iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Jerry Mindes

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

The grant is one of 36 awards, together worth more than $6.5 million, from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research that were expected to be made available but removed from the federal database so far this year.

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Mia Ives-Rublee @seemiaroll.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

"This is a direct challenge to a bedrock principle, protected by the ADA, that disabled people have the basic right to live and participate within their communities." www.americanprogress.org/press/statem...

americanprogress.org

STATEMENT: The Trump Administration Is Laying the Groundwork To Roll Back Decades of Progress for the Disability Community

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Bridget Brink @bridgetbrink.com · 12/06/2026

The granddaughter of an auto worker & daughter of a MEA teacher, I experienced the uplifting power of organized labor. A 30 year union member, Trump stripped my union's collective bargaining rights & I saw the damage it caused. For me, standing with unions isn't political talk—it's personal.

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 06/03/2026

Women with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan face alarming rates of harassment, abuse, and economic discrimination, despite legal reforms. Ahead of International Women’s Day, a reminder that Kyrgyz authorities should make their promises a reality and address existing gaps. #IWD26

hrw.org

Kyrgyzstan: Women, Girls with Disabilities Face Abuse

Women with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan face alarming rates of harassment, physical and sexual abuse, and economic discrimination, despite legal reforms, Human Rights Watch said today, ahead of Internat...

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Mia Ives-Rublee @seemiaroll.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

From attacking disabled ppl at universities to at the airport, the Wallstreet Journal is bent on eliminating the accommodations we rely on by saying most who request r swindlers & cheaters. This will result in ppl having to "prove" their disability, creating even more barriers. This has got to end.

Screenshot of Wallstreet Journal that reads, "The latest travel scourge: Miracle flights full of passengers touched by "Jetway Jesus."
Many able-bodied passengers are requesting wheelchairs at airports for "the VIP experience"-an escort down the jetway that lets them skip the lines and gives them first crack at overhead space.
Once they realize at the end of the flight that they have to wait for assistance to disembark, the healing begins: They stand up without assistance and bound off toward the baggage claim."It makes an already hectic experience of flying even slower," said Carlos Gomez, whose recent flight was delayed when 25 wheelchair passengers were holding up boarding. Gomez said he sees more wheelchair fraud each time he travels."

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Washington Post Opinions @postopinions.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

"From the first time I watched the Netflix series 'Stranger Things,' I saw part of myself in the character Dustin Henderson," Lillian Barkley writes. "I’ll miss 'Stranger Things' for many reasons, but especially because of the light it shined on cleidocranial dysplasia."

wapo.st

Opinion | I have a rare genetic condition. Seeing it on TV had an immediate impact.

In “Stranger Things,” I found something familiar, and inspiring.

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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

"Nearly 60% of special education teachers reported using AI to develop an IEP or Section 504 plan during the 2024-25 school year." YIKES. AI has anti-disability biases, so this is bad. www.k12dive.com/news/artific...

k12dive.com

Heightened AI use in special education brings elevated risks

Nearly 60% of special education teachers reported using AI to develop an IEP or Section 504 plan during the 2024-25 school year, a CDT report finds.

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Moderately MOCO @moderatelymoco.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Montgomery County Council votes to list North Bethesda property, Timberlawn, on county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation.

mocofeed.com

Link here

Montgomery County Council votes to list North Bethesda property, Timberlawn, on county’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation.

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Post-Polio Health International @post-poliohealth.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Ed Roberts was a polio survivor and disability rights hero. Author Scot Danforth spoke with Mother Jones about his new book on Roberts' extraordinary life.

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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

At 14, Ed Roberts was disabled by polio. He later became known as the father of the independent living movement. At @motherjones.com, I interviewed Scot Danforth about his new book on Ed Roberts' life. @ucpress.bsky.social www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

motherjones.com

The radical life of the father of independent living

A new book explores disabled activist Ed Roberts' revolutionary career.

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Special education isn't a "nice thing to have." It isn't "charity" or doing something to make us feel better. It is a right. The right to a Free Appropriate Public Education is codified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, signed by a Republican president.

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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp. This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.

msnbc.com

Opinion | Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp.

This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.

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Jerry Mindes @jmindes.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

When I saw that Sovereignty beat Journalism in the Kentucky Derby, I thought it was an Onion story.

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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

I really wish reporters would stop saying that there is an effort by the Trump administration to combat antisemitism. It is quite the opposite. There is an effort to foment antisemitism. forward.com/fast-forward...

forward.com

Columbia staff receive texts asking if they're Jewish, as government hunts antisemitic harassment on campus

Barnard employees received the text as Columbia University students plan a new tent encampment to protest the Israel-Hamas war.

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Jerry Mindes @jmindes.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

@nbcwashington.com, thank you! Your reporting on disability issues is consistently very good and often includes interviews with self advocates. Well done! I hope other news outlets better understand ableism.

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 17/04/2025

I won’t share RFK Jr.’s lies about autism. It’s disgusting and dangerous. If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign. Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness. To every kid with autism, I’m in this fight all the way for you.

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Jerry Mindes @jmindes.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Today at the rally in Washington DC.

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 05/03/2025

NEW from @samsteindc.bsky.social: More than 700 U.S. foreign service officers and civil servants have signed a letter to Marco Rubio arguing that the hollowing out of USAID is both strategically and morally wrong: www.thebulwark.com/p/hundreds-s...

thebulwark.com

Hundreds of State Dept. Officials Sign Dissent Cable Urging Rubio to Stop Killing USAID

The letter, obtained by The Bulwark, is a remarkable eleventh-hour attempt to save the beleaguered agency.

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JJ in DC @jjindc.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

OUTSIDE USAID: Much larger & enthusiastic crowd today. We all just repeated our oaths to the Constitution.

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Alt USAID/ USAID Forever @altusaid.altgov.info · 23/02/2025

#resist This is not just about USAID. It's about every citizen's right to government by the people, of the people and for the people. Musk is not our king.

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Meowloween @queerkitty.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Accessibility is also being attacked by anti-DEIA measures, don’t use ableist language to describe it please

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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

The CEO of the Autism Science Foundation...wants to give " RFK credit for wanting to study the causes of autism" to "relieve the suffering that our children are experiencing." This is way too generous and people don't suffer from autism. www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/02/18/t...

However, Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation, expressed cautious optimism that the Trump administration’s attention to autism will be a positive, particularly for those with profound autism.

“I give RFK credit for wanting to study the causes of autism. We need more studies looking at the underlying biological causes of autism so that we can develop treatments that are based on biology and relieve the suffering that our children are experiencing,” Singer said. “But the key is we can’t let the discredited vaccine hypothesis become a distraction. That question has been answered.”

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Jerry Mindes @jmindes.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Today in DC. A couple of thousand showing up on a cold and very windy day to support our Constitution.

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New Disabled South @newdisabledsouth.org · 13/02/2025

Our statement on the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

An orange and black background with the New Disabled South and Black Disability Institute logos at the bottom. In the middle the text reads: RFK Jr. is blatantly anti-Black, ableist, anti-science, a conspiracy theorist, and completely unqualified to lead a department that should be focused on scientific advancement and service to those who are most impacted by oppressive systems. He holds beliefs that served as the basis for unethical medical research and biased conclusions, that disregard Black bodies and Black lives as nothing more than tools for research. He believes that vaccines cause autism, among other debunked, deadly theories. His confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is not only a betrayal to the researchers and medical professionals who have dedicated their lives to this work, but it is a confirmation of what the most marginalized disabled folks have already known: that the systems the elite claim are supposed to support the American people were actually designed to ensure that the white, male, cis, nondisabled few can hold onto power. The results of this disastrous confirmation? Black women will die during childbirth at higher rates, disabled people will be institutionalized at higher rates, BIPOC disabled kids will be further excluded from opportunities to advance their futures, and mis/disinformation around vaccines and other lifesaving medical advancements will literally get people killed. Now more than ever, it’s up to us to keep our communities safe.

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Mia Ives-Rublee @seemiaroll.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Scholarships for training teachers in "special education" are being eliminated. Just the primer for things to come unless capital hill folks put a brake on these cruel actions. www.kare11.com/article/news...

kare11.com

Dept. of Education cancels grant program, affecting 185 students at St. Thomas pursuing careers in special ed

The university's president says the program was flagged by the Trump administration as a DEI initiative.

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

The University of St. Thomas found out the federal government canceled a grant program that it uses for students pursuing teaching in special education as part of the Trump administration's efforts to roll back DEI. www.kare11.com/article/news...

kare11.com

Dept. of Education cancels grant program, affecting 185 students at St. Thomas pursuing careers in special ed

The university's president says the program was flagged by the Trump administration as a DEI initiative.

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Reposted by Jerry Mindes

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

New from me: In 1970, only 1 in 5 students with disabilities went to public school. Now, about 15% of students in public schools receive special education services. Eliminating the Department of educatio would have disastrous consequences. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

msnbc.com

Opinion | Linda McMahon and RFK Jr. could be a one-two punch for disabled students

The Education Department is an irreplaceable lifeline for students with disabilities.

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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 08/02/2025

Big ups to @signal.org @meredithmeredith.bsky.social for allowing usernames instead of phone numbers last year (signal.org/blog/phone-n...). Washington basically runs on Signal right now and that one change has made reporting and whistleblowing way more private and secure.

Help us report on DOGE
The Washington Post wants to hear from people affected by DOGE activities at federal agencies. You can contact our reporters by email or Signal encrypted message.
Jeff Stein: jeff.stein@washpost.com or jstein_wapo.1066⁩ on Signal.
Elizabeth Dwoskin: elizabeth.dwoskin@washpost.com or lizza_dwoskin.42 on Signal.
Hannah Natanson: hannah.natanson@washpost.com or natanson.11 on Signal.
Jonathan O’Connell: jonathan.oconnell@washpost.com or jonathanoc.76 on Signal.

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Newsweek @newsweek.com · 07/02/2025

This decision follows a lawsuit filed by the largest U.S. government workers' union and an association of foreign service workers.

newsweek.com

Trump-appointed judge temporarily blocks efforts to dismantle USAID

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 06/02/2025

📣 Transgender rights are human rights 📣 All people have the right to live free from discrimination.

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Special Education Action @spedaction.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Class-action lawsuit against DC's OSSE continues forward. Case filed by 5 parents of students who have disabilities & by @thearcus.bsky.social. Focuses on failures to provide "safe, reliable, & appropriate" transportation for students who have disabilities. specialeducationaction.com/class-action...

specialeducationaction.com

Class-Action Lawsuit Continues Forward; Related Service of Transportation at Core of Suit Against District of Columbia's OSSE

A class-action lawsuit against District of Columbia's Office of the State Superintendent for Education will continue forward. The case was filed by fiv ...

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Rep. Jamie Raskin @raskin.house.gov · 03/02/2025

Elon Musk's wrecking ball now swings at USAID, vaporizing humanitarian assistance, putting countless lives at risk, threatening to topple America's economic and moral standing and emboldening autocrats around the world. Stand strong for our top humanitarian aid agency.

apnews.com

USAID headquarters in Washington are blocked after Musk says Trump agrees to close the aid agency

The developments come after Elon Musk said that he had spoken with President Donald Trump about the aid and development agency and “he agreed we should shut it down.”

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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Hi, I am @motherjones.com' disability reporter. In the following weeks, I am very interested in hearing how tariff nonsense impacts getting your meds and medical equipment. My email to get in touch is jmetraux@motherjones.com. Reposts appreciated.

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

No, the FAA did not recruit people with intellectual disabilities to work as air traffic controllers. Despite what the President said about anti-discrimination programs. My story @npr.org www.npr.org/2025/01/30/n...

npr.org

People with intellectual disabilities do lots of jobs–but they don't direct air traffic

After the fatal crash over the Potomac River, the President says diversity hiring has made the skies unsafe, but that's not how disability hiring works

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Jerry Mindes @jmindes.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

@lesterholtnbc.bsky.social you should describe what am the President said today about the FAA and DEI as hate speech targeted at people with disabilities. Don’t normalize this ableism and hate.

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

If you are a disabled federal worker or contractor who worries that their accommodations might be compromised thanks to President Trump's anti-DEIA executive orders, I would love to talk to you. Message me through Signal at 909-957-6133. I will protect your identity

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 29/01/2025

The US government’s suspension of most foreign aid is putting lives around the world at risk. Any new administration is entitled to review existing foreign aid, but continuing the delivery of important assistance is critical while the review is conducted.

hrw.org

US: Order Halting Foreign Aid Work Puts Lives at Risk

The US government’s suspension of most foreign aid is putting lives around the world at risk, Human Rights Watch said today.

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Jerry Mindes @jmindes.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

USAID has removed its Disability Policy from its website: a policy grounded in US law and international conventions.

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Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Disability reporter from @motherjones.com here! Dm me for my signal 👀

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Last year, Elon Musk and Don Jr raged against a program by the FAA to hire more people with intellectual disabilities to work in the FAA, saying it made the country less safe (even though the program continued under Trump's first term). Today, the website is down. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

A webpage for the Federal Aviation Administration with a headline that says "National Outreach Program for Diversity and Inclusion
People with Disabilities Program"
The subhed says
"The People with Disabilities Program (PWD) ensures that people with disabilities have equal Federal employment opportunities. The FAA actively recruits, hires, promotes, retains, develops, and advances people with disabilities."
Bullet points include"
-Targeted Disabilities
-On-the-Spot Hiring Information
-Reasonable Accommodation Information
-Contact Information
-National Disability Employment Awareness Month Resources
-Related Links

An FAA website page that says "Page not found: The page or file you requested cannot be found."

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Bill Motz @billmotz.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Can you imagine the courage it took to preach this message directly to the president? This is what a follower of Jesus looks like. (Partial transcript below.)

youtu.be

1.21.25 Homily by The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde

YouTube video by Washington National Cathedral

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Ibram X. Kendi @ibramxk.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

. . . cast their insurrection to conserve racist slavery as a War of Northern Aggression, banned books and vilified voices documenting the truth, built Jim Crow on lies, laws, and lynchings, and hoisted back up their Confederate flags. History can be a blueprint. 2/2

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Ibram X. Kendi @ibramxk.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Today we inaugurate our courage as power hopes to inaugurate our cowardice. Courage is not the absence of danger but the strength to do what’s right in the face of it, as has been said. We can begin amassing the strength to be antiracist in dangerously racist times. 1/2

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