Journalist – Historian – Speaker
More on the cuteness porn front: If a company is going to slap a cute picture of a child with Down syndrome on a bottle, it’s fair to ask them how they plan to use the publicity and resulting profits to build a more inclusive company. If Down syndrome organizations and celebrities are going to …
We are not here for your inspiration. These crappy videos dehumanize Disabled people. If you are about to post this shit, think about why you’re doing it and don’t do it. https://t.co/JajDHCGhIx — WMWDisabilityCaucus (@WMWDisability) November 27, 2017 I see it’s time to refer back to the This Mess rules. 1. Don’t take pictures of …
We need to talk about the way that 100% of the coverage of this story is about mom’s heroism not her son FINISHING SCHOOL DESPITE ABLEISM. https://t.co/RjY37Y3il1 — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) May 24, 2017 A classic piece of inspiration porn. A disabled young man wants to go to school. The school has no way …
There’s a photo of an employee feeding a disabled woman in an Illinois IHOP which means it’s time to resurrect two favorite How Did We Get Into This Mess? rules: Don’t take pictures of disabled strangers without their consent. Don’t share the pictures you shouldn’t have taken to the internet without their consent. Their story …
Here’s a nice story about Craig Blackburn, a man with Down syndrome who plays Santa. It could so easily veer fully onto the Inspiration Porn side of the disability news spectrum (it’s not an either/or), and the title does go that way. “Metairie man with Down syndrome spreads cheer now and throughout the year” suggests …
Prosthetics are everywhere in advertising these days. They look “cool.” They don’t bother typical society (advertising is all about playing to the center, I suppose, when it comes to big brands). They are easily understandable and explainable. They feed our technophilia. After the 2015 Superbowl, I wrote (in a longer piece on inspiration porn): Finally …
Yesterday, NBC News profiled Alice Wong and the Disability Visibility Project. Go read it! I am genuinely inspired by Alice Wong. With neither budget nor celebrity, she’s created an vibrant, accessible, community of people with disabilities, family members, and allies. She’s told stories and made it possible for others to tell their stories. She works constantly …
There are two distinct types of message driven inspirational videos. One type focuses inward at the community it represents; the other pushes outward. #HowDoYouSeeMe claims to be directed outward. The makers and their PR folks claim that its goal is to change the way people see Down syndrome. In fact, headline after headline over the …
Some suggested rules for life as a good person: Don’t take pictures of disabled strangers without their consent. Don’t share the pictures you shouldn’t have taken to the internet without their consent. Their story is not your story to do with as you see fit. A picture of a Kroger employee helping a blind customer …
Back in June, Morgan Wheeler saw a wheelchair user and asked if she could help. He said no. She started pushing him anyway. He asked her to stop. She kept pushing him. He asked her to stop again. She kept pushing him around. 1. This is likely illegal. Battery? Kidnapping? Assault? 2. Morgan decided to …