Down to the Struts

In this episode, Qudsiya is joined by Jennifer Natalya Fink, professor of English and the director of the program in Disability Studies at Georgetown University. They talk about Jennifer’s new book, All Our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship.

This is a powerful reflection that documents the erasure of disability from our family narratives, the damage that this can cause as we navigate our kinship ties, and how applying the principles of disability justice to bring our disabled ancestors back into our family lineage can help us hold our communities closer in webs of care.

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.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade has sent shockwaves around the world. In this special bonus episode of Down to the Struts, Qudsiya is joined by journalist Sara Luterman. Sara and Qudsiya discuss a first-of-its-kind poll conducted by Data for Progress about disabled people’s views on abortion, the history of reproductive autonomy for disabled people in the U.S., and the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization for disabled communities.

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.

In the first episode of season 5, Qudsiya is joined by musician Precious Perez. They talk about her experiences as a disabled artist and musician, her participation in the newly-launched advocacy coalition, RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), and her vision for a music industry that centers and elevates disabled artists and music professionals.

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.

With support from the Disability Visibility Project, Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid are gathering information about disabled podcasters and podcasts focused on disability and accessibility (or “disability podcasts” for short). They will use your answers to develop an online listing of podcasts and resource for disabled podcasters to find each other and find audiences.

Down to the Struts will return for its fifth season on June 14. Listen to the trailer for a preview from this season’s guests, including a disabled musician, educator and youth activist, a social psychologist and more.

If you're excited for the upcoming season, 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.

Dr. Arielle Silverman was the very first guest on Down to the Struts. Now, the disability researcher and consultant returns for a very special bonus episode. Arielle joins Qudsiya to talk about her new memoir, Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect and Inclusion.

Arielle tells Qudsiya about what led her to write Just Human, her own journey as a blind person, and how she's translated her rigorous research and personal experiences into a framework for disability inclusion.

The season 4 finale gets a little meta - Qudsiya is joined by Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid to talk about disability and the world of podcasting!

Cheryl and Thomas tell Qudsiya about the early days of disabled podcasting and audio production; their creative process; and a new initiative they are launching in collaboration with the Disability Visibility Project to create a learning and collaboration hub for disabled podcasters and members of the disability community who want to pursue podcasting. They also discuss the power of the collective, and the failure of mainstream podcasting to capture the authentic voices and stories of disability.

Qudsiya is joined by Robert Kingett, a totally blind, gay, author, essayist and freelance journalist. Qudsiya and Robert discuss Robert’s journey to becoming a writer, the creation of his anthology, Artificial Divide, and why the publishing industry should advance works of fiction created by disabled authors.

Qudsiya is joined by Erika Rickard, director of a project at The Pew Charitable Trusts aimed at modernizing our nation's civil legal system. They talked about the findings of a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts entitled, “How Courts Embraced Technology, Met the Pandemic Challenge, and Revolutionized Their Operations,” and what more needs to be done to ensure that disabled people can access an increasingly virtual courtroom to solve consequential problems related to family and economic stability.

Qudsiya is joined by Sandy Ho, a disability policy researcher and the founder of the Disability & Intersectionality summit. They talk about Sandy’s journey to becoming a disability justice activist and scholar and her creation of the Disability and Intersectionality Summit. Together, they discuss how we can reimagine the way we think about academia and scholarship, and who is included in those spaces.