This birthday is a reminder.
The first issue of this newsletter went out on Monday, October 11, 2021. I think it took me something like 12 hours to write. That was before some of y’all said, in gentler ways, “Headings, honey. Sections and headings!” (Thank you, dear ones.)
How different it was! “We are at the threshold of major action in federal [U.S.] disability legislation reform,” I wrote then. Remember that other alliterative bill? The Build Back Better Act that Joe Manchin sank? The legibly ‘political’ headlines in the early days of Crip News (and Covid) are almost unrecognizable today.
But there’s also a whole lot of content from the last 5 years that I can’t believe was actually that long ago, the stuff that is much more consistent. That’s the news about artists and organizers making game-changing discoveries through the portals that disability opens.
Today, it feels like everything sucks. In the archives, you’ll find I pretty regularly call for careful attention to the intricate and specific ways that things suck. But that’s not why you read this. And it’s not what I write it.
When I learn why people follow Crip News, it’s almost always because of one thing: to feel less alone. To find what people are making in the face of it all. That’s the reminder this time around.
If ableism is a woefully steady drumbeat, disability culture is a salvational syncopation.
That’s what I think about as I anxiously hover over the button that publishes each issue. Just one more small spell toward anti-isolation, our enduring crip magic.
A Few Greatest Hits
I looked through the stats and I found one post per year that had an unusually high numbers of views or clicks. I thought I might annotate each. But why ruin the fun? See if you can figure out what made these posts stand out.
YEAR #5
YEAR #4
YEAR #3
YEAR #2
YEAR #1
CALLS
Cultural Accessibility NYC is seeking respondents for a survey about “accessibility and disability equity across New York City's culture and arts sector.” Submit by Oct. 16.
The Oaklash Disability Fund is a $500 “critical support grant for chronically ill & disabled queer performance makers in the Bay Area.” Apply by Oct. 19.
EVENTS
2026 Disability Pride NYC Parade
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, 11am - 3pm ET
Together We Build! Honoring the Historic Section 504 Sit-in as We Approach Its 50th Anniversary. Solidarity changed history. Together we build the future. Nearly fifty years ago, beginning on April 5, 1977, disabled people and allies came together during the historic Section 504 Sit-in, demonstrating the power of solidarity and collective action to advance disability rights and access. The San Francisco sit-in continued for nearly a month, culminating in the signing of the Section 504 regulations on April 28, 1977. In 2026, we honor that history as we approach its 50th anniversary in April 2027.Kinetic Light’s LAB Hangout
Friday, Oct. 16, 2 - 3:30pm ET, on Zoom
LAB gatherings are specifically for artists and creatives who identity with or who have personal experience with disability, including but not limited to those who identify as chronically ill, neurodivergent, MAD, Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing (HOH), Blind, low vision, having learning or intellectual disabilities, and on. This cross-disability space welcomes all who are unsure or who might not yet identify with disability identity and culture.Shot in the Dark Film Screening and Discussion
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7pm ET, on ZoomJoin DREAM (Disability Rights, Education Activism, and Mentoring) for a screening and discussion of Shot in the Dark, a documentary about disability, perception, and creativity through the lives of blind photographers who use their cameras to explore how we see and understand the world. Following the screening, participants will engage in a discussion reflecting on disability, creativity, and access.
Happy 5 years!