The Goodnewspaper The Disability Edition

There are 763 words that start with the letter “D” and end in a “Y.” Normally, my anxious girl brain would spiral at all the possibilities. But not this time; disability is the clear choice. It is a word that has defined me for 25 years. I have cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair to roll through life. I wear my disability proudly, like a badge of honor — think Superman revealing his iconic “S” logo! I am aware that most would not think about disability in this way. And if we are being really honest, some people even have a hard time saying the word disability at all. As an activist and organizer working in the intersections of disability justice, climate action, and gun violence prevention, I have had…

Throughout this issue of the Goodnewspaper, you’ll likely see some words and phrases that may be new to you! While we encourage you to always learn even more when you peruse your paper, we wanted to make sure you had a place to start. Here is a non-comprehensive glossary developed by the Good Good Good team — and heavily influenced by our guest editor, Daphne Frias, and Emily Ladau’s book, “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally” — to get you started: Disability: First, not a bad word! While all disabled folks have different personal definitions of disability, Merriam-Webster defines disability as “a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks…

Across the widely diverse, global community of disabled folks, people are not always in perfect alignment about how to talk about disability. There’s person-first language, which puts the person before the disability (e.g. “People with disabilities,” or “a person who uses a wheelchair”), and there’s identify-first language, which acknowledges a disability as a part of what makes someone who they are (e.g. “Disabled people,” or “wheelchair users”). Neither of these approaches is wrong or right, though many people feel strongly about which they use on a regular basis. Throughout this issue, we have intentionally defaulted to identity-first language when referring to large, broad communities or ideas, in order to emphasize the importance of disability to many disabled people’s lives and identities. However, when speaking with individual sources for this issue,…

We would be remiss if we did not take a moment to honor the life and legacy of Judith (Judy) Heumann, who was considered to be the “mother of disability rights.” Heumann passed away recently, on March 4, 2023, after a lifetime of service to the disability community. She contracted polio at 18 months and began using a wheelchair in elementary school, later suing the New York Board of Education after they denied her a teaching license because she needed assistance due to her disability. Most notably, she helped lead a 26-day sit-in during the spring of 1977 to improve federal legislation protecting disabled Americans. This protest was truly monumental and led to the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a first-of-its-kind civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based…

Lucy Trieshmann and Maya Goldman are two disabled law graduates with passions for both disability justice and prison abolition. These passions led to The Breaking Point Project, a website filled with first-hand stories, interviews, and art from disabled people who have been incarcerated. Grappling with the realities of nearly non-existent medical care within carceral systems and the violence directed toward disabled people in mental health facilities, jails, and everyday policing, the founders of Breaking Point sought a way to reintroduce agency into the lives of disabled folks in a system that so often strips them of this right. Breaking Point shares art pieces or stories submitted directly by participants, and interviews conducted by Trieshmann and Goldman. To confront the power imbalance of Trieshmann and Goldman’s identities as two white people…

Throughout the pandemic, Amanda Hu — an artist and parental advocate — learned a lot more about filters and air quality. She quickly used her Twitter page to educate the masses on air filtration, tested masks and respirators so others didn’t have to, and provided simple tutorials on how to make your own air purifier (even though high-quality purification systems should be accessible to all). Hu is also a spokesperson for Fresh Air Network, an advocacy group fighting for better ventilation. “We know this virus is airborne, that infectious particles are coming out of mouths, and out of noses, and are being emitted into the air. HEPA filters, very simply, pull in the air with infectious particles through a filter, and emit air that no longer has those infectious particles,”…