Category Archives: Disabled Rights & Issues

Cartoon: You’re So Brave, I’d Rather Be Dead

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Ampersand

Help me make more cartoons at my Patreon! A $1 or $2 pledge really matters. I’m not disabled, so the first time I heard a disabled person say that ablebodied people repeatedly tell them “I’d rather be dead!,” it boggled … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Disability Issues, Disabled Rights & Issues | 1 Comment  

Goodbye, Kay Olson

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Ampersand

Long time “Alas” readers may remember Kay Olson, aka Blue, whose blog The Gimp Parade I linked to frequently. Kay was one of my favorite bloggers, and I learned a lot from her. But she stopped updating The Gimp Parade … Continue reading →

Posted in Disabled Rights & Issues | Comments Off  

Cartoon: “Too Much Foam”

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Ampersand

If you enjoy these cartoons, and can spare it, please support my Patreon! This is one of a couple of cartoons I’ve  recently written on the subject of abled people putting the disabled up on a pedestal. (After getting some … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Disability Issues, Disabled Rights & Issues | Comments Off  

“Unlocking the Garret” – a new essay by Mandolin, for the “Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction” Kickstarter

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Ampersand

Check out this essay by Mandolin! “Unlocking the Garret” by Rachel Swirsky Excerpt: It’s in the stereotype. The artist of tempestuous temperament who drinks to excess as he stumbles, lean and tuberculotic, up the winding steps to his garret. Van … Continue reading →

Posted in Disability Issues, Disabled Rights & Issues | Comments Off  

Why Feminists Shouldn’t Use “Neckbeard”

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Ampersand

My newest “Everyday Feminism” cartoon. TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON (At the top of the cartoon, large cartoon-style letters spell out “NECKBEARD.” Each letter is growing stubble hairs out of its lowest third.) (Behind all the panels is a large drawing of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Disabled Rights & Issues, Fat, fat and more fat, Feminism, sexism, etc, Gender and the Body, Men and masculinity, Sexism hurts men | Comments Off  

The idea of a cure doesn’t offend me. The idea that I ought to be waiting or looking for that cure is offensive.

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Guest Writer

In another thread, Ender left this comment: I’m planning on going into neurocognitive/computational research, which has or could have medical applications (amongst many other computer technology applications). My question then is, do people that are called “disabled” or “handicapped” not … Continue reading →

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Switched At Birth’s “Uprising” Episode – The Best Political TV Show Of The Year

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Ampersand

The “ABC Family” network, owned by Disney after beginning life as one of Pat Robertson’s properties, [1. ABC Family is still contractually obligated to broadcast Robertson’s show “The 700 Club” twice daily, although they precede it with a disclaimer.] has … Continue reading →

Posted in Disabled Rights & Issues, Popular (and unpopular) culture | Comments Off  

Three Updates on the Gallaudet University Story

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Ampersand

1) Angela McCaskill, the suspended Gallaudet University Diversity Officer at the heart of this story, is being used in an anti-same-sex marriage TV ad. According to CBS news, “McCaskill’s attorney says his client would like the ad to stop running,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Disabled Rights & Issues, In the news, Same-Sex Marriage | Comments Off  

Know-Nothing Ablebodied People Suspect Disability Is A Scam

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Ampersand

The CBS headline says it all: “Scammers Using Wheelchairs To Skip Airport Lines Legally.” “When [travelers] see that the line is so long, they just ask for a wheelchair,” Evelyn Danquah, an attendant for Delta Air Lines, told the Times. … Continue reading →

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Health care and non-compete agreements

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Guest Writer

[Written by Kay Olson, and crossposted from The Gimp Parade with Kay’s kind permission]. Two years ago this week I got caught up in a legal dispute that briefly threatened my life. Obviously, I’m still alive, but a version of … Continue reading →

Posted in Disabled Rights & Issues, Health Care and Related Issues | Comments Off