Two or three times a year, a celebrity makes an ignorant comment or joke about a person with a disability.  Whether it’s TV show host Jenny McCarthy promoting the widely debunked idea that vaccines cause autism or the many comedians who mock people with disabilities, these actions hurt.

Do these ignorant and painful comments warrant a response from disability activists?  Should we take time from our focus on survival issues like housing and homecare to push back and educate celebs?

Today we discuss how celebrity actions shape society’s attitudes towards people with disabilities.

Our guests include activist Reyma McCoy Hyten, creator of the social media slide project, “Lizzo and Wheelchair-Accessible White Supremacy;” Zoe Gross, Director of Advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network; and Nicole Adler, actress and member of the state council for developmental disabilities.

This episode of Pushing Limits is produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton with editing assistance from Mark Romoser, Denny Daughters & Sheela Gunn-Cushman.

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