The Shooting of Jeremy Hutton and Law Enforcement Narratives

In 2010, Jeremy Hutton, a 17 year-old-boy with Down syndrome, was shot by a police officer who claimed Hutton was driving right at him. That claim held up in the post-incident review. Here’s a video showing that’s untrue (original source), the officer was safely to the side. A video of police shooting a car driven … Continue ReadingThe Shooting of Jeremy Hutton and Law Enforcement Narratives

Anti-Women, Anti-Information: Indiana abortion bill advances.

A few weeks ago I wrote about an anti-choice bill in Indiana that was designed to drive a wedge between disability rights and reproductive rights activists. I argued: As we head into the 2015 legislative session, we need to be prepared for anti-choice filed a bill last week to prohibit abortions based on fetal determinations … Continue ReadingAnti-Women, Anti-Information: Indiana abortion bill advances.

Internet Communities and Special Needs Parenting

OPINIÓN: No debemos temerle al síndrome de Down http://t.co/3YRfPluotm pic.twitter.com/zKsFTjcSgO — CNN en Español (@CNNEE) February 19, 2015 I have a new piece up at CNN (here’s the English language version. I’ve just never, to my knowledge, been translated before, so sharing this!). I try to make some big points, but at the core there’s … Continue ReadingInternet Communities and Special Needs Parenting

Abortion vs Hardship / Happiness vs Murder – The False Binaries of the Down Syndrome Abortion Debate

I have a new piece up at Reproductive Health Reality Check. It continues to explore the themes of how we generate a new rhetoric for people who are pro-choice, pro-information, and anti-eugenics. It takes as its lede a story about a woman who wishes she had aborted her child with Down syndrome, born these 47 … Continue ReadingAbortion vs Hardship / Happiness vs Murder – The False Binaries of the Down Syndrome Abortion Debate

#CultOfCompliance – How a White Guard Decides It’s Funny to Fake-Frisk Black Boy with Down Syndrome

Yesterday, in something of a rage, I wrote the story of an African-American boy with Down syndrome who was heading to his first day of school in Syracuse. His parents were with him and, as they entered the school, they paused to take a picture. A white security guard intervened and pushed the boy against … Continue Reading#CultOfCompliance – How a White Guard Decides It’s Funny to Fake-Frisk Black Boy with Down Syndrome

This American Life and the R-word – a 2013 Re-broadcast of a cruel joke from 1996

Yesterday, I published a piece on CNN focusing on an episode from This American Life that, I felt, mocked people with Down syndrome. What was interesting to me, though, is that the comedian in question (Wyatt Cenac) wasn’t just telling jokes using the r-word, but had something more complex going on. As a listener, it … Continue ReadingThis American Life and the R-word – a 2013 Re-broadcast of a cruel joke from 1996

Wyatt Cenac and This American Life – Mocking Down Syndrome

I have a piece up on CNN today about comedy and disability, focusing on an episode of This American Life. I’m interested in the use of disclaimers, something I’ve talked about before, as a way to try to escape the consequences of one’s words. I know some will disagree. They’ll say it’s just comedy. Or … Continue ReadingWyatt Cenac and This American Life – Mocking Down Syndrome