Down to the Struts

Qudsiya sits down with Andrew Leland, Author of the acclaimed new book, The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, published this year by Penguin Press. The book was recently longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Nonfiction administered by the American Library Association, and Publisher’s Weekly named it among the best books of 2023. Andrew’s book reminded Qudsiya of her own journey to, and through, the country of the blind. They talk about the contours of that space and its place in their lives, plus Andrew’s reflections on how writing the book has shaped his own relationship to disability and ableism. ⁠Visit our website for transcripts.⁠⁠ -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast ⁠⁠with a donation⁠⁠. Follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠@DownToTheStruts⁠⁠. Leave a review on ⁠⁠Apple podcasts.⁠⁠ Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, ⁠⁠Getting Down To It⁠⁠.

Qudsiya interviews Set Hernández and Pedro, two of the co-creators of the film Unseen. The film, directed and produced by Set, chronicles the multitudes of Pedro, an aspiring social worker, as he navigates life as an undocumented immigrant with low vision. Pedro, Set, and Qudsiya talked about the shared experience that led them to create the film, the role of accessibility as a core value in the filmmaking process and the healing space that they hope unseen will generate as it touches audiences around the country and around the world. Qudsiya served as the impact producer for Unseen from 2022-2023. For more about the film, visit www.unseen-film.com. Visit our website for transcripts.⁠ -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast ⁠with a donation⁠. Follow us on Instagram ⁠@DownToTheStruts⁠. Leave a review on ⁠Apple podcasts.⁠ Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, ⁠Getting Down To It⁠.

Qudsiya sits down with Áine Kelly-Costello, a multiply disabled storyteller, researcher and advocate based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Their conversation covers Áine's research and work at the intersection of climate, migration and disability justice. Visit our website for transcripts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

Qudsiya is joined by educator, author and diversity consultant Diana Pastora Carson. Diana and Qudsiya talked about Diana’s own journey to embracing disability inclusion as she battled to free her brother, Joaquin from long-term institutionalization so that he could live in his community. Diana also shared the tools she has developed to help parents, students, and educators practice disability inclusion. Visit our website for transcripts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

Bri Joy Moore, host of the podcast Power Not Pity, joins Qudsiya to talk about the birth of the podcast, Bri’s growth as a poet, and Bri’s "disabled superpower". Be sure to listen all the way through for a special surprise from Bri. For our younger listeners, please note that this episode does include some explicit language. Visit our website for transcripts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

Qudsiya sits down with Peter Torres Fremlin, the author of the newsletter Disability Debrief, a project that brings together disability news and resources from over 125 countries around the world. Peter recounts his travels as an international disability rights expert, his own personal journey into disability identity, and gives us a behind the scenes look at Disability Debrief. Visit our website for transcripts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

Qudsiya speaks with Dom Kelly, the co-founder, President, and CEO of New Disabled South about the road that led him to political activism, the birth of New Disabled South, its grounding in the principles of disability justice, and its innovative regional organizing approach. Visit our website for transcripts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

Check out this special sneak peek into the voices you’ll hear in Season 7, dropping into your feeds on August 8. Qudsiya is excited to get back down to it with everyone in a few short weeks! Visit our website for transcripts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

Check out this amazing episode of Ten Thousand Things from our friends at KUOW in Seattle, featuring a meditation on voice from disability justice activist, oracle, and cyborg, Alice Wong. Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai is an acclaimed podcast that amplifies heartfelt stories from Asian America. You should definitely check it out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you love to listen—and tell them we sent you! Transcript available here. To hear more from Alice Wong, check out Qudsiya's conversation with Alice in season 3, episode 1 of Down to the Struts. -- Loving Down to the Struts? Support the team behind the podcast with a donation. Leave a review on Apple podcasts. Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.

On March 4, 2023, the disability community lost one of its most significant leaders—Judy Heumann left us to carry on her legacy of demanding that disabled people have the right and the opportunity to live in their communities, access employment, go to school, and so much more. Beyond being a dedicated and savvy international disability rights advocate, she was a beautiful and kind soul, a connector, and a bridge-builder. Qudsiya shares Season 4, episode 1, “Reflections on the Disability Revolution” as a tribute to Judy’s life and legacy. -- If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.