Today, as we observe International Persons with Disabilities Day, I want to share a deeply personal journey that led me to confront a harsh reality: we live in an ableist society, and it is killing us. Ableism, as aptly defined by abolitionist TL Lewis, is a system...
Vanessa Harris, PE, appeared on WGN Weekend News with Gaynor Hall. The following versions of the interviews are open captioned with American Sign Language. Transcripts of the Evening News and Morning News are below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6pd2ifA84 WGN...
Vanessa Harris, PE appeared on ABC7 Chicago Eyewitness News after being awarded as a Leader for a New Chicago. She discussed the honor with ABC7anchor Terrell Brown. The transcript of the clip follows....
The #FieldFoundation and #MacArthurfoundation announced the #2023LeadersforANewChicago. Five of the ten awardees were interviewed by Sasha-Ann Simons on WBEZ's Reset program. The ten awardees are as follows: Glo Choi, Mark Clements, Amethyst Davis, Carlos Flores,...
This guest post was written by Sophia Jean When Gymnastics star and Olympic champion Simone Biles arrived at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, everyone expected her to sweep through the competitions and deliver breathtaking performances. However, the pressure and stress that...
It is hard to imagine being in other people’s shoes, but it is even harder to imagine being in someone else’s chair. For Frank Petrie, the most common phrase he hears from non-wheelchair users is “I can only imagine.” This expression was the inspiration for “The View...
Being a Deaf individual during the coronavirus pandemic has been scary. Not only has access to critical information, including press conferences at the federal, state and local levels, been limited, my wife and I worry about communication access at the hospital when...
NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT Last night I went to see a play. I had the best seats in the house, and I enjoyed some delicious fried shrimp and KoolAde which I served myself 5 minutes before the play started. The play? Teenage Dick, a re-engineering of William...
This Guest Post Is By Nate Stewart and was reprinted from The Mighty, A Disability Blog Many of us are in the process of getting ourselves ready for the onset of coronavirus (COVID-19), the new viral strain in the coronavirus family that causes symptoms like dry...
This guest post was written by one of my SMARTEST friends--REVECA TORRES! My Smart Friends By Reveca Torres Let me introduce you to my friends. They are so smart, and I know you will love them. My favorite friend is Nestor (Nest Smart Thermostat). He knows when to...
A guest post by Christine Kerr Many people talk about the bond that exists between twins. It is often said that they understand each other and communicate in a way that is described as different, somehow deeper than the bonds of regular siblings, and friendships. I...
Guest Post by ChrisTiana ObeySumner Originally published by the South Seattle Emerald I recently signed my first commercial lease and moved into my first solid office space. It is exciting to finally be able to create an environment that would mitigate barriers that...