Journalist – Historian – Speaker
This summer I hope to write several longer essays about social justice topics: police and disability, rape culture (men need to talk to men about rape), eugenics and Down syndrome, and adult-life with developmental disability. I know, sounds more fun than a barrel full of very squished and depressed monkeys, am I right? Here’s the …
Last week it came out that Chili’s was planning a charitable giveaway, today, to a group that supports the link between autism and vaccines. I wrote an op-ed about this and had it ready to roll out with CNN Opinion (pending some global news story cropping up) when Chili’s announced that they were changing their …
Here is a tl;dr – Support ASAN over Autism Speaks, Ok? If you want to know why, read on. April is Autism Awareness Month. It’s also Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a fact for which I was not aware until after I wrote yesterday’s topical post. I wasn’t really aware of AAM either until yesterday’s tweets …
According to a report from NBC New York (also covered in Jezebel, and thanks to my friend K. for the story tip), a woman with Multiple Sclerosis was gang raped in a warehouse in New Jersey. She fell asleep on the bus (she is on a narcotic for pain), woke up in Trenton, left the …
This is my 200th post on the blog. It’s not a happy one. As long-time readers know, my work on the Ethan Saylor case led me to coin the phrase the “cult of compliance.” This phrase allows me to link diverse moments in which authority figures respond to non-compliance with egregious acts of violence and place …
Emirates Airlines First Class Cabin I don’t like falling into the admin vs faculty dialectic. My administration may not share the perspective of an individual faculty member, but that’s by design. I trust them. I have a brother who has been the chair of a big department at a big public university and is currently …
Today is World Down Syndrome Day, chosen because 3/21 reflects the three 21st chromosomes that mark the genetic condition Trisomy-21, also known as Down syndrome. It’s a day about awareness and you will, if you’re lucky, see lots and lots of cute pictures of kids and adults with Down syndrome. Here’s a cute picture of …
My son rides the regular school bus, a step that we decided on this year. The system has been supportive. Nico’s aide meets us at the bus stop and facilitates the ride. On the rare days when he takes the bus home, she’s there (she has to take the bus anyway to get back to …
I’d like to clear up some details about Georgia vs William Jeffrey Dumas, the case involving the alleged multiple rape of a woman with Down syndrome (I call her Jane). You can read the judge’s decision (redacted to protect the identity of the alleged victim) here. You can read District Attorney Ballard’s appeal (redacted to …
I have a lot to say about the Georgia rape case. I’ve read trial documents, some of which I intend to post this week, and can answer some questions that people have had. I’ll do that in another post, because here I want to focus on the least clear part of my essay. I wrote: …