A stethoscope with text that reads 2020 in the middle, surrounded by vital sign lines

5 Things Disabled People are Looking for in Healthcare Plans as the 2020 Elections Approach

A friend asks: “Do you support Medicare For All? Why not? Don’t you believe everyone has a right to health care?” Your coworker says: “I think everyone should have healthcare, but how do we pay for it? And even if…

Shopping for the Best Presidential Candidate? Here’s a List to Help.

It can be hard for any voter to figure out which presidential candidate to support. For disabled voters, it can be bewildering and downright painful. You find a good candidate — someone you’re really excited to vote for, who promotes…

Photo of Presidential debate stage with four empty podiums

Here’s Some Free Advice for Presidential Candidates on How to Talk About Disability

The 2020 Elections are still 17 months away and there are currently 26 people are running for President. We’re just about to see the first two Democratic Debates, set for June 26 and 27. With that in mind, I’d…

Hand touching global network and data exchanges illustrated on a 3D rendering of the globe

Disabled Person Online? Here are Some Tips for Navigating the Internet.

We are all a bit skittish about the internet these days. There’s shady data collection, “fake news,” and the addictive qualities of social media to contend with, not to mention the emotional toll that online life can take when it…

Black and white drawing of hands raised up in different protest gestures. One holds a sign that says "no" in bold red letters.

Can We Stop Arguing About the “Right Way” to Be a Disability Activist?

There is more than one way to do disability activism. This should be obvious, but needs repeating. There are plenty of internal arguments inside the disability community, about race, gender, sexual orientation, age, social class, and disability type, not to…

Green Road Sign against a blue sky that says "Equal Rights This Way"

The Americans with Disabilities Act: Then and Now

On Thursday, July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I was in my first year working at a Center for Independent Living, and my understanding of disability was evolving. I was starting…

A close-up of a black sign on a building that says "Hospital" in gray letters. Next to the text is a red square with a gray cross symbol on it.

Dealing with Medical Ableism

I have a tracheostomy and use a ventilator to breathe at night. It works well for me, and I have no regrets, but every couple of years, I wind up in the hospital with some kind of upper respiratory infection.…

Word cloud in the shape of a speech bubble. The words are repeated multiple times throughout the shapes. The words include "disabled person, person with a disability, special needs, differently abled, handicapped, physically challenged."

My Journey with Disability Language and Identity

Are we “handicapped” or “disabled,” “disabled people” or “people with disabilities,” “differently abled” or “special needs?” The debate over disability language is exhausting and exasperating. But I come back to it because the ever-changing ways we talk and think about…

Author: Andrew Pulrang