Weekly Reading List

Welcome to the first Weekly Reading List of 2017.

2016 People of the Year: The Resisters
Josie Byzek, New Mobility - January 1, 2016

This is an interesting format for a disability rights news article ... a series of profiles of key individuals involved in a specific issue. Besides that, the public relations fight against the "Me Before You" film was definitely one of the bright spots of 2016, even if the film itself was one of the year's darkest moments for disabled people. And tying it in with other aspects of "better dead than disabled" trends is astute and important.

Defending Health Care in 2017: What Is At Stake in New York State
Families USA Fact Sheet - December, 2016

Whatever happens to health care programs on the federal level, people are probably first going to notice real-life changes in each state, and it's going to play out differently in each one. The sooner we come to grips with that layer of the issue, the better.

Disabled Community Weighs In On Ride Sharing
Dave Lucas, WAMC Northeast Public Radio - December 29, 2016

I have to admit that I'm not sure myself how feasible it is for services like Uber and Lyft to provide equal service to wheelchair users. Guide dogs and providing reasonable personal assistance, absolutely. That should be no problem at all. But a certain segment of the wheelchair using population needs adapted vehicles, and that's a tough thing for a loosely organized group of contractors bound by an iPhone app to provide. What I can't stand though is lawmakers saying that accessibility and equal service are detailed to be worked out later. We know from experience that details are never worked out later. They have to be worked out from the start, no matter how hard it seems.

I had a lump in my breast. So why did the radiologist focus on my disability?
Susan S. Turner, Washington Post - January 1, 2017

I don't mind doctors, nurses, and medical technicians being curious about my disability. Within reason, I am happy to "educate" them. I think what we're all looking for is a modicum of courtesy and self-awareness, along with a recognition that our disabilities aren't always at the center of our medical problems. Sometimes, disabled people are just plain sick.

Tips for Creating a Home for Aging Owners
Kaya Laterman, New York Times - December 30, 2016

It's good to see a high-quality article in the New York Times on making homes accessible, and the aging connection is obvious. I just wish there wasn't still such a divide between articles on "aging in place" and articles on "accessibility for the disabled." They call for the same steps, even if they aren't exactly the same topic.