disabled Adults Nearly Twice That For Nondisabled Adults, 2008–19 (Aug, HealthAffairs)

Mask Bans Insult Disabled People, Endanger Our Health, and Threaten Our Ability to Protest. (Jul, Teen Vogue)

Food Security and Nutrition

International News

Are children with disabilities more likely to be malnourished than children without disabilities? Evidence from 30 countries:

“Children with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience all forms of malnutrition, making it critical to accelerate efforts to improve disability inclusion within nutrition programmes. Ending all forms of malnutrition will not be achievable without a focus on disability.” (Jun, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health)

Nigeria

Redesigning Nutrition Services for People with Disability in Nigeria, an op-ed. (Aug, Relief Web)

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History and Memorial

International News

Disability and the History of Science an edited volume:

“Some contributors trace the disabling impacts of scientific theories and practices in the contexts of war, factory labor, insurance, and colonialism; others excavate racial and settler ableism in the history of scientific facts, protocols, and collections; still others query the boundaries between scientific, lay, and disability expertise.” (Chicago)

Ghana

‘They are one of us’: How disability training affects health workers' attitudes and actions towards disabled people in Ghana. (Jun, SSM - Qualitative Research in Health)

Iceland

Book review of 'Understanding Disability throughout History: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Iceland from Settlement to 1936'. “This volume challenges presentist views of disability, exploring diverse historical contexts and uncovering hidden aspects of Iceland's past.” (Aug, H-Disability)

New Zealand

Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light. The final report on the abuse and neglect of children, young people and adults in the care of the State and faith-based institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand between 1950 and 1999:

“Of the estimated 655,000 children, young people and adults in care from 1950 to 2019, it is estimated that up to 256,000 were abused and neglected. During the Inquiry period, 1950 to 1999, it is estimated around 510,000 people were in care and up to 200,000 were abused and neglected. The true number will never be fully known as records of the most vulnerable people in Aotearoa New Zealand were never created or were lost and, in some cases, destroyed.” (Abuse in Care, Royal Commission of Inquiry)

United Kingdom

Tributes to Euan MacDonald, creator of Euan's guide “One of Scotland's leading champions for people with disabilities has died 21 years after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND). (Aug, BBC)

United States

Stories from the Archives: Six essays exploring experiences of Disability in Early America. (Aug, All of Us)

A Road Trip into the Deaf History of Martha's Vineyard “In the 1800s, so many residents of Martha’s Vineyard were deaf that they created their own sign language. As a deaf traveler, I took a road trip to see how visitors can experience that legacy today.” (Aug, AFAR)

Disability rights group tells history of State Hospital through ‘people, not patients’. (Jul, South Carolina Daily Gazette)

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Humanitarian, Migrants and Refugees

Migration

International News

Not Invisible: Strengthening Protection for Children with Disabilities in Migration and Displacement. (Jul, USCRI)

Australia

'You're not welcome here': Australia accused of discriminating against disabled migrants (Jul, BBC)

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Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization

Overview

Tanzania

Adaptive adjustment to the needs of families caring for children and adolescents with physical disabilities in north-eastern Tanzania: a grounded-theory study. (Jun, Global Health Action)

Conditions in Institutions

New Zealand

‘National disgrace’: landmark New Zealand report finds 200,000 victims of abuse in state care. (Jul, the Guardian)

Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light. The final report on the abuse and neglect of children, young people and adults in the care of the State and faith-based institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand between 1950 and 1999:

“Of the estimated 655,000 children, young people and adults in care from 1950 to 2019, it is estimated that up to 256,000 were abused and neglected. During the Inquiry period, 1950 to 1999, it is estimated around 510,000 people were in care and up to 200,000 were abused and neglected. The true number will never be fully known as records of the most vulnerable people in Aotearoa New Zealand were never created or were lost and, in some cases, destroyed.” (Abuse in Care, Royal Commission of Inquiry)

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International Cooperation

Overview

International News

What went wrong? Exclusive coverage on the Debrief of the crisis at the International Disability Alliance and exploration of the changes needed in disability leadership. (Sep, Disability Debrief)

How can we build in disability inclusion at grassroots levels? Advice from organisations in Bangladesh, Kenya and Nepal. (Aug, CBM UK)

Global Disability Summit

International News

Welcome to our inaugural newsletter for the Global Disability Summit 2025! (Aug, GDS Secretariat)

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Justice Systems and Legal Capacity

International News

Procedural Accommodation Needed for Persons with Psychosocial or Intellectual Disabilities in Criminal Justice Processes. (Jun, Health and Human Rights Journal)

Australia

At 14, Sam has the mental capacity of a five-year-old. So what’s she doing in a Queensland police cell? “Across the state, teenagers born with severe intellectual disabilities branded young repeat offenders are being locked up in adult watch houses. Here are their stories” (Jul, the Guardian)

Costa Rica

Access to justice for people with disabilities in Costa Rica: still a challenge. (In Spanish, Aug, Delfino)

Mexico

Mexico City eliminates guardianship for adults and adopts a model of supported decision making, bringing its civil code in line with new national legislation. (In Spanish, Aug, Yo También)

Uruguay

Executive Bill Promotes Legal Capacity of Persons with Disabilities through a system of supports and guarantees. (In Spanish, Jul, Uruguay Presidency)

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Lived Experience and Opinion

Australia

Wrong-doing, truth-telling, burden-bearing: The ethics of parading disability for unpromised justice. (Aug, ABC News)

India

It is hard for me to say I am disabled My struggle with a sacred word:

“Another day, at another airport, I spot a standee that encourages passengers to speak to the staff if they need help with any 'invisible disabilities'. My heart sings. They see me! I am tempted to walk up to someone. Perhaps they know how to help people attacked by their own luggage? Perhaps what I need, what I've always needed, is a kind airport concierge, not another doctor?” (Aug, Sanity by Tanmoy)

New Zealand

The Power of Stories from the Margins: 5 Questions for Áine Kelly-Costello. (Aug, Disability Rights Fund)

Nigeria

How living with albinism feels different when you stay in Nigeria vs UK. (Jun, Pulse Nigeria)

Slovakia

Great expectations: Report on “Inclusion of children with disabilities in the context of deinstitutionalisation of substitute care”. (Jun, UNICEF)

Trinidad and Tobago

Like my mother, I am hard of hearing. Decades on, I face the same problems she did:

‘Daily, I encounter visible discomfort when I refer to myself as [Hard of Hearing]; whether it be in the public or professional sphere, a rideshare driver or a colleague. With the former, it doesn’t matter how many times I say, “I’m hard of hearing, I need to read your lips”, drivers insist on launching immaterial questions over music from the radio, traffic noise, facing forward, then expect an answer. I get that, culturally, Trinidadians love “smalls” (small talk) and so at times I make an effort, but more often than not my response is an unimpressed blank stare.’ (Aug, the Guardian)

United Kingdom

I was granted Freedom of the City – but not freedom of the room. “There was no ramp to the stage to collect my award, even though the organisers knew in advance I would need wheelchair access”:

“I call this phenomenon “Access Roulette”. Spin the wheel and hold your breath – maybe you’ll be allowed onto the bus today, rather than the driver speeding off without putting the ramp down” (Jul, Big Issue)

United States

A Disability Studies Analysis of Alcohol Use: Understanding Personal Experiences through Dominant Discourses on Addiction:

“Ultimately, I have been able to describe the need for recovery paradigms that do not rely on the dominant deficit discourses that position all people experiencing addiction as either morally defective or medically deficient. Instead, I have been able to seek out and find liberatory spaces and communities promoting counter-narratives that are bolstered by [Disability Studies] theory” (Jun, Disability Studies Quarterly)

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Mobility, Travel, Transport and Tourism

Overview

International News

Google Maps Adds Transit Alerts For Broken Elevators, Accessibility Issues (Jul, CNET)

Czechia

Prague Streets Pose Challenges: “The death of a blind man in August at a metro station has raised questions among advocates about safety for 80,000 visually impaired Prague residents.” (Aug, Prague Morning)

France

How Airbnb has paved the way for accessible stays at the Paralympics (Aug, Condé Nast)

Spain

Accessibility a pending issue on most Spanish beaches – some only have minimal provision. (In Spanish, Jul, 20 minutos)

Air Travel

Europe

Are airports raising digital accessibility? The European Accessibility Act and how airports can improve digital accessibility. (Jul, Airport Technology)

Nicaragua

Requests for new airport be inclusive for persons with disabilities (In Spanish, Aug, El Canal Del Orgullo Nicaragüense)

United Kingdom

Hooray, We Have More Disabled Passengers! “With an increase of 21% in assistance requests at UK airports, it's clear that older and disabled people are a growing customer group.” (Aug, The Accessible Link)

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Policy and Rights

International News

Time to Recognize Persons with Disabilities and the Slave Trade (Aug, Just Security)

First week of 31st CRPD Committee Session Updates from Burkina Faso, Benin, and The Netherlands. (Aug, IDA)

Second-week update of 31st CRPD Committee Session. With reviews of Ghana, Belarus, Belgium, Denmark, Mauritius and Ukraine. (Aug, IDA)

Europe

Worrying lack of mention of disability in the next Commission’s political priorities (Jul, EDF)

Disability issues in the Hungarian Presidency of the Council (Jul, EDF)

France

Ten Paralympic legacies of Paris 2024 Hosting the Paralympic Games has led to the City of Paris investing EUR 125 million into making the historic French capital more accessible (Aug, International Paralympic Committee)

Germany

The German Disability Council demands reforms for the amendment of the Disability Equality Act. (In German, Jul, Deutscher Behindertenrat)

Guinea

Burden of discrimination faced by persons with disabilities testimonials and survey results, in healthcare and other areas. (In French, Jul, Africaguineee.com)

New Zealand

This government won't stop attacking disabled people The community is being relentlessly targeted (Aug, Emily Writes Weekly)

Paraguay

Paraguay strengthens rights of people with disabilities discussion of a new law on accessibility to the physical environment. (In Spanish, Jul, La Nación)

Syria

New legislative decree on the rights of persons with disabilities and the obligations of public and private entities towards them. (In Arabic, Jul, Sana)

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Politics and Elections

Bangladesh

Adviser from persons with disability demanded “The Bangladesh Pratibandhi Kalyan Samity and the National Alliance of Disabled Peoples’ Organisations on Monday demanded the inclusion of an adviser representing the persons with disabilities in the interim government.” (Aug, New Age)

Guatemala

A review of participation in political and public life of persons with disabilities, highlighting a lack of data. (In Spanish, Jul, Ramiro Nochez-McNutt)

Serbia

Ljupka Mihajlovska on participation in politics: “Men play in the first league, women in the second, while women with disabilities in the third”. (Jul, UN Women)

United States

Disability-rights activists say Biden was ‘set aside, just like so many of us’ (Aug, Politico)

Project 2025 Would Make Workplace Discrimination a Lot Easier “When we look at the specifics, they really are trying to attack and decimate disability rights.” (Aug, Mother Jones)

Barriers to the Ballot: “From Indiana to Texas, barriers at the polls, such as a lack of ramps and uneven surfaces, still hinder — and often prevent — people with disabilities from voting.” (Jul, Disability Justice Project)

What It’s Like to Run for Office as a Young, Blind Person Disability rights are at the heart of Madeline Ryan Smith’s campaign against a 20-term GOP incumbent. (Jul, Mother Jones)

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Relationships, Sex and Reproductive Rights

Africa

Women with disabilities’ use of maternal care services in sub-Saharan Africa (Jul, African Journal of Disability)

Canada

A profile of 2SLGBTQ+ persons with disabilities, 2022 “Among [Canadians with disabilities], approximately 8.7%, or 694,090 individuals reported being a 2SLGBTQ+ person, representing 2.3% of the Canadian population aged 15 years and over.” (Jul, Statistics Canada)

United Kingdom

17 accessible sex toys and aids for anyone with a disability (Jul, Disability Horizons)

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Sport and Paralympics

International News

What Paralympic Goalball is and how it’s played: ‘the coolest sport you’ve never heard of’. (Sep, Washington Post)

For Paralympic Athletes, Travel Remains a Major Challenge: One of the Biggest Barriers to Competing. (Sep, AFAR)

Paralympic Paradoxes Debrief feature on the tensions between Para sport and disability advocacy:

“Disability rights are about levelling the playing field without any exceptions. Sports are about fairness of competition that leads to winners and losers.” (Sep, Disability Debrief)

Why do so many people not know about Deaflympics? “Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics will be the 100th anniversary commemorative Games and will be held for the first time in Japan.” (Aug, David Player)

Cheating at the Paralympics is a growing problem, some athletes say “Athletes say ‘classification doping,’ in which competitors lie about their levels of disability, is on the rise and that those in charge don’t want to police it.” (Aug, Washington Post)

Why aren’t the Olympics and Paralympics combined into one Games? Logistics, getting their own spotlight and a “lasting legacy of social change”. (Aug, The Conversation)

How the classification system works This glossary will explain the method behind the different classifications, which dictate which athletes are eligible to compete in a sport and how athletes are grouped. (Aug, The Athletic)

Zakia Khudadadi takes bronze and an historic first medal for Refugee Paralympic Team. “A thrilling series of Para taekwondo bouts leads to a bronze medal in the K44-47kg category”. (Aug, UNHCR)

Why sport must be (re)imagined in ways that make it more accessible for all disabled athletes:

‘The increased media coverage of the Paralympic Games makes Paralympic sport seem “inclusive.” But, the continued reliance on segregated sport and narrowly defined classification categories suggests ableism remains. For example, some intellectually and cognitively disabled athletes are excluded. This implies that elite competition and inclusive sport may be incompatible.’ (Aug, The Conversation)

Born without arms, Matt Stutzman has changed archery: “The four-time Paralympian won gold and set a new Paralympic record. He’s also inspired other armless athletes to take up the sport.” (Aug, Washington Post)

20+ LGBTQ+ Athletes to Watch at the 2024 Paralympics Games: “From rowers and wheelchair tennis players to judokas, swimmers, and triathletes, these are some of the LGBTQ+ paralympians competing in this year's Games.” (Aug, Them)

Australia

Discovering Para-Sport Opportunities Just Became Easier The Start Line, a site for “information, guidance and opportunities for Para-athletes to begin or continue their Para-sport journey”. (Aug, Paralympics Australia)

Canada

Volleyball Player Allison Lang On Calling Paralympians 'Inspiration' “Be inspired by our accomplishments, not our existence.” (Aug, Today)

Young children with disabilities are excluded from national physical activity monitoring “New research conducted in our lab shows that young children with disabilities have markedly low levels of physical activity.” (Jul, The Conversation)

China

China dominates the Paralympics – but that’s not just down to its almost limitless funds. (Sep, the Guardian)

Europe

Running towards inclusion: the power of sports “The Paralympics highlight the need for year-round activity to include people with disabilities in sports.” (Jul, Social Europe)

France

Paralympics celebrate disability, but in Paris, access was hit-or-miss The Washington Post interviewed athletes and fans about accessibility at the Games. (Sep, Washington Post)

The Guardian view on the Paris Paralympics: “A vibrant, well-attended Games showcased the best of parasport. But the challenges outside the sporting arena remain the same” (Sep, the Guardian)

‘Incredible energy’: how Paris crowds lifted French paralympians to medal glory “Healthy ticket sales, record TV ratings – a nation once indifferent to parasport is now cheering its athletes on to new levels of success” (Sep, the Guardian)

IPC President praises accessibility improvements made by City of Paris “Andrew Parsons says Paris has made more progress in the last seven years than any other Paralympic host city when it comes to accessibility” (Aug, International Paralympic Committee)

How the Paralympic Village has been transformed with accessibility in mind. (Aug, CBS News)

A Paralympic Paris “The incremental changes are more a reminder of what hasn’t been done than what has. [...] The city’s least successful venture has been an effort to distribute grant money to local businesses for ramps” (Aug, Slate)

Paralympic Games: the Hellish Laundry Contract for laundry of Olympic and Paralympic athletes was won by sheltered workplaces that do not guarantee minimum wage or other labour rights. (In French, Aug, L'Humanité)

How Airbnb has paved the way for accessible stays at the Paralympics (Aug, Condé Nast)

Sporting barometer ahead of the Paralympics: “58% of French people now intend to follow the Paralympic Games which will start on August 28, 16 points more than in January 2024!” (In French, Aug, ODOXA)

India

Why I love the Paralympics but hate the inspiration porn (Sep, Times of India)

Countering Ableism In The Paralympics And Disability Sport Coverage “Journalist Aman Misra on mainstreaming non-ableist coverage of Paralympics, acceptance of psychosocial disabilities in newsrooms, WhatsApp accessibility, and recommendations” (Aug, Reframing Disability)

Italy

Italian sprinter set to be first transgender Paralympian. (Sep, BBC) See also resulting controversy.

Netherlands

The Daily Paralympics cartoon showing disabled people traversing a street filled with physical barriers. (Aug, Tjeerd Royaards)

New Zealand

Meet the 25 athletes representing New Zealand at the Paralympic Games (Aug, The Spinoff)

Pakistan

The success of an adaptive sport program in Pakistan has lessons for inclusivity. (Aug, The Conversation)

Palestine

Meet the Para-Cyclists Riding for Gaza The Sunbirds’ story began with tragedy but has evolved into one of resilience. (Sep, Foreign Policy)

Meet Fadi Deeb, Palestinian Paralympian from Gaza Who Lost 15 Relatives in Israeli Assault. (Aug, Democracy Now!)

Thailand

The long road ahead for Thailand if it wants to host the Paralympics. (Sep, The Nation)

Ukraine

Ukraine's Paralympics success "shapes the consciousness" of Ukrainian society and the authorities when it comes to the equal rights and opportunities for disabled people, the president of its Paralympic Committee told AFP. (Sep, France 24)

United Kingdom

How To Use The Paralympics To Talk To Kids About Limb Differences (Aug, HuffPost UK Parenting)

Jodie Grinham, 7 months pregnant, wins bronze in archery at Paralympics (Aug, The Athletic)

United States

The Trials of a Paralympian Whose Disability Doesn’t Always Show Anonymous online accusations that Raleigh Crossley exaggerated the disability that qualified her for the Paralympics:

“It is a conundrum: The better she swims, the more suspicion and accusations come her way. How do you prove a disability to people who cannot see it?” (Aug, New York Times)

You Won’t Believe These 5 New Paralympic Sports! “Showering while disabled is a workout, so it’s no surprise that it’s also a sporting event.” (Aug, Squeaky Wheel)

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Violence and Harassment

Australia

Deaf women are twice as likely to experience domestic violence than hearing women. How perpetrators weaponise disability: “40% of Australian women with a disability have experienced physical violence after the age of 15 (compared with 26% of women without a disability).” (Jul, The Conversation)

Disability rights groups 'devastated' by government's Royal Commission response. Following an investigation into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability: “Of the 172 recommendations responded to by the government, just 13 were accepted in full.” (Jul, SBS News)

Italy

Shadow Report on combating violence against women. (Link to pdf, Jun, Italian Disability Forum)

South Africa

Mother blames police and court for delayed justice after deaf daughter raped three times. (Aug, Diary Series of Deaf People)

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War in Ukraine

Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine

“Valia, That’s It, We Need to Run”: The Story of a Couple with Disabilities on the Russian Border and Their Evacuation through the Countryside. (Aug, INKuLtur)

Response and Resources

Ukraine

How to Improve International Support for People with Disabilities in Ukraine. (Aug, GPPI)

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