Down to the Struts: Recent Episodes
Qudsiya Naqui
A podcast about disability and design, where we uncover the building blocks for a more inclusive world.
Disability news is everywhere. And, for more than 200 additions, Peter Torres Fremlin’s
Disability Debrief newsletter has brought us that news from around the world, providing a vital lens into the policies, politics, and lived experiences of disability communities from Brazil, to Bangladesh, to Nigeria, and beyond. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with Peter about the secret sauce that has brought the Debrief into the inboxes of thousands of people around the world, and his vision for disability news moving forward.
-
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
July 26th marked the 36th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As we’ve talked about many times on this podcast, the ADA was no doubt, a major milestone for accessibility and the inclusion of disabled people in social, economic, and civic life. But there is still so much work to do, including in the music industry, where the inaccessibility of performance venues and award ceremonies like the Grammys, and the undervaluing of disabled music professionals continue to invisibilize disability culture.
In this throwback from season five, Qudsiya sat down with Precious Perez, a classically trained Pop R&B and Latin vocalist, song writer, and multi instrumentalist, about her involvement with Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, an organization co-founded by past Down to the Struts guest, Lachi. RAMPD is a professional consultancy group and networking platform that amplifies disability culture and inclusion within the music industry.
When Qudsiya spoke to Precious, RAMPD was a brand new organization that has since exploded onto the music scene—making incredible strides to bring accessibility to the Grammys, create new opportunities for disabled music professionals, and reshape how we think about the business of music.
-
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
In addition to making media accessible and centering disabled storytelling through podcasting and other creative forms, it is essential that we make visible the views of disabled people on critical issues of the day. In this important conversation with Sara Luterman of the 19th, we discussed Sara’s reporting on a first of its kind poll by Data for Progress about disabled people’s views on abortion. These views are diverse and complex, rooted in histories of institutionalization, forced sterilization, and the use of abortion to erase disability. This type of polling highlights the critical importance of cross-movement solidarity between the movements for disability justice and reproductive justice, to ensure that the battle for reproductive autonomy is not just about the right to abortion, but also the right to bear children, and to effectively care for ourselves and our families. These issues are more important than ever, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which overturned Roe v. Wade and the Constitutional right to abortion, resulting in a massive erosion in access to reproductive healthcare for birthing people.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
When Qudsiya spoke with Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid back in Season 4, they were on the precipice of launching a new project with the support of our beloved disabled ancestor, Alice Wong to bring more disabled creatives into the world of podcasting. Since then, Thomas and Cheryl launched Pod Access, a hub for disabled podcasters, including a library of disabled led podcasts, a skill share platform, a podcast featuring insights about how to launch and grow a podcast specifically designed for disabled podcasters, and many other resources and opportunities for collaboration.
In this episode, you’ll get a firsthand window into Cheryl and Thomas’s podcasting origin stories, their creative process, and why they believe disability isn’t a specialty topic—it’s an essential lens for telling stories about everything from culture, to climate, to the economy.
Nearly six years ago, Alice Wong introduced Qudsiya to Cheryl Green, who then introduced her to Thomas Reid. Alice began a chain of connections without which Down to the Struts
Would never have been born. This is a testament to the power of disability community, and the magic that spreads when we help each other share our stories
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
It’s Disability Pride Month, and we’re continuing our trip down memory lane with a brand new mini series featuring past podcast conversations with leaders who have reshaped arts and media through the lens of disability. The Trump administration continues to threaten the erasure of disabled people from American society, most recently by calling into question a decades-old Supreme Court precedent in the case Olmstead v. L.C. that enshrined a right to community integration for disabled people under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now, more than ever, we need to lift up disability culture and tell disabled stories through every form of media possible. We also must ensure that media is accessible to disabled people because the ability to share our stories in our own voices is more important than ever.
As we continue the struggle to protect our right to live and thrive in this world, this season, we’re uplifting the journalists, podcasters, musicians, and artists who, every day, ensure that accessibility, disability culture, and disability stories are front and center. We’ll begin with one of our earliest podcast guests, Sean Collins, to learn about why image descriptions in news articles are essential to accessing the news.
We hope you enjoy revisiting these episodes with us! And stay tuned for a very special brand new episode to close out this mini series!
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! We have a very special episode on Qudsiya’s first mother’s day as a mom. Down to the Struts collaborated with the ladies of Babies Down, Bottles Up, a podcast about blind parenting featured in our feed last week.
Qudsiya, Josselyn, Kisha, and Terrin had a fascinating conversation over their favorite beverages about how the law treats disabled parents, and what blind parents need to know about navigating the family regulation system. The BDBU team shared their own stories of encounters with CPS, the pressures of trying to prove you are a competent disabled parent, and the importance of fiercely protecting their dignity and autonomy in a system designed to police disabled parents because of ableist assumptions that they are not worthy of birthing and caring for children.
Qudsiya, Josselyn, Terrin, and Kisha also shared important tips and resources for blind parents navigating family regulation. And, in true BDBU fashion, even as they discussed this serious topic, they managed to have some fun.
Check out the original BDBU episode page for more information and resources.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
We’re back with the final installment of our mini series featuring some fabulous disability podcasts that the team has been enjoying lately. Here at Down to the Struts, we explore disability, design, and intersectionality, including the multitude of identities each of us holds and how they shape—and are shaped by—the world around us.
A new identity for Qudsiya showed up when she became a parent with a disability. She wanted to learn from the many disabled parents who’ve come before her, so she went in search of them. She was delighted when she found the ladies of Babies Down, Bottles Up, a podcast featuring blind moms, bold stories, and a splash of wine. Hosts Terrin, Josselyn, and Kisha know how to have a great time while getting real about life as blind parents.
Today, we’re sharing one of Qudsiya’s favorite BDBU episodes, “Canes, Trains, and Planes,” which offers practical advice for traveling with children while blind. The BDBU team and Down to the Struts are also cooking up a special surprise for our listeners, so stay tuned for that in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to Babies Down, Bottles Up wherever you love to listen, check out the original episode page for Canes, Trains, and Planes, and, if you’re a blind parent, download the BDBU blind parenting toolkit for some fantastic and simple tools to guide you through the many phases and facets of parenting.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
We’re back with the second installment of our mini series featuring a small selection of other must-listen disability podcasts. This week, we’re exploring a new aspect of disability culture from our friends at Proud stutter. Proud Stutter is a podcast about changing how we understand and talk about stuttering. In this episode, host Maya Chupkov chats with Ina Lalich, a San Francisco-raised, multilingual woman who stutters.
Maya and Ina talk about language (Ina speaks English, Serbo-Croatian, and French), identity, and learning to take up space. Ina frames stuttering as a tool that enhances creativity, builds empathy, and brings precision to how we communicate. Stigma towards those who stutter is an example of how ableism undergirds what we as a society view as quote normal, and guides how we treat those whose voice or way of being deviates from that normal.
Proud Stutter is doing powerful work to open our minds to all the different ways there are to voice. Be sure to take a listen, and to follow Proud Stutter on your favorite podcast app.
Check out the original episode page for more information about the show.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
We’re back in your feeds for another mini series. This time, we’ll be featuring three other disability podcasts that are must-listens. First up is Crip Crap. Crip Crap was established in late 2021 as a container for producing and advancing disability media. It was created by Kennedy Healy, a white, fat, queer crip Writer and media maker, and Justin Cooper, a Black visual artist and disability advocate who became an ancestor in July 2024. Together, Justin and Kennedy have created a rich repository of conversations about representations of disability in media and in media making.
We’re thrilled to share one of them in our feed today. It’s entitled “Access and Acting” with actress Terri Lynne Hudson. Kennedy, Justin, and Terri talk about access and representation, and the state of the entertainment and theater industries for disabled talent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you enjoy, and be sure to subscribe to Crip Crap on your favorite podcast app.
Check out the original episode page for transcripts and more information about the show.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
We’re wrapping up our Immigration Mini Series with some brand new content, brought to you by our friends from Unseen.
In January 2026, Qudsiya joined forces once more With Unseen’s impact campaign to conduct a know your rights presentation specifically for disabled immigrants, so they can understand and assert their rights during encounters with ICE.
This episode of the Unseen podcast includes vital information about how to disclose a disability, seek accommodations, and how to develop a safety plan if you are a disabled immigrant, the family member or loved one of a disabled immigrant, or an ally who wants to support this community as they face this administration’s draconian and unceasing assault on immigrants.
We urge you to listen and share this information with others in your community to ensure our collective safety.
Check out the Unseen immersive podcast and visit the film’s website for more information about how to bring Unseen to your community. The impact campaign has also created this repository of resources for disabled and undocumented immigrants and their allies. If you want to learn more about the film’s origin story and the creation of the impact campaign, tune in to Qudsiya’s conversation with the film’s co-creators, Set Hernandez and Pedro, which we also rebroadcast for this mini series.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
The targeting and exclusion of disabled immigrants in the U.S. is not new. It is a centuries old system rooted in ableism, racism, xenophobia, and eugenics. In honor of disability pride month during July of 2025, we broadcast this powerful audio essay by disability activist and blind educator, Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, about how disability and immigration affected her and her family’s lives.
Much like immigrant families today, growing up in the 1990s in California, Conchita’s undocumented family lived in constant fear of la migra, with layered implications for her ability to access the services and support she needed as a blind child. Conchita’s essay beautifully articulates the consequences for all of us of ignoring the challenges of disabled immigrants, and the strength of community in the face of violence and surveillance.
For more about Conchita, and to access the text version of this essay, visit the original episode page. You can also check out Conchita Consulting to learn more about the services she provides for blind Spanish-speaking families and much more.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
In this fourth installment of our Immigration Mini Series, we’re revisiting Qudsiya’s conversation with Set Hernandez, creator of the award winning documentary film "unseen," and the film’s protagonist, Pedro. Despite the headlines about mass deportation and ICE’s draconian enforcement practices, and the many conversations among advocates and policymakers about the need to reform our broken immigration system, the stories and lived experiences of undocumented people, and particularly those with disabilities, are almost always relegated to the shadows.
Unseen is groundbreaking as a film because it seeks to change this reality by centering the perspective of disabled immigrants. Through Pedro’s story, and the many hands of the undocumented, disabled, and LGBTQ team that brought the film to life, "unseen" is a powerful example of how storytelling and cultural work like films and, yes, even podcasts can inspire hope and compel action simply by allowing people to see themselves and their experiences in the stories of others. Exposing ourselves to these stories is more important than ever so we can remember that we are not alone
For more about Set, Pedro, and "unseen," check out the original episode page. You can also find more information and resources on immigration and disability, plus all the ways you can watch and share "unseen" by visiting the film’s website.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
This week, our immigration mini series takes a slightly different angle on the relationship between disability and immigration. We as a country have spent the last year grappling with the Trump administration’s hateful and xenophobic rhetoric about immigrants, who have been framed as dangerous criminals and burdens on American society. But it’s important to remember that immigrants have been, and always will be, the lifeblood of our country.
This is clearly demonstrated in Bhavna Mehta’s reflections about immigrating to the U.S. as a graduate student in computer science, And how it compared with the experience of becoming disabled. It brings to mind the disability justice principles of cross movement and cross disability solidarity. We are all better off when we join hands across borders—Both geographic, and the borderlands that are our bodies.
To learn more about Bhavna and her work, check out the original episode page.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
In the next installment of our immigration mini series, we’re rebroadcasting the episode, “Empowering disabled refugees,” with Mustafa Rfat from Season 6. Since coming into office, the Trump administration has suspended refugee resettlement, strangled the asylum process, set the lowest refugee admissions cap ever, issued travel bans for immigrants coming from dozens of countries, and eliminated vital services for refugees resettling in the United States. All of these actions have disproportionate impacts for refugees with disabilities, who, according to some estimates, constitute nearly a third of the global refugee population.
Check out the original episode page for more about Mustafa Rfat and his research. Also be sure to read his latest article in the Lancet, which highlights the health harms that result from lack of communication access for asylum seekers in detention under the current administration’s deportation policies, which blatantly disregard disability rights laws.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
As the Trump administration Continues to unleash Immigration officers into our communities from Los Angeles to Minneapolis, to murder and terrorize undocumented people and citizens alike, we wanted to highlight the specific dangers that disabled immigrants face, and the disabling impacts of ICE enforcement and detention in this very special mini series on the intersection of immigration and disability.
We’ll start by reprising our season 2 premiere, Law, policy, and disabled immigrants, Featuring immigration and disability experts Katherine Perez and Roxana Moussavian. This episode is an excellent primer on the history of racism and ableism in the American immigration system, and how the targeting and exclusion of disabled immigrants continues to manifest in modern immigration law and policy. This is an urgent listen to help us all understand how we arrived at our current moment.
You can find more information and resources on the original episode page on our website. Also check out Qudsiya’s recent op-ed with esteemed co-author Conchita Hernandez Legorreta about the critical need to bring disability thinking into the movement for immigrant liberation.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
After Alice's passing late last week, we wanted to reshare Qudsiya's conversation with her. Alice Wong was a disabled activist, author and podcaster behind “Disability Visibility,” and the first person Qudsiya reached out to for advice on podcasting.
In their conversation, Alice tells Qudsiya what she’s learned about the visibility of the disabled experience in media and culture, and her desire to contribute to those narratives by telling her own story. They also discuss the need for more financial support for disabled creatives, as well as better representation in journalism and other media.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
To wrap up our 10th season, we’re delighted to share the second part of Qudsiya’s conversation with Blind Birder extraordinaire, Jerry Berrier. In the second half of their chat, Jerry introduced Qudsiya to the vast diversity of birdsong, including particular birds he enjoys listening to in his local area in Massachusetts, plus lots of fun facts about birds and their behavior.
He also shared several resources that you can use to enjoy and learn more about the birds in your community, including Merlin Bird ID, Larkwire, All About Birds, and Jerry’s website, birdblind.org.Listen to part one here.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
This Disability Pride Month isn’t just about celebrating the disability community: it marks a season of resistance. Our very existence is under threat, from drastic cuts to the social safety net, to vile attacks on the autistic community, a full-on assault on transgender lives, and the terrorizing of immigrants.
But this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that those who face oppression and state violence have leaned on each other to challenge the forces that seek to erase us. In her powerful new essay, “We Are Not Ok…And We Will Keep Resisting,” disability justice activist Conchita Hernandez Legorreta powerfully captures the pain, joy, and resistance of living at the intersection of immigration and disability.
Her story, like so many others, is one of trauma, state violence, and exploitation. But it is also a story about care, community, joy, and resistance.
Please take care when listening, as this episode includes depictions of trauma and violence.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
We have a few more surprises in store for you this season, including this very special, two-part bonus episode. Qudsiya sat down with Jerry Berrier. Jerry is a member of Birdability.org, an organization dedicated to making birding accessible to all. He is also a member of the Bay State Council of the Blind.
Jerry and Qudsiya explored the world of blind birding, chatted about Jerry’s work to develop nature trails that are accessible to all, and how he and a group of other blind birders planned the first ever national blind birder bird-a-thon in May 2025. Be sure to stay tuned for part two of their conversation, coming in a couple of weeks. We promise you, it'll be a hoot!
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
For our season finale, we'll travel across continents for Qudsiya’s conversation with Priti Salian, a journalist, media consultant, and trainer based in Bengaluru, India. Priti’s work focuses on gender equality, disability, and inclusion through the lens of human rights and solutions based journalism. She is the creator of the acclaimed newsletter Reframing Disability.
Priti and Qudsiya discussed Priti’s interest in disability coverage in India, her groundbreaking research as a fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism about the representation of disabled journalists in Indian newsrooms, and solutions for ensuring that disabled journalists thrive and that disability coverage reflects the diversity and dynamism of the disability community in India and beyond.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Over the last few episodes, we've talked about disability rights, history, the law, and intersectional movement building. Today we're going to dive into another important aspect of the disability experience—disability culture.
We'll listen in on Qudsiya’s conversation with Dagny Brown and Mika Weissbuch, two of the three co-directors of the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center, or DCC. Dagny and Mika recounted the DCC origin story, their vision for its role in San Francisco and beyond, and Qudsiya, Dagny, and Mika talked about why creating a shared space and experiences for people of all backgrounds, regardless of whether they identify as being disabled or not, is a powerful tool for breaking down stigma and confronting ableism.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
This episode explores how disability justice relates to the ongoing pursuit of justice for transgender communities, who are increasingly under threat in the US and many other countries.
We'll listen in on Qudsiya’s conversation with Ericka Dixon and Sebastian Margaret of the Transgender Law Center's Disability Project. They discuss how we can build cross movement solidarity between transgender and disabled communities, and all who exist at those intersections.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
This week, Qudsiya speaks with Professor Jamelia Morgan, an award-winning and acclaimed scholar and teacher at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where she also directs the Center for Racial and Disability Justice.
Professor Morgan's work focuses on the intersection of race, gender, disability, and criminal law and punishment. Qudsiya and Jamelia talked about her personal path to studying these issues, the particular harms that people of color with disabilities face when it comes to policing and mass incarceration, and her transformative vision for a world that prioritizes justice and inclusion over violence and punishment.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Qudsiya sits down with Joe Shapiro, investigative correspondent for National Public Radio. Joe was one of the first journalists to cover the disability civil rights movement and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In this episode, Qudsiya and Joe talk about how Joe came to cover disability issues, his observations about how the movement has evolved over time, and his perspectives on disability coverage today.
--
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Welcome to Season 10 of Down to the Struts!
To kick things off, Qudsiya sits down with the indomitable Chai Feldblum. Chai is a civil rights advocate and scholar. For nearly four decades, Chai has fought for the rights of LGBTQ and disability communities through legislative advocacy, teaching, scholarship, government service, and much more. She played an integral role in the drafting of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Qudsiya and Chai talk about Chai's work on the ADA, including the unlikely coalition that she brought together, and so much more.
The Art of Legislative Lawyering and the Six Circles Theory of Advocacy
Let us know what you think with a comment or review!
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Season 10 of Down to the Struts is headed your way. Qudsiya give listeners a sneak peek at the voices of the journalists, activists, scholars, and creators who will lead us in a deep dive into disability history and culture this season.
We’re in double digits y’all! Make sure you’re subscribed and tuned in on April 29 for our first episode.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
We’ve reached the end of the road—no pun intended—with our final listener favorite from season 9, featuring Anna Zivarts, author of the exceptional book, “When Driving Is Not An Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency.”
This one resonated with many of you who, like Qudsiya, cannot drive a car. As we shockingly learned from Anna in this episode, this is the case for a whopping 31 out of 100 Americans. It can often be a struggle to get around in our car-centric country, but Anna gives us a blueprint and a vision for achieving the accessible communities we’ve all dreamed of.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
We’ve arrived at our penultimate listener favorite from season 8. We called this one “Access: A love Story.”
It was magical for Qudsiya to revisit the unforgettable day that she and her partner, also a Down to the Struts alum, Sean Collins, promised to love each other for the rest of their lives. They’ve been married for nearly two years now, and they’ve had their fair share of adventures since.
But they continue to cherish those precious moments with the people they hold dearest in the world, because of the incredible work of access artist Cheryl Green and photographer extraordinaire, Jasmine Oliver, on their accessible wedding album.
Qudsiya and Sean think of Cheryl and Jasmine every time they experience the symbiotic pleasure of image combined with voice. Also thanks to the audio talents of Ramya Amuthan with production and sound design support from the one and only Thomas Reid. Access truly is an act of love. And here, once again, is Qudsiya and Sean’s love story.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
Here’s your favorite from Season 7. Qudsiya is a huge history nerd, and she had a blast unpacking blind history with Andrew Leland, author of the award-winning memoir, The Country of the Blind. Andrew and Qudsiya explored blind culture, blind politics, and their own relationships with blindness. It was a great conversation—thanks to all of you for giving us a chance to revisit it.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
We’re recasting this listener favorite from Season 6. Qudsiya loves this conversation with human rights lawyer and disability justice champion, Haben Girma—author of the acclaimed memoir, “Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.”
Haben and Qudsiya talked about the concept of empowered interdependence. This is the idea that we all deserve to have access to the tools to define our own lives, and the ability to lean on one another to access those tools.
Empowered interdependence acknowledges that all of our lives are intertwined, and we are stronger when we solve problems together. It’s a timely message, and, as always, Haben shares it with infinite wisdom.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
Welcome back to our series highlighting listener favorites over the last nine seasons. We’re on to your favorite from season 5. Qudsiya spoke to Jennifer Natalya Fink, author of the incredible bookAll Our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship.
The book opened up a fascinating conversation about how we think about disability within our own families, and how rethinking those family narratives might help us build a more inclusive and accessible world.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
In season 4, Qudsiya had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the legendary international disability rights advocate, Judy Heumann, before her passing on March 4, 2023. Now, almost two years later, her legacy lives on.
As we continue the fight for disability rights, the memory of her struggle, and the struggle of so many others who fought, and continue to fight, for dignity, equal opportunity, and access for disabled people has never been more important.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
We hope you’re enjoying our past season rebroadcasts so far. It’s been fun to take this trip down memory lane to revisit some of the episodes that you all enjoyed the most.
We’re on to season 3, and Qudsiya’s conversation with Lydia X. Z. Brown, a disability justice advocate and activist, who has dedicated their life and resources to combating injustice, oppression, and violence in all its forms. This is another foundational episode Qudsiya often recommends to listeners who want to understand the concept of intersectionality.
Lydia breaks it all down for us in this episode, and applies the concept of intersectionality to the context of algorithmic bias, which is a hot topic these days with the rise of artificial intelligence.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
Let us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
Qudsiya is back with your listener favorite from Season 2—Designing Access for Disabled Students.
Qudsiya spoke with Roger Ideishi about his efforts to challenge traditional approaches to occupational therapy by insisting that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities play a central role in shaping their own classroom experiences. Roger has also championed the inclusion of disabled people in arts and culture. In 2022, he was honored as part of The Kennedy Center’s Next 50 leaders and change-makers in the arts.
And don’t forget to send your audio or written testimonials sharing about what Down to the Struts has meant to you. You can email them to downtothestruts@gmail.com.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donationLet us know what you think with a comment or review onApple podcasts.
As the team works on season 10, we wanted to bring you something extra special. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be recasting listener favorites from across all nine seasons of the podcast, highlighting one episode from each season that you, our listeners, particularly enjoyed.
First up is season 1, “The Language of Disability” with disability studies scholar and activist, Sara Acevedo. Qudsiya often points new listeners to this episode as a foundational primer on the concepts of disability justice, the social versus the medical model of disability, the term “crip”, and many other critical concepts that help us understand the disabled experience.
After you listen, please remember to send your audio or written testimonials sharing about what Down to the Struts has meant to you. You can email them to downtothestruts@gmail.com.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donationLet us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
The team at Down to the Struts is thrilled to share the trailer for Season 4 of Contra*!
This season, Aimi Hamraie and the Critical Design Lab share oral history interviews from the Remote Access Archives. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they spoke with scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. This season, they’ll be sharing some of these conversations.
Aimi Hamraie, Cavar, Jen White-Johnson, Jiya Pandya, Julia Rose Karpicz, Katie Sullivan, and our very own Down to the Struts creator and host, Qudsiya Naqui, contributed to this season’s introduction.
Contributors to the episodes include: Hector Ramirez, Thomas Reid, moira williams, Qudsiya Naqui, Corbett O’Toole, Sky Cubacub, Katie Goldfinch, Brian Lobel, Susan Molloy, and India Harville.
And don’t forget to submit your Down to the Struts audio and written testimonials! We want to hear from you about what our podcast means to you, and the impact it’s had in your life. Please share your audio files or written comments to downtothestruts@gmail.com. We hope to share your reflections during season 10!
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
Support the team behind the podcast with a donationLet us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Check out the trailer for Pod Access, a brand new resource hub for Deaf and disabled podcasters from Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
BONUS EPISODE: Qudsiya chats with Kayla Hamilton, the Bessie Award-winning dancer, educator and consultant.
Her performance, choreographic and disability arts work has been presented by institutions across the US. In July 2024, Kayla announced the creation of Circle O, a new cultural organization established by and for black disabled and other multiply marginalized creatives.
In this episode, Kayla shares her origin story and how it has informed her approach to being a creative maker, and how she engages with communities through artistic expression. Kayla views disability as both subject and method.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
In the Season 9 finale, Qudsiya sits down with a dear friend and a champion of equal employment opportunity for people with disabilities, Amir Rahimi. Amir and Qudsiya talked about Amir’s journey with blindness and employment, and how he uses stand up comedy to make sense of ableism.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Qudsiya speaks with Marissa Ditkowsky, Disability Economic Justice counsel at the National Partnership for Women and Families.
Marissa and Qudsiya talk about the need to advance economic justice for disabled women, and the resources disabled women need to survive and thrive: from consumer protection to access to employment, to reproductive healthcare. And, they talk about what the National Partnership is doing to help make that thriving a reality for disabled women across the US.
Listeners should check out the systems transformation guides that Marissa and her team have developed that set forth a vision for disabled women’s economic equality.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Qudsiya sits down with retired DC Circuit Court Judge, David Tatel. Judge Tatel's recently released Book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, chronicles his experiences as a civil rights lawyer, a champion for access to justice, and a jurist on our nation's second highest court. In this conversation he discusses his book and his journey with vision loss, including the dog, Vixen, who guided him to embrace his identity as a blind person.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
With just two weeks until the US election, access to the ballot has never been more important. But disabled people continue to face accessibility barriers when attempting to vote.
This episode dives deep into the realm of voting access with Dessa Cosma and Kenia Flores of Detroit Disability Power.
Dessa and Kenia walk Qudsiya through the process of conducting a polling place audit and how Detroit Disability Power is helping organizations across the country ensure that polling places are fully accessible.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
In this episode, Qudsiya will take you on a journey with one of her favorite adaptive sports organizations that prioritizes giving blind people access to the natural world. She joined the Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes, affectionately known as MWABA, for a bike camping adventure along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Washington DC.
Thanks to a grant from the Adventure Cycling Association, 25 campers, including blind athletes, sighted tandem captains, and volunteer drivers spent one hot, sweaty, but incredibly fun night biking and camping along the Potomac River. Through Qudsiya’s firsthand account of the experience, you'll be immersed in the sounds and stories that made the trip so special.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Welcome to season 9 of Down to the Struts!
To kick off this season, Qudsiya sits down with Anna Zivarts, the author of When Driving Is Not An Option: Steering Away From Car Dependency. Anna shares how she has helped to build a coalition of non-drivers to create more accessible communities where disabled people, older adults, children, and so many others can move freely without a car.
She also offers some helpful tips about advocating for more inclusive transit systems so that we can all get around with independence and dignity.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Down to the Struts is back September 24th!
Listen to the trailer for a sneak peek at the questions Qudsiya will explore with our guests in season 9:
Why is disabled humor so important? What would it look like to travel in a world that isn't designed with cars at the center? How can we ensure that disabled people have what they need to participate in our democracy? And how can we make sure that the wonders of nature are accessible to everyone?
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be bringing back some early episodes of Down to the Struts to get ready for season 9.
This episode was first broadcast in July 2021, but with a key election just months away, it couldn't be more timely now.
Qudsiya sits down with Lisa Schur and Doug Kruse, both professors at Rutgers University. They discuss their research on voting access for people with disabilities, and how to ensure participation in democracy is accessible to everyone.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be bringing back some early episodes of Down to the Struts to get ready for season 9.
This episode, originally broadcast in November 2020, dives into the world of adaptive sports, and specifically looks at Goalball, a sport designed for blind and visually impaired people.
Qudsiya is an athlete herself, and in this episode interviews Karla Gilbride and Justin Chan, the co-founders of the Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes.
Their conversation explores the importance of design in making athletics accessible, the power of sports to transform lives, and beating stereotypes on and off the court.
Visit our website for a video about Goalball from the Paralympic Games, information about this episode’s guests, and photos of the MWABA Goalball players, and for transcripts.
--
- Subscribe to Qudsiya's Substack, Getting Down To It
- Support the team behind the podcast with a donation
- Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts
- Let us know what you think with a comment or review on Apple podcasts.
Qudsiya shared her love of libraries with Emily Drabinski, the president of the American Library Association. They chatted about ALA's innovative Libraries Transforming Communities program, which is dedicated to providing libraries with the tools and resources they need to be more accessible for people with disabilities, and to enhancing the capacity of small and rural libraries to address the needs of their communities.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It
Justice Shorter is a skilled organizer and facilitator, disability justice amplifier, and senior advisor on issues at the intersection of race, disability, gender, climate, and crisis. She is a national expert on disability inclusive, disaster protections, and emergency management.
And, she is a rare return guest on Down to the Struts. Justice joined the podcast in season one, alongside Conchita Hernandez Legorreta and Melissa Lomax for the episode WOC World, about an online community dedicated to uplifting and supporting blind women of color.On her second visit to the podcast, Justice talks to Qudsiya about her newly published Disaster Justice Guidebook for people of color with disabilities. The book weaves together storytelling, practical advice, and the collective wisdom of six phenomenal people to create a roadmap for environmental crisis response, rooted in and centered on the lived experiences of people of color.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It
Diego Mariscal is the founder, CEO and Chief Disabled Officer of 2Gether-International (2GI), the leading nonprofit startup accelerator run by and for disabled entrepreneurs.A trailblazer at the intersection of advocacy and entrepreneurship, Diego joins Qudsiya to discuss his entrepreneurial origin story, how he started 2GI, and his advice for aspiring disabled entrepreneurs.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It
Down to the Struts welcomes disability equity researcher Bonnie Swenor for a conversation about one of Qudsiya's favorite topics: advancing data and research on the disability experience.
They dive into the early experiences that spurred Bonnie's love of science, how her disability journey impacted her pursuit of a career in public health, and using data to uplift the disabled scientists and researchers who contribute in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It
Award-winning recording artist and social entrepreneur Lachi joins Down to the Struts to talk about her love of music, and her vision for how disability culture can transform the music industry.
Lachi also tells Qudsiya about her experience hosting the pilot episode of Day Al-Mohamed's PBS Masters Series, Renegades. If you want to learn more about Renegades, head back to episode 2 of this season.
Finally, be sure to listen through to the end of this episode for a very special clip from Lachi’s incredible song Lift Me Up, produced in 2023 to honor the life and legacy of lifelong Disability Rights Advocate and Down to the Struts alum, Judy Heumann.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
What is disability culture? Qudsiya is joined in conversation by author, filmmaker, and policy expert Day Al-Mohamed.They talk about Day's approach to transforming social and cultural attitudes about disability. Day sees this as a central tool that goes hand-in-hand with advancing policies that ensure rights and legal protections for disabled people. Day wants people to see disability culture as cool -- and Qudsiya thinks that’s a worthy objective too.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Season 8 kicks off with a very special first episode—a love story, just in time for Valentine's Day.
On August 19th, 2023, Qudsiya married the love of her life, Sean Collins, in a small celebration in Chicago. Listeners may remember hearing from Sean in the season 1 bonus episode Accessing the News, where he shared his gift of crafting vivid image descriptions to bring important news events to life for blind, low vision, and disabled news readers.
Qudsiya and Sean enlisted photographer Jasmine Oliver (J Lauryn Photography) and access artist Cheryl Green (Social Audio Description Collective), also a past Down to the Struts guest, to create an immersive accessible platform so they could forever cherish their wedding day both visually and through audio.
In this episode, Qudsiya, Jasmine, and Cheryl take a behind the scenes look at how they created the accessible wedding album, how the experience transformed Jasmine's perspective on her craft as a photographer, and the new possibilities for access art that Cheryl uncovered in the process.
Access is not just about having what we need as disabled people to equitably participate in things like work and education. It's equally about being a part of the moments in our lives that bring us joy, bonding us all in shared humanity, disabled and non-disabled alike.
In this episode, you will hear music from Qudsiya and Sean's wedding by Adrian Morris of Quartetto Solo, the song “Made of Gold” by Ibeyi, and “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michelson, performed by Qudsiya's niece, Zoha Hasan. Image descriptions were performed by Ramya Amuthan.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Season 8 of Down to the Struts is coming to your podcast feeds on Tuesday, February 13.
Listen now for a sneak peek into this season's interviews with disabled filmmakers, access artists, entrepreneurs, and scientists, all of whom are leveraging their disabled genius to create a more just, accessible, and inclusive world.
Music by Adrian Morris of Quartetto Solo.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Let us know what you think in the Spotify Q+A, or leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
A bonus discussion between Down to the Struts host Qudsiya Naqui and friend and Getting Down To It editor, Avery Anapol. Get to know the voice, the history and the motivation behind the podcast.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Qudsiya sits down with Andrew Leland, Author of the acclaimed new book, The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, published this year by Penguin Press. The book was recently longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Nonfiction administered by the American Library Association, and Publisher’s Weekly named it among the best books of 2023.
Andrew’s book reminded Qudsiya of her own journey to, and through, the country of the blind. They talk about the contours of that space and its place in their lives, plus Andrew’s reflections on how writing the book has shaped his own relationship to disability and ableism.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Qudsiya interviews Set Hernández and Pedro, two of the co-creators of the film Unseen. The film, directed and produced by Set, chronicles the multitudes of Pedro, an aspiring social worker, as he navigates life as an undocumented immigrant with low vision.
Pedro, Set, and Qudsiya talked about the shared experience that led them to create the film, the role of accessibility as a core value in the filmmaking process and the healing space that they hope unseen will generate as it touches audiences around the country and around the world. Qudsiya served as the impact producer for Unseen from 2022-2023. For more about the film, visit www.unseen-film.com.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Qudsiya sits down with Áine Kelly-Costello, a multiply disabled storyteller, researcher and advocate based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Their conversation covers Áine's research and work at the intersection of climate, migration and disability justice.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Qudsiya is joined by educator, author and diversity consultant Diana Pastora Carson. Diana and Qudsiya talked about Diana’s own journey to embracing disability inclusion as she battled to free her brother, Joaquin from long-term institutionalization so that he could live in his community. Diana also shared the tools she has developed to help parents, students, and educators practice disability inclusion.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Bri Joy Moore, host of the podcast Power Not Pity, joins Qudsiya to talk about the birth of the podcast, Bri’s growth as a poet, and Bri’s "disabled superpower". Be sure to listen all the way through for a special surprise from Bri.
For our younger listeners, please note that this episode does include some explicit language.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Qudsiya sits down with Peter Torres Fremlin, the author of the newsletter Disability Debrief, a project that brings together disability news and resources from over 125 countries around the world. Peter recounts his travels as an international disability rights expert, his own personal journey into disability identity, and gives us a behind the scenes look at Disability Debrief.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Qudsiya speaks with Dom Kelly, the co-founder, President, and CEO of New Disabled South about the road that led him to political activism, the birth of New Disabled South, its grounding in the principles of disability justice, and its innovative regional organizing approach.
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Follow us on Instagram @DownToTheStruts.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Check out this special sneak peek into the voices you’ll hear in Season 7, dropping into your feeds on August 8. Qudsiya is excited to get back down to it with everyone in a few short weeks!
Visit our website for transcripts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
Check out this amazing episode of Ten Thousand Things from our friends at KUOW in Seattle, featuring a meditation on voice from disability justice activist, oracle, and cyborg, Alice Wong.
Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai is an acclaimed podcast that amplifies heartfelt stories from Asian America. You should definitely check it out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you love to listen—and tell them we sent you!
Transcript available here.
To hear more from Alice Wong, check out Qudsiya's conversation with Alice in season 3, episode 1 of Down to the Struts.
--
Loving Down to the Struts?
Support the team behind the podcast with a donation.
Leave a review on Apple podcasts.
Subscribe to Qudsiya's newsletter, Getting Down To It.
On March 4, 2023, the disability community lost one of its most significant leaders—Judy Heumann left us to carry on her legacy of demanding that disabled people have the right and the opportunity to live in their communities, access employment, go to school, and so much more. Beyond being a dedicated and savvy international disability rights advocate, she was a beautiful and kind soul, a connector, and a bridge-builder. Qudsiya shares Season 4, episode 1, “Reflections on the Disability Revolution” as a tribute to Judy’s life and legacy.
Transcript available here.
—
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
In the final episode of season 6, Qudsiya is joined by Haben Girma, a human rights lawyer, author and disability activist who is the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School. Haben and Qudsiya talk about centering access, and why it is the key to achieving empowered interdependence to tear down the ableist social and physical structures that surround us.
Transcript available here.
—
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Qudsiya interviews May Wong, lead game designer at Interior Night, about their debut game, As Dusk Falls, which received rave reviews, including for its accessibility for disabled gamers. Qudsiya and May talk about how access was built into the game design and the lessons May learned from the experience.
Transcript available here.
—
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Qudsiya is joined by NASA’s Denna Lambert, for a conversation about Denna’s efforts to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in space innovation and exploration. They talk about Denna’s experience as part of the second disabled cohort to experience zero gravity and its implications for access here on Earth, and how being a single mom to a four-year-old is sometimes like being in space.
Transcript available here.
—
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Qudsiya and Mustafa Rfat talked about Mustafa’s experiences navigating the refugee resettlement process as a disabled refugee, and his concrete recommendations for resettlement agencies, disability services organizations, and policymakers for designing services that meet the intersectional needs of this population.
Transcript available here.
—
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Bhavna is an Indian American artist specializing in cut paper and embroidery. She has exhibited widely across Southern California, and she lives and works in San Diego. Qudsiya and Bhavna talked about her journey from India to the United States, and its connection to her journey living in her disabled body. She describes both as forms of immigration.
Transcript available here.
Mentioned in the episode:
Bhavna's work for Script/Rescript
Script/Rescript show, curated by Amanda Cachia
Bhavna’s essay in Catapult magazine
Artist Sunaura Taylor’s website
Age of Disability by Sunaura Taylor (Orion Magazine)
Solidarity Across Species by Sunaura Taylor and Astra Taylor (Dissent Magazine)
—
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Our very first guest this season is Andraéa LaVant, the president and founder of LaVant Consulting. Andraéa tells Qudsiya about her journey to becoming a disability activist, her role as the impact producer for the acclaimed film, Crip Camp, and the creation of LaVant Consulting, a firm dedicated to shaping the way the world reaches, views, and values people with disabilities.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Down to the Struts will return for its sixth season on February 7. Can't wait? Subscribe to Getting Down To It, Qudsiya's monthly newsletter where she shares her own thoughts, links and resources on disability justice and more.
If you're excited for the upcoming season, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Transcript available here
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Newsletter: Getting Down To It
This bonus episode features excerpts from a panel discussion that Qudsiya facilitated on “Disability as Freedom” for the Equal Justice Works leadership Development Training in 2021. In the featured excerpts of the discussion, you’ll learn about approaching legal advocacy within the frame of disability rights, justice and intersectionality in order to carve a pathway to equal justice for all. The speakers focused on the examples of disaster recovery, immigration and education. You may also recognize some familiar voices: Katherine Perez and Justice Shorter, both former Down to the Struts guests, are part of this conversation.
Equal Justice Works is the nation's largest facilitator of postgraduate public interest law opportunities, creating opportunities for law students, lawyers and organizers to grow their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. The Leadership Development Training brings together hundreds of Equal Justice Works fellows each year to build the skills they need to become effective public service leaders. A community of leaders who are committed to public service can fulfill our nation's promise of equal justice for all.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Qudsiya is joined by visually impaired, self- taught artist Michael A. Williams for a discussion about disability and the creative process. Michael and Qudsiya talk about his artistic techniques, what drew him to add electronic music composition to his artistic portfolio, and how his art wound up in the collection of our 44th president, Barack Obama.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Subscribe to "Getting Down To It", Qudsiya's monthly newsletter
Qudsiya interviews Eli Dvorkin from the Center for an Urban Future about the new report, Access Opportunity: Expanding Economic Opportunity for New Yorkers with Disabilities. New York City experienced a nearly 10% increase in the unemployment rate among city residents with disabilities from 7.4% in 2019 to more than 17% in 2021 as a result of the pandemic-induced economic downturn. This is not inconsistent with national trends—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the U.S. rose from 7.3% in 2019 to 10.1% in 2021.
Qudsiya and Eli explore some of the reasons why disabled New Yorkers continue to struggle with job placement, despite a slow economic recovery and the role that policymakers and city government leaders can play to ensure that the city is leveraging the talents of and advancing economic mobility for its disabled residents. Eli also lifts up exemplary models from other cities around the country and urges greater investment in the well-being of disabled people as a cornerstone to building a more inclusive and accessible city for everyone.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
Qudsiya is joined by youth activist Lou Paniccioli, an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies fellow, secretary of the Young Democrats of America Disability Issues Caucus,and vice chair of the New York Young Democrats Disability Issues Caucus. They talk about Lou’s journey to political activism as his chosen tool to affect social change, and the role models that have guided him along that path.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
Qudsiya is joined by Mamadi Corra, Professor of Sociology at East Carolina University (ECU). They discuss Professor Corra's research on access for people with disabilities in the US federal judicial system, his approach to disability and scholarship and his advice for disabled people of color pursuing an academic path.
Transcript available here.
If you want to learn even more about disability and the legal system, you should check out Season 4, Episode 4, Disabled in Court. Qudsiya interviews Erika Rickard of The Pew Charitable Trusts about their report, “How courts embraced technology, met the pandemic challenge, and Revolutionized their operations.”
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
In this episode, Qudsiya is joined by Jennifer Natalya Fink, professor of English and the director of the program in Disability Studies at Georgetown University. They talk about Jennifer’s new book, All Our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship.
This is a powerful reflection that documents the erasure of disability from our family narratives, the damage that this can cause as we navigate our kinship ties, and how applying the principles of disability justice to bring our disabled ancestors back into our family lineage can help us hold our communities closer in webs of care.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
The overturning of Roe v. Wade has sent shockwaves around the world. In this special bonus episode of Down to the Struts, Qudsiya is joined by journalist Sara Luterman. Sara and Qudsiya discuss a first-of-its-kind poll conducted by Data for Progress about disabled people’s views on abortion, the history of reproductive autonomy for disabled people in the U.S., and the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization for disabled communities.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
In the first episode of season 5, Qudsiya is joined by musician Precious Perez. They talk about her experiences as a disabled artist and musician, her participation in the newly-launched advocacy coalition, RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), and her vision for a music industry that centers and elevates disabled artists and music professionals.
Transcript available here.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Transcript available here
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
With support from the Disability Visibility Project, Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid are gathering information about disabled podcasters and podcasts focused on disability and accessibility (or “disability podcasts” for short). They will use your answers to develop an online listing of podcasts and resource for disabled podcasters to find each other and find audiences.
Visit our website or click here to fill out the survey!
Transcript available here
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
Down to the Struts will return for its fifth season on June 14. Listen to the trailer for a preview from this season’s guests, including a disabled musician, educator and youth activist, a social psychologist and more.
If you're excited for the upcoming season, please spread the word by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcasts, tagging us @DownToTheStruts on social media, or sharing the podcast with a friend.
Transcript available here
Buy Qudsiya a coffee
Down to the Struts Substack
Dr. Arielle Silverman was the very first guest on Down to the Struts. Now, the disability researcher and consultant returns for a very special bonus episode. Arielle joins Qudsiya to talk about her new memoir, Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect and Inclusion.
Arielle tells Qudsiya about what led her to write Just Human, her own journey as a blind person, and how she's translated her rigorous research and personal experiences into a framework for disability inclusion.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
The season 4 finale gets a little meta - Qudsiya is joined by Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid to talk about disability and the world of podcasting!
Cheryl and Thomas tell Qudsiya about the early days of disabled podcasting and audio production; their creative process; and a new initiative they are launching in collaboration with the Disability Visibility Project to create a learning and collaboration hub for disabled podcasters and members of the disability community who want to pursue podcasting. They also discuss the power of the collective, and the failure of mainstream podcasting to capture the authentic voices and stories of disability.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Qudsiya is joined by Robert Kingett, a totally blind, gay, author, essayist and freelance journalist. Qudsiya and Robert discuss Robert’s journey to becoming a writer, the creation of his anthology, Artificial Divide, and why the publishing industry should advance works of fiction created by disabled authors.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Qudsiya is joined by Erika Rickard, director of a project at The Pew Charitable Trusts aimed at modernizing our nation's civil legal system. They talked about the findings of a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts entitled, “How Courts Embraced Technology, Met the Pandemic Challenge, and Revolutionized Their Operations,” and what more needs to be done to ensure that disabled people can access an increasingly virtual courtroom to solve consequential problems related to family and economic stability.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Qudsiya is joined by Sandy Ho, a disability policy researcher and the founder of the Disability & Intersectionality summit. They talk about Sandy’s journey to becoming a disability justice activist and scholar and her creation of the Disability and Intersectionality Summit. Together, they discuss how we can reimagine the way we think about academia and scholarship, and who is included in those spaces.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Qudsiya is joined by writer and educator Rebekah Taussig. They talk about social media as a tool for organizing and community-building, Rebekah’s memoir, Sitting Pretty, and the lessons of disabled parenting.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Judy Heumann looks back on the lessons she learned as a disability civil rights leader, her vision of access and inclusion for disabled people in the future, and how to press forward, even amidst our divided politics.
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Season 4 of Down to the Struts launches December 7. Listen to a sneak peek of the season, and share with a friend who would enjoy the podcast.
Stephanie DeLuca joins Down to the Struts to discuss her work as a legislative assistant for Senator Tammy Duckworth, where she works on health care and disability policy.
Stephanie shares her journey as a disabled scientist to the halls of Congress, how her experiences as a disabled person have informed her approach to public policy, and the need to break down barriers and expand opportunities for disabled people to inform the laws and policies that affect all of our daily lives.
—
Mentioned in the episode:
Staff training key to shifting attitudes on accessibility for disability community (Roll Call, June 2021)
Congress still playing catch-up on accessibility, despite progress, 30 years after ADA (Roll Call, July 2020)
Office of Congressional Workplace Rights report details disability access challenges (Roll Call, October 2019)
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Christy Smith discusses her experiences as the first deaf contestant on the reality TV show "Survivor", and how it propelled her in her work as an international advocate on behalf of Deaf communities in the US and around the world.
—
Mentioned in the episode:
Discovering Deaf Worlds (DDW)
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Kathy Martinez, president and CEO of Disability Rights Advocates, has had a long career building accessible workplaces, from Wells Fargo to the White House. In her conversation with Qudsiya, she offers advice and thoughts for employers and employees about designing a workplace that is inclusive and accessible to all.
—
Mentioned in the episode:
Disability Rights Advocates 2021 virtual gala
Disability:IN - Consultations and resources for employers on disability inclusion and accessibility
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
Algorithmic machine learning is everywhere, from resume scanning software to advertisements social media. But the discrimination inherently programmed into these algorithms can have real consequences for marginalized groups, including people of color and disabled people. In this episode, advocate, educator and attorney Lydia X.Z. Brown tells Qudsiya about their work to help more people understand and combat these threats. Lydia and Qudsiya also explore the definition of intersectionality, and its relevance when combating algorithmic discrimination.
—
Mentioned in the episode:
Center for Democracy and Technology - Plain language resources on algorithmic discrimination
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
In this episode, Qudsiya sits down with Lisa Schur and Doug Kruse, both professors at Rutgers University. They discuss their research on voting access for people with disabilities, and how to ensure participation in democracy is accessible to everyone.
—
Mentioned in the episode:
REV UP Campaign - Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power
Fact sheet: Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2020 Elections
—
PATREON: This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. Learn more about how to support Down to the Struts by clicking here.
—
Episode transcript here.
This season is kicking off with a very special guest: Alice Wong, disabled activist, author and podcaster behind “Disability Visibility,” and the first person Qudsiya reached out to for advice on podcasting.
In their conversation, Alice tells Qudsiya what she’s learned about the visibility of the disabled experience in media and culture, and her desire to contribute to those narratives by telling her own story. They also discuss the need for more financial support for disabled creatives, as well as better representation in journalism and other media.
This episode is also the perfect opportunity to announce our Patreon. This project is a labor of love, but it also requires resources. By supporting our Patreon, you'll help us pay for our website, audio production and transcription software, recording equipment, and most importantly, the team of talented, dedicated humans that make it all happen. Click here to learn more.
Episode transcript here.
Season 3 of Down to the Struts launches July 13. Listen to a sneak peek of the season, and share with a friend who would enjoy the podcast.
This special Season 2 bonus episode takes us behind the scenes of Down to the Struts, for a conversation with the team. Listen to Qudsiya chat with audio producer Ilana Nevins and social media and website manager Avery Anapol about how they got involved with the podcast, what they've learned about storytelling, and what they're excited about in Season 3.
Transcript available here.
The week before this episode’s release, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all charges in the murder of George Floyd, one of countless unarmed Black men who have been killed by police in the U.S. Floyd’s death sparked a global resurgence of Black Lives Matter action and discussion about police abolition.
According to a study conducted by the Ruderman Family Foundation, between 2013 and 2015, half of police shootings involved disabled people. The conversation around policing and marginalized groups, and how to achieve justice for all, is wide-ranging, and far from over. We explore this and more in the Season 2 Finale of Down to the Struts.
Tune in as Qudsiya is joined by Dara Baldwin, the Director of National Policy at the Center for Disability Rights. In their conversation, they discuss Dara’s activism and advocacy related to the experiences of Black disabled people in the criminal legal system. Dara shines a light on the challenges at the intersection of disability, race, and policing, and how we can chart a course forward towards the achievement of transformative justice for Black disabled lives.
Transcript available here.
Last year, as emergency rooms and intensive care units were filled to capacity due to COVID-19, physicians had to make very difficult decisions about how to distribute scarce resources. Patients and their families relied on physicians to make these decisions in an unbiased, clear manner.
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who co-authored a recent study revealing alarming statistics about physician perceptions of patients with disabilities.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs, found that 82 percent of physicians surveyed believed that patients with disabilities have a lower quality of life than non-disabled patients. The study also found that less than half of the physicians surveyed believed and were confident that they could provide high-quality care to patients with disabilities.
In their conversation, Qudsiya and Dr. Iezzoni discuss the findings of this study, what it tells us about our healthcare system, and the necessary solutions to ensure equitable access to health care for people with disabilities.
Transcript available on our website.
Continuing on the theme of disability and education from Episode 3, this episode features a conversation with disability civil rights activist Alan Holdsworth.
Qudsiya and Alan dive into Alan's work as Director of Disability Equality in Education, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating disability stigma in schools.
Listen to learn how and why disability should fit into the K-12 curricula, fighting disability stigma on college campuses, and the surprising number of U.S. presidents who have been disabled.
Transcript available here.
This episode of Down to the Struts takes us into the classroom, and to the crossroads of disability and education with Roger Ideishi, Director of Occupational Therapy and Professor of Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Qudsiya and Roger discuss breaking down barriers faced by disabled children, and how small design changes can build diverse educational environments with accessibility and adaptability in mind. We learn how practitioners, healthcare providers and educators can help students achieve their own goals, not those set by an ableist system.
Transcript available here.
From Zoom conferences to live-streamed concerts, the Covid-19 pandemic appears to have made much of our world more flexible. But does this mean it's more accessible? How do we critically design digital spaces to be truly accessible, during and beyond a global crisis?
In this episode, Qudsiya discusses sociospatial thinking and critical design with Aimi Hamraie, Associate Professor of Medicine, Health, & Society at Vanderbilt University, and director of the Critical Design Lab.
Click here for transcript.
How have U.S. immigration laws treated disabled people? How can disability law advance immigrants’ rights? Does immigration law itself create disability?
In the premiere episode of Season 2, Qudsiya is joined by Katherine Pérez and Roxana Moussavian, who approach these complex webs from the perspective of disability law and immigration law.
Click here for transcript.
Resources mentioned in the episode
DRC Report on Immigrant Detention
Fraihat v. ICE
Disability Visibility Episode 90
Transcript
After the successful launch of Season 1, we are excited to present Season 2 of Down to the Struts, launching February 16.
In this season, host Qudsiya Naqui will be joined by even more wonderful guests to discuss topics like immigration, education, and much more, as they relate to disability. Listen in as Qudsiya and her guests explore intersectional problems to complex issues.
A huge thank you to everyone who listened, subscribed, and shared in Season 1! You can help Down to the Struts reach even more listeners by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, and connecting with us on social media.
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Stitcher
Google Podcasts
Facebook discussion group
From the pandemic to civil rights protests, it’s no question the story of the past year has been told through breaking news headlines. Many of the stories shaping our world are powerfully told through image, with the help of photojournalists and everyday people with smartphones. But how do we make these very visual stories accessible to visually impaired news consumers? This is the topic of this special bonus episode of Down to the Struts.
In this episode, Qudsiya sits down with Vox Editor Sean Collins. They talk about how images enhance the information in a news article, and break down the actual technology of how photo description, or "alt text,” works.
As an example, Sean takes us through some images from the Black Lives Matter demonstrations of the summer, and discusses how he wrote the alt text to accompany them. Sean also shares some advice for journalists and others on writing quality alt text. Read the article they discuss here.
Click here to read Sean’s coverage of recent events in politics and policy, including the Capitol insurrection, the second impeachment of President Trump, the Georgia Senate election, and more.
In the final episode of Season 1, Down to the Struts takes a journey into the arts world, offering an introduction to audio description and how to make the arts accessible to people with disabilities. Qudsiya and her guests also talk about what the pandemic has meant for accessibility and the arts. This episode is so full of important reflections and quotes, we wanted to bring it to you in two parts.
Part 2 features Nicole Sardella, a certified audio describer who works with Art-Reach and other arts and culture organisations, and shares both her experience describing, as well as some tips.
Transcript available here.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Art-Reach
Nicole Sardella
Disability Visibility #89 Museums
Overbrook School for the Blind
Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Pennsylvania Ballet
Barnes Foundation
In the final episode of Season 1, Down to the Struts takes a journey into the arts world, offering an introduction to audio description and how to make the arts accessible to people with disabilities. Qudsiya and her guests also talk about what the pandemic has meant for accessibility and the arts. This episode is so full of important reflections and quotes, we wanted to bring it to you in two parts.
In Part 1, you’ll hear from Charlie Miller, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Art-Reach, a Philadelphia-based organization whose aim is to make arts and culture more accessible to people in the disability and low-income communities..
Transcript available here.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Art-Reach
Nicole Sardella
Disability Visibility #89 Museums
Overbrook School for the Blind
Associated Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Pennsylvania Ballet
Barnes Foundation
While earlier episodes of Down to the Struts have focused on how to design a more inclusive world at large, this interview looks inward, at how disabled people design and build our own spaces.
Justice Shorter, Melissa Lomax, and Conchita Hernandez Legorreta are the founders of WOC World: A Virtual Community for Blind Women of Color. Driven by their values of collective leadership, disability justice, and mutual aid, they have created an active community of support, mentorship, and love for blind women of color.
In this episode, Justice, Melissa, Conchita, and Qudsiya discuss navigating the world as people with multiple marginalized identities, why spaces like WOC World are revolutionary and transformative, the importance of diversity and inclusion in mentorship, and what they hope to achieve through this community.
This episode is dedicated to disabled women of color everywhere. Know that you are seen, believe that you are beautiful and perfect, and remember that you are loved.
Links:
WOC World
Fashionably Tardy
Precious Perez - Valiente
Video: The Origin of the phrase "Women of Color"
Transcript available on our website.
This episode dives into the world of adaptive sports, and specifically looks at Goalball, a sport designed for blind and visually impaired people.
Qudsiya is an athlete herself, and in this episode interviews Karla Gilbride and Justin Chan, the co-founders of the Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA). Their conversation explores the importance of design in making athletics accessible, the power of sports to transform lives, and beating stereotypes on and off the court.
Visit our website for a video about Goalball and photos of DC Goalball players.
Transcript available here.
In this episode, you’ll get to know more about Down to the Struts host Qudsiya Naqui. Interviewed by her friend, civil rights lawyer and educator Ehsan Zaffar, Qudsiya discusses her experiences with structural inequality as a disabled person, from taking the LSAT to taking the escalator.
This interview was first recorded for Ehsan’s podcast “Unfair Nation: A podcast on inequality." Learn more and check out other episodes of Unfair Nation by clicking here.
Transcript available here.
Language is powerful, and the way we talk about our bodies, our experiences, and disability is no exception. In episode 2, Qudsiya interviews Dr. Sara Acevedo, Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at Miami University in Ohio. A scholar activist, she works at the intersection of Disability Studies in Anthropology, Neurodiversity, and spatial politics, specializing in critical disability studies. As a disabled woman of color, Sara uses a Disability Justice lens in her teaching and research.
In Episode 2, Sara and Qudsiya discuss the complex and fluid relationship between language and disability. They cover the differences between "person-first" and "identity-first" language, the history and impact of the word "Crip," the differences between "inclusion" and "access," and so much more.
Links and books mentioned in the episode:
Sins Invalid, the 10 Principles of Disability Justice
Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People, a Disability Justice Primer
Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Mia Mingus’ blog, Leaving Evidence
Alice Wong’s Disability Visibility Project and book
The conversation continues on social media. Follow us @downtothestruts on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook discussion group.
Transcript available here.
Dr. Arielle Silverman, a disabled activist and social scientist, founded Disability Wisdom Consulting to improve public understanding of disability. In this episode, Qudsiya and Arielle discuss the history of the disability rights movement, including the ADA and what this landmark legislation left out; the experience of reconciling multiple minority identities; and the surprising innovations we all use every day that were originally created as disability accommodations.
The conversation continues on social media. Follow us @downtothestruts on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook discussion group.
Transcript available here.
The conversation continues on social media. Follow us @downtothestruts on Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook discussion group.
Transcript available here.