Disability Visibility

Every political issue is a disability issue and as the daughter of immigrants, I know that immigration is an important disability issue. Today I get a chance to talk with Conchita Hernandez Legorreta about her experiences as a disabled immigrant.  Conchita was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS which stands for Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students, a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind, low vision students and other disabilities. She’s also a co-founder of the National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities that seeks to amplify the voices of disabled Latinx in the disability rights movement. Currently, Conchita works as a Blind and Low Vision Specialist for the state of Maryland. For more after this episode check out another short interview I did with Conchita for the podcast about the 30th anniversary of the ADA which is episode 82a.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

United We Dream

National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities

Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students

“What Is Public Charge?” Immigrant Legal Resource Center

“Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule Designed To Impede Immigrants Seeking Green Cards,” Dustin Jones, NPR, November 2, 2020.

Ep 82a: Americans with Disabilities Act with Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, Disability Visibility podcast, July 26, 2020.

“Trump’s Public-Charge Rule Would Threaten Disabled Immigrants’ Health and Safety,” Rebecca Cokley and Hannah Leibson, Center for American Progress, August 8, 2018.

Maria (Conchita) Hernandez Legorreta was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad through a lens of intersectionality focusing on social justice. Conchita received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, majoring in International Studies, Spanish, and History. She then went on to Louisiana Tech University where she received her Master’s in Teaching with a focus on teaching blind students. As well, Conchita earned a master’s certificate in working with Deaf-Blind students from Northern Illinois University. She is currently a Doctoral student at George Washington University pursuing a degree in Special Education. Conchita has been published in Future Reflections and Rooted in Rights. Conchita keeps up with research in special education and serves as a peer reviewer on the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research. Conchita conducts workshops on best practices for educators and professionals in the field of disability and advocacy in the United States and internationally. Conchita worked in the rehabilitation field in Nebraska where she set up innovative programming for disabled adults. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS (Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students) a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind/low vision students and other disabilities. In this role she engages lawmakers in policy discussions around people with disabilities and inclusion. Conchita is also a co-founder of the National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities that seeks to amplify the voices of disabled Latinx in the disability rights movement. Currently, Conchita works as the Maryland Blind and Low Vision Specialist. Conchita strives to be a voice for change for educators, professionals and advocates to make full inclusion a reality for people with disabilities in Latin America.

Twitter: @Conchitahdz

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Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Moonglow” by Podington Bear (Moonglow by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

I love museums. I miss going to them but am glad there are so many museums with online exhibits and programming. Today we’re talking about museums with Amanda Cachia, an independent curator and critic from Sydney, Australia who is now based in the U.S. She received her PhD in Art History, Theory & Criticism from the University of California San Diego in 2017. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary art; curatorial studies and activism; exhibition design and access; decolonizing the museum; and the politics of embodied disability language in visual culture. You’ll hear Amanda talk about her scholarship and work as a disabled curator, museum accessibility during this pandemic, how curators can make accessibility part of their practices, and how technology can bring people closer to art in new ways.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

Alt-Text as Poetry, Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan

No longer in extremis. Andrea Montiel de Shuman, June 15, 2020, Medium.com

Curators Urge Guggenheim to Fix Culture That ‘Enables Racism,’ Robin Pogrebin, June 22, 2020, The New York Times. 

How to Make Art in a Pandemic? Khairani Barokka, June 2020, Art Monthly.

The Museum Does Not Exist, Dana Kopel, May 13, 2020, SSENSE

How Colonial Visual Cultures Have Worsened This Pandemic and What Needs To Change, Khairani Barokka, April 13, 2020, Disability Visibility Project. 

Ep 72: Disabled Curators with Anna Berry, March 8, 2020, Disability Visibility podcast.

What Does It Mean to Be an Accessible Museum? Francesca Rosenberg, November 16, 2017, Museum of Modern Art.

Smithsonian Standards and Guidelines for Accessibility and Accessible Exhibition Design

1/4 Take a seat, stay awhile

As part of our #MetAccess program, we're inviting Disabled artists to respond to works from the #MetCollection that spark curiosity or inspiration.

Today, Shannon Finnegan (@shanfinnegan) shares her thoughts on this 19th-century folding armchair: pic.twitter.com/kzGwF4mEWI

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) August 10, 2020

Amanda Cachia is an independent curator and critic from Sydney, Australia. She received her PhD in Art History, Theory & Criticism from the University of California San Diego in 2017. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary art; curatorial studies and activism; exhibition design and access; decolonizing the museum; and the politics of embodied disability language in visual culture. She is currently working on two book projects: a monograph based on her dissertation entitled In My Language: Translation in Contemporary Disability Art solicited by Duke University Press, and the edited volume Curating Access: Disability Art Activism and Creative Accommodation for Routledge that includes over 30 contributors from around the world. Cachia currently teaches art history, visual culture, and curatorial studies at Otis College of Art and Design, California Institute of the Arts, California State University Long Beach, and California State University San Marcos. She serves as caa.reviews Field Editor for West Coast Exhibitions (2020-2023).

Twitter: @AmandaCachia2

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Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Awakenings” and “Vantage Points” by Ketsa (Source: freemusicarchive.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 license).

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

With Election Day just two weeks away in the United States on November 3rd, this is the perfect time to talk about policy. Today’s episode features an interview with Liz Weintraub. Liz is an advocate who has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations. She is a full time member of the policy team for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and she is also the host of Tuesdays With Liz: Disability Policy For All, where she talks about policy in accessible language. You’ll learn how Liz got involved in disability policy, why she loves it and why it matters. Please note our conversation took place before the coronavirus pandemic. 

[Google doc]     [PDF]

Liz Weintraub has a long history of leadership in self advocacy, and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations. She is a full time member of the AUCD’s policy team and also the host of Tuesdays With Liz: Disability Policy For All, where she attempts to make policies in accessible language so policy is accessible to all.

In the Spring of 2018, Liz served as a Fellow for Senator Casey of Pennsylvania, working in his DC Office where she helped lead the way on disability policy by helping the Senator hold the administration accountable for disability stakeholder input into key programs; calling attention to the need for accessible supports and services for students and employees with disabilities on college campuses who have been sexually assaulted, which resulted in a S.2530; and helped organize a first of its kind Pennsylvania Disability Employment Summit with over 250 participants. Said Senator Casey, “Liz has shown the Senate how important it is to have staff members who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. She’s helped reshape the culture of the Senate.”

In the fall of 2018, Liz told the story of her personal experience as a woman with disabilities as she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the potential implications of a Kavanaugh confirmation to the civil rights of people with disabilities. Read her submitted written testimony and watch her oral testimony on AUCD’s website.

Prior to coming to AUCD, Liz worked for the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL). Liz is an alumni of the LEND training program at the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University. Liz was a past chair of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council. Liz is rejoining the Council for another term. Liz has received numerous awards, recognition, and commendations for her work. Liz enjoys mentoring people with disabilities.

Twitter: @tuesdaywithliz

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Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Frogs in Tuxes” by Podington Bear (Frogs In Tuxes by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Today’s episode is on climate action with Kera Sherwood-O’Regan, an indigenous multidisciplinary storyteller and activist based in Aotearoa, also known as New Zealand. Kera’s work and activism centers structurally oppressed communities in social change, and crosses the intersections of indigenous & disability rights, health, and climate change. Kera will share about her involvement in climate activism and its intersections with disability and indigenous activism and why climate movements must center indigenous and disabled people.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

Ep 63: Climate Change with Layel Camargo & Elena Aurora and Alex Ghenis

This is a call out to white disabled Aotearoa.

Take a minute. Disability spaces are so exclusive against Māori & multiply oppressed folk, & yet there are lots of white disabled folk aligning with the people doing us harm without thinking about whakapapa of projects or orgs.

— Kera O’Regan (@keraoregan) April 26, 2020

I am really sick of trying to be gracious and hold space for learning and growth for organisations and people who refuse to return the same care or awhi when we are harmed and seek support, and those who extract our knowledge to further divide our communities.

— Kera O’Regan (@keraoregan) September 21, 2020

Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Kāi Tahu, Te Waipounamu) is an indigenous multidisciplinary storyteller and activist based in Aotearoa New Zealand. She runs social impact creative agency, Activate [www.activate.film], to co-create community-led stories and projects for social change. Kera’s work and activism centers structurally oppressed communities in social change, and crosses the intersections of indigenous & disability rights, hauora (health), and climate change. She is also the Founder of Fibromyalgia Aotearoa NZ [www.fibromyalgia.org.nz], and in her spare time facilitates support groups for people living with chronic pain, and collaborates with many NGOs on issues of climate justice.

website: www.keraoregan.co.nz 

twitter: @keraoregan

instagram: @kera.oregan 

linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keraoregan/

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Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Origami” by Podington Bear (Origami by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Today’s episode is about transportation with Maddy Ruvolo. Maddy is a disabled urban planner passionate about transportation access for the disability community. She also just graduated this year from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. Maddy will share how she first became interested in transportation and the results from a survey she conducted of people with disabilities in San Francisco about new mobility technologies and services. You’ll learn more about new mobility and Maddy’s vision for inclusive and accessible cities in the future.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

“Access Denied? Perceptions of New Mobility Services Among Disabled People in San Francisco,” Maddy Ruvolo, 2020, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies.

The Untokening is a multiracial collective that centers the lived experiences of marginalized communities to address mobility justice and equity.

“American cities are a nightmare for disabled people. Coronavirus is giving us a chance to change that,” Luke Ottenhof, July 29, 2020, Mic.

Maddy Ruvolo (she/her) is a disabled urban planner and researcher passionate about transportation access for the disability community. She has worked for the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and the Oakland Department of Transportation. Maddy has a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a B.A. in American Studies from Scripps College. Maddy began her career at disability rights organizations and brings her lived experience with disability to all facets of her work.

Twitter: @MaddyRuvolo

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Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Night Watch” and “Pinky” by Blue Dot Sessions. (Source: FreeMusicArchive.org. Licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Today’s episode is all about fat liberation with Max Airborne and Caleb Luna. Max is an organizer for collective liberation, rooted in fat liberation and disability justice. They co-founded Fat Rose and an organizer for the No Body Is Disposable campaign. Caleb is a performer-scholar-activist. They are a Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, where their research focuses on historicizing performances of eating and cultural representations and fat embodiment. Max and Caleb will talk about their lived experiences as fat people, the hate, violence, and oppression toward fat people and what fat politics and liberation is all about.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

No Body Is Disposable, campaign against discrimination in triage

“An Unacceptable Sacrifice: Fatphobia, Ableism, and the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Finn Gardiner, March 30, 2020, Disability Visibility Project.

Fat Activist Vernacular, Charlotte Cooper, 2019.

Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement, Charlotte Cooper, 2016, HammerOn Press.

Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, Sabrina Strings, May 2019, NYU Press.

Caleb Luna (they/them) is a performer-scholar-activist. They are a Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, where their research focuses on historicizing performances of eating and cultural representations and fat embodiment. They are interested in embodied difference as a generative resource toward fatter understandings of collective freedom. You can find their writing online at Black Girl Dangerous, Everyday Feminism and The Body Is Not An Apology. Their print publications include Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color (2018); Canadian Art magazine (Winter 2018); and the forthcoming Queer Nightlife anthology. They also produce exclusive content at Patreon.com/CalebLuna.

Twitter: @chairbreaker_

Max Airborne is an organizer for collective liberation, rooted in fat liberation and disability justice. They co-founded Fat Rose: fatrose.org

Instagram: @fatlibink 

Twitter: @fatroseaction

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Cheryl Green, Audio Producer and Text Transcript

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp”

Album: NO BIG DEAL

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Affairs of State” by Shaolin Dub. (Source: FreeMusicArchive.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Today’s episode is all about anthologies with Kelly Jensen, a writer and editor who has a new anthology out now titled, Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy. I also have a new anthology out this summer titled Disability Visibility and so excited to have this conversation with Kelly as two disabled editors. You’ll hear about the unique aspects of anthologies, Kelly’s approach to finding contributors and editing their writing, and wondrous radicalness of bodies. And full disclosure, I have an essay in Body Talk about saliva and you can read a short excerpt here. 

You can also join Kelly and me in conversation for an online book event on September 27, 2020, 4 pm Pacific co-organized by the Disability Visibility Project and Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University.

Register:  tinyurl.com/DisabilityAnthologies

[Google doc]     [PDF]

Kelly Jensen is a former teen librarian who worked in several public libraries before pursuing a full-time career in writing and editing. Her current position is with Book Riot (bookriot.com), where she focuses on talking about young adult literature. Her books include Here We Are: Feminism for The Real World and (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, a collection of art, essays, and words to launch a powerful and important conversation about mental health. It was named a best book of 2018 by the Washington Post and earned a Schneider Family Book Award Honor. Her new anthology is Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy, available August 18, 2020 by Workman Books. 

Website: https://kellybjensen.com/

Twitter: @veronikellymars

Instagram: @heykellyjensen

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Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Rebound” by Podington Bear (Rebound by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Today’s episode is all about disabled dancers with India Harville, an African American queer disabled femme teacher, somatic bodyworker, dancer, instructor, activist, and educator. You’ll hear India talk about how she became involved in dance and what it means to her, what accessed centered movement is and how it’s rooted in disability justice, and the connections between bodywork, dance, and healing. Please note our conversation took place in January of 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

India Harville is an African American queer disabled femme teacher, somatic bodyworker, dancer/dance instructor, performance artist, social justice activist, and educator dedicated to facilitating people in personal and collective healing and transformation.  

India has over 17 years experience in the fields of embodiment via massage, somatics, and dance. India is trained in several massage/somatic modalities including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy, Shiatsu, Thai,  and Rosen Method Bodywork.  India has studied several forms of dance including NIA, Zumba, KiVo, Dancing Freedom, DanceAbility, and American DanceWheels wheelchair ballroom dance. India has over 15 years teaching experience.

India’s eclectic toolkit makes her very adept in helping people deepen their connection to themselves and to helping people find more pleasure and ease in their lives.

India holds a BA in health psychology from New College of Florida and a MA in Integrative Medicine from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).  

India has received many awards/fellowships including the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship Award to conduct research on the body’s response to stress in Dusseldorf Germany, three scholarships/residencies to study/teach/perform mixed abilities dance, including one with Sins Invalid in Berkeley California, and has conducted research at The Touch Research Institute in Miami Florida, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco State, and Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley California.

India has had health challenges since infancy, but she did not adopt a politicized disabled identity until 2011. In the last seven years her health conditions have been her greatest teacher. Her personal journey with disability deeply informs how she works with others.

India is originally from Michigan, but considers herself a Bay Area convert after living here for over a decade.  When India is not working with clients, she enjoys time in nature, reading, and meditation.

Website: http://lovingtheskinyouarein.com/

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DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp”

Album: NO BIG DEAL

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Loca salsa 2” by zagi2, March 3, 2015 (Licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported license CC BY-NC 3.0)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Surprise! This is a bonus episode talking about disability rights and the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (also known as the ADA). I recently spoke with Conchita Hernandez Legorreta for an upcoming conversation on immigration and Conchita had some really important thoughts about disability rights, leadership and the ADA. Here is a short excerpt from my interview with Conchita. You can also learn more about Conchita in episode 90 of this podcast.

[Google doc] 

#ADA30InColor: 13 essays by disabled people of color on disability rights and justice

Maria (Conchita) Hernandez Legorreta was born in Mexico and grew up in California. She advocates for the rights of blind children and their parents in the public-school setting in the United States and abroad through a lens of intersectionality focusing on social justice. Conchita received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California, majoring in International Studies, Spanish, and History. She then went on to Louisiana Tech University where she received her Master’s in Teaching with a focus on teaching blind students. As well, Conchita earned a master’s certificate in working with Deaf-Blind students from Northern Illinois University. She is currently a Doctoral student at George Washington University pursuing a degree in Special Education. Conchita has been published in Future Reflections and Rooted in Rights. Conchita keeps up with research in special education and serves as a peer reviewer on the Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research. Conchita conducts workshops on best practices for educators and professionals in the field of disability and advocacy in the United States and internationally. Conchita worked in the rehabilitation field in Nebraska where she set up innovative programming for disabled adults. Conchita is the founder and Chair of METAS (Mentoring Engaging and Teaching All Students) a non-profit organization that trains educators in Latin America that work with blind/low vision students and other disabilities. In this role she engages lawmakers in policy discussions around people with disabilities and inclusion. Conchita is also a co-founder of the National Coalition of Latinx with Disabilities that seeks to amplify the voices of disabled Latinx in the disability rights movement. Currently, Conchita works as the Maryland Blind and Low Vision Specialist. Conchita strives to be a voice for change for educators, professionals and advocates to make full inclusion a reality for people with disabilities in Latin America. 

Twitter: @Conchitahdz

Support Disability Media and Culture

DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp”

Album: NO BIG DEAL

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Today is July 26, 2020 and in the United States it is the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, also known as the ADA. I’m much more comfortable asking questions, but I’m gonna share my personal story with you all on this occasion in this interview by my friend Rochelle Kwan. The tables are turned! Rochelle is the Community Producer for the podcast Self Evident and the storytelling team lead at Think!Chinatown, a community organization based in New York City Chinatown. I first met Rochelle when she worked at StoryCorps and we immediately bonded about Lunar New Year festivities and dumplings. You’ll hear about my early years, the influence of the ADA on my life, my thoughts about the future of accessibility, and more.

[Google doc]     [PDF]

#ADA30InColor: 13 essays by disabled people of color on disability rights and justice

Chang, Momo. (February 18, 2015). Lunar New Year Memories with StoryCorps. Center for Asian American Media.

Kwan, Rochelle. (February 19, 2019). Stories From The Lunar New Year With A National Facilitator. StoryCorps.

Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan is a writer, audio producer, and cultural organizer who brings together her backgrounds in social work and media to engage with communities to celebrate the power of everyday voices. Her work includes developing a community engagement program with AAPI communities at StoryCorps, training students to lay the foundation for the Hunter College Asian American Studies Oral History Archive, producing Chinatown community storytelling projects with Think!Chinatown, and cultivating meaningful relationships with AAPI communities around the country with Self Evident. When she’s not thinking about storytelling, you can typically find her dancing all night long, cooking family recipes, or eating mangoes.

Alice Wong is a disabled activist, media maker, and consultant. She is the Founder and Director of the Disability Visibility Project® (DVP), an online community dedicated to creating, sharing and amplifying disability media and culture created in 2014. Currently, Alice is the Editor of Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century, an anthology of essays by disabled people, available now (June 30, 2020) by Vintage Books.

Twitter: @SFdirewolf @DisVisibility

Support Disability Media and Culture

DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®

Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer

Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“Gentle Marimbas” by Podington Bear (Gentle Marimbas by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.