Community Living

We envision a world in which everyone who has a disability is afforded opportunities to live in their own homes, work in non-segregated places of employment, and make their own choices. This is true community living, and this is the focus of these pieces.

Our region needs more wheelchair accessible taxis

September 13, 2019 Dear Mayor Durkan, Currently there are only fifty wheelchair accessible taxis (WAT) to serve our 2.2 million residents of King County. WATs are an essential piece of our transportation network, but customers often have …

Photo of Christian standing in front of his car, which is parked sideways across accessible spots, in front of a restaurant called Pancake Circus

What Transportation Access Really Means for Disabled People

The strange man at the gas station in Utah approached shyly. I was alone, several hundred miles from home. It was one of those anonymous pit stops between where you’re from and anywhere else that sees a ceaseless tide of …

Three photos left to right: Alaina, a thin, young white cane user, standing in the Boston Public Garden with her lavender cane. She is wearing a dark blue romper with umbrellas on it and she has dark brown and purple hair. The second is Alaina standing outside with her lavender cane. She is wearing a colorful Zodiac skirt and a shirt that says "The Future Is Accessible." The third is Alaina at BookCon with her lavender cane. She is wearing a rainbow dress with books all over it.

What I Wish People Knew About Being a Young Cane User

Although Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the genetic connective tissue disorder I have, is lifelong, my symptoms have varied throughout my life. I started using a cane in August or September 2016 to help with balance, stability, stamina, and chronic pain. I don’t …

Photo of Ryan hugging his service dog, PIco.

Using Rideshare Services Isn’t Easy When You Have a Service Animal. That Needs to Change.

“Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, ‘I don’t believe in The …

A graduation cap on a pile of American coins.

Here’s Why Student Loan Debt is a Disability Rights Issue

When Cara Liebowitz graduated from the City University of New York School of Professional Studies in 2016 with her MA in Disability Studies, she was already on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) so she found it surprisingly easy to have her …

A row of inmates move down a walkway. Several are in wheelchairs. Another uses a walker.

VIDEO: Washington’s Greying Prisons and the Need for Geriatric Review

This video explores the need for post-conviction review legislation for aging prisoners in the state of Washington.

person sitting in a wheelchair holding cup for money next to people passing by

Homelessness is a Disability Justice Issue

A few months after I left college, I found myself working for a short time at a men’s homeless shelter in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. I was a peer advocate, providing meals and conversation during late afternoon and …

In Appalachia, Disability Stigma Has Dangerous Effects

My mother-in-law tried to get Travis (not his real name) on disability. But it was complicated. Not just the process of navigating the bureaucracy around the application—another part of her problem was that being “on disability” in East Tennessee is…

Photo showing a person kneeling down, assisting a person sitting in a wheelchair with putting on a sock.

Home Health Aides Help Me Live My Life. We Need to Pay Them Better.

When I decided to begin living on my own after my mother’s stroke, I knew I would receive an increase in the number of weekly attendant hours assigned to me. Since I required assistance with several activities of daily living,…