disability justice Archives - Page 5 of 11

Public Speaking Emerge Fellowship

Claudia Alick had the pleasure of speaking with Emerge July 2023 Hybrid Disability Studies Workshop for Disabled Activists, Artists, Cultural Producers, Filmmakers, and Academics. The fellows are developing deeply exciting projects on topics of access, sex work, colonialism, anti-Blackness, Anti-fatness, cross-movement work and more. They are working in a variety of modalities producing documentaries, zines, and live performance. Claudia discussed their artistic practice, the messy spots they encounter and their tactics for working through them. They also discussed strategies for implementing disability justice in both your work and their organizational culture and what scholar-activism means to them. There was so much love and energy and excitement. It was accessible, disability centered and full of awesome people doing awesome things.

Statement for Claudia Alick’s Art Project “WHY MASK?”

Building upon the momentum of the march, Claudia Alick’s 2023 art project invites theaters and galleries to actively engage their audiences in a profound exploration of the WHY MASK? concept. In a time when many institutions and individuals have discarded COVID precautions, disregarding the concerns of the immunocompromised, it is imperative that we recognize the impact of such actions on accessibility and inclusivity.

Finding Fulfillment in the Accessible Mundane

In a world consumed by imaginary utopias and the pursuit of perfection, it is crucial to recognize the value of the accessible mundane. Perfection is a myth propagated by Supremacy Culture, fostering unrealistic expectations. Instead, we should embrace imperfection and engage in the day-to-day creative work of meeting our needs in messy, imperfect ways that align with our capabilities.

Happy Disability Pride Month!

Join Calling Up Justice in honoring Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the power and resilience of disabled individuals. This month-long celebration is an opportunity to promote disability justice and advocate for equality, while shedding light on the unique experiences and contributions of the disabled community. Let’s come together to challenge ableist narratives and create a more inclusive society.

Backbones Talk

Claudia Alick held an empowering talk about disability identity with the BACKBONES Youth Summer Program. BACKBONES connects people with spinal cord injuries and their families with events and one on one meet-ups. The ten youth participants shared their stories about how they entered the disability community. Claudia shared history of disability movement, disability justice concepts, and accessibility vocabulary that allowed the group to talk about disability identity and their world. We closed with a conversation inspired by The Justice Producers Collaborative about how our disabled identities inform our work in the world and make us uniquely qualified. It was awesome to end reflecting on disabled innovation, resialance, perseverance, creativity, and advocacy. It’s a cool accessible program and we were honored to participate.

CRIP DOULA

crip doula: a term created by disability justice organizer Stacey Park Milbern to describe the ways disabled people support/mentor newly disabled people in learning disabled skills (how to live on very low spoons, drive a wheelchair, have sex/redefine sexuality, etc.) A doula supports someone doing the work of childbirth; a crip doula is a dis-abled person supporting another disabled person as they do the work of becoming disabled, or differently disabled, of dreaming a new dis-abled life/world into being.

Crip Negativity

Calling Up Justice recommends texts for liberation and empowerment. These texts are recommended by Calling Up Justice participants in our online spaces. The following text was recommended during a session of Dis/Rep 2023.

Ry Mutual Aid Project

This is a mutual aid call from practice member Ry Holiday. They are working with a friend to raise funds for a wheelchair for someone in Honduras. We discussed this project in our Open Development meeting and helped RY choose design and text. Give directly to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/robbyh22 or Venmo: @robbyh23

involuntary porn artist

involuntary porn artist a poem by Claudia Alick

Breathing and Accessibility

For theater makers and social justice workers, starting meetings with a grounding or embodiment exercise can be a great way to connect a group and foster a sense of community. Breathing exercises, in particular, can be a powerful tool to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and increase focus. However, it’s important to recognize that not everyone can participate in these exercises in the same way. Some individuals may have difficulty with deep breathing, whether due to respiratory conditions or other physical limitations. For these individuals, it’s important to provide alternative ways to participate in group grounding exercises.

Tag: disability justice