KUDOS-- Kamaro Brown Adds Accessibility Function to Instagram Account

Karmao Brown, the culture influencer on "Queer Eye", the new Netflix update to Bravo TV's original hit show"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", recently announced the addition of captions to his Instagram videos. Brown said, “…we often don’t think how we can show up or support [people with disabilities]…” and asked his followers for additional input on how to better support “our brothers and sisters living with a disability.”

While video captioning is most often associated with content accessibility for individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing, text captions can be beneficial to many different users, including people whose primary language isn't English and people with certain learning disabilities.

Visit The Mighty for the full story: https://themighty.com/2018/04/queer-eye-karamo-brown-disability-instagram/

Disability and #metoo

Actor/comedian Bill Cosby went on trial this Monday for sexual assault, a previous trial having ended with the jury unable to come to a verdict. The new trial is occurring post-#metoo, and only time will tell if the sociocultural shift fomented by the movement will have an affect on Cosby's verdict this time around.

Reading the retrial coverage made me wonder how the disability community is responding to the Me Too Movement. While I gather my thoughts for a lengthier post, I recommend the sources below:

http://nmpoliticalreport.com/809274/the-disability-communitys-long-awaited-metoo-moment/ 

https://rewire.news/article/2017/11/01/disability-integral-metoo-conversation/ 

Twitter Hate Speech Reporting Now Includes Disabilities

With new changes to it's hate-speech reporting form, Twitter has finally included content targeting people with disabilities. I recommend the sites below for synopses of the changes:
https://themighty.com/2018/04/twitter-changes-reporting-form-include-hate-against-people-with-disabilities/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/twitter-updates-reporting-guidelines-to-include-people-with-disabilities/

https://mic.com/articles/188760/twitter-will-now-allow-you-to-report-hate-speech-against-people-with-disabilities#.dOAbmmX9d

The Ableing of Stephen Hawking: Views from the Disability Community

When acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, millions mourned not just death of a great scientist and author, but the loss of such a visible member of the disability community. However, his memorialization in recent weeks hasn't been without (sometimes considerable) controversy as numerous tributes have included comments about 'finally being free' from his disability and similar tropes. Below, I've shared some of the commentaries I've found most interesting on the issue.

How I Saw Stephen Hawking's Death as a Disabled Person, by Ellis Palmer:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-43418251

Stephen Hawking's Death Sparks Conversation On Disability And Ableism, by Annette Ejiofor:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/03/15/stephen-hawking-death_a_23386628/

The Tributes to Stephen Hawking Show What’s Wrong With How We Talk About Disability, by Robyn Powell:
https://rewire.news/article/2018/03/27/tributes-stephen-hawking-show-whats-wrong-talk-disability/

Erasing Stephen Hawking's Disability Erases An Important Part of Who He Was, by Jessica Roy:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-stephen-hawking-disability-rights-20180316-story.html