Down to the Struts

In a powerful conversation, Judy Heumann, a legendary disability rights advocate and author of 'Being Human,' reflects on her monumental role in the disability movement. She discusses the importance of community empowerment and collaboration in advocating for policy changes. Judy shares insights on navigating ableism and the transformative power of storytelling. Emphasizing representation, she calls for cultural shifts and better understanding of disabilities in society. Her legacy continues to inspire the ongoing fight for dignity and access for all.

In this engaging discussion, Lydia X. Z. Brown, a disability justice advocate and activist, dives deep into the complexities of intersectionality and algorithmic bias. They unravel how technology can exacerbate systemic discrimination, particularly in hiring and school discipline. Lydia shares their journey into activism and the importance of self-care for sustainable advocacy. From advocating for regulatory solutions to involving marginalized communities in tech development, this conversation is a must-listen for those interested in social justice and technology's impact.

Roger Ideishi, a dedicated occupational therapist and professor at George Washington University, discusses his transformative approach to disability in education. He advocates for involving students with intellectual disabilities in shaping their own learning experiences. Roger highlights the need for a shift toward adaptable and inclusive teaching practices, particularly post-COVID. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration among educators, parents, and professionals to create enriching, accessible environments that cater to diverse learning needs.

Sara Acevedo, a disability studies scholar and activist, dives deep into the language surrounding disability. She shares her transformative journey in advocacy, sparked by her experiences at a summer camp for disabled adults. The conversation explores the empowering reclamation of the term 'crip' and contrasts the social and medical models of disability. Acevedo emphasizes the significance of neurodiversity and provides practical insights on how non-disabled individuals can better understand disability through the lens of those with lived experiences.

The team at Down to the Struts is thrilled to share the trailer for Season 4 of Contra*! This season, Aimi Hamraie and the Critical Design Lab share oral history interviews from the Remote Access Archives. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they spoke with scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times.  This season, they’ll be sharing some of these conversations. Aimi Hamraie, Cavar, Jen White-Johnson, Jiya Pandya, Julia Rose Karpicz, Katie Sullivan, and our very own Down to the Struts creator and host, Qudsiya Naqui, contributed to this season’s introduction. Contributors to the episodes include: Hector Ramirez, Thomas Reid, moira williams, Qudsiya Naqui, Corbett O’Toole, Sky Cubacub, Katie Goldfinch, Brian Lobel, Susan Molloy, and India Harville. And don’t forget to submit your Down to the Struts audio and written testimonials! We want to hear from you about what our podcast means to you, and the impact it’s had in your life. Please share your audio files or written comments to downtothestruts@gmail.com. We hope to share your reflections during season 10! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website⁠ ⁠for transcripts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Getting Down To It Support the team behind the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with a donation Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out the trailer for Pod Access, a brand new resource hub for Deaf and disabled podcasters from Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website⁠ ⁠for transcripts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Getting Down To It⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the team behind the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with a donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DownToTheStruts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let us know what you think with a comment or review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

BONUS EPISODE: Qudsiya chats with Kayla Hamilton, the Bessie Award-winning dancer, educator and consultant. Her performance, choreographic and disability arts work has been presented by institutions across the US. In July 2024, Kayla announced the creation of Circle O, a new cultural organization established by and for black disabled and other multiply marginalized creatives. In this episode, Kayla shares her origin story and how it has informed her approach to being a creative maker, and how she engages with communities through artistic expression. Kayla views disability as both subject and method. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website⁠ ⁠for transcripts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Getting Down To It⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the team behind the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with a donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DownToTheStruts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let us know what you think with a comment or review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Amir Rahimi, a passionate advocate for equal employment for people with disabilities, shares his journey as a blind stand-up comedian. He discusses the emotional struggle of adapting to sudden vision loss and the challenges he faced in the job market. Amir emphasizes the importance of mentorship and networking, while using humor to combat ableism and raise awareness about disability rights. His unique perspective illuminates how laughter can empower and foster inclusivity in both the comedy scene and corporate environments.

Qudsiya speaks with Marissa Ditkowsky, Disability Economic Justice counsel at the National Partnership for Women and Families. Marissa and Qudsiya talk about the need to advance economic justice for disabled women, and the resources disabled women need to survive and thrive: from consumer protection to access to employment, to reproductive healthcare. And, they talk about what the National Partnership is doing to help make that thriving a reality for disabled women across the US. Listeners should check out the systems transformation guides that Marissa and her team have developed that set forth a vision for disabled women’s economic equality. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website⁠ ⁠for transcripts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Getting Down To It⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the team behind the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with a donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DownToTheStruts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let us know what you think with a comment or review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Qudsiya sits down with retired DC Circuit Court Judge, David Tatel. Judge Tatel's recently released Book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, chronicles his experiences as a civil rights lawyer, a champion for access to justice, and a jurist on our nation's second highest court. In this conversation he discusses his book and his journey with vision loss, including the dog, Vixen, who guided him to embrace his identity as a blind person. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our website⁠ ⁠for transcripts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Getting Down To It⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support the team behind the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with a donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DownToTheStruts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let us know what you think with a comment or review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠