iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

What??? Literally never. I've never had to prove that I'm a "dependent." It's enough to be married

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Really excited to guest-post for @thinkingautism.com today - check it out! And uh, apologies that my threads are messy

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CommunicationFIRST @communicationfirst.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

[Image 1: Sam Crane (@samanticka.bsky.social), Michelle A. Meade & discussion moderator Andrew Jager sit on a stage below a screen that says, “American Hospital Association Healthier Together Conference. Stronger Communities. Better Health Outcomes. May 12 - 14, 2026. Dallas.”An audience sits… 2/4

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Extremely excited to announce that I am now Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy at CommunicationFIRST! Communication access has been a big part of my work for a decade or more. I'm also thrilled to be working with some of my favorite people and to meet the rest of the CommunicationFIRST team.

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Is it a little cringe to write about how the latest viral thing actually teaches valuable lessons about politics? Yes. Did I do it anyway? Absolutely yes, because this time it's totally true. And because I genuinely love KPop Demon Hunters, having had to watch it 10 times already.

sammka.substack.com

What KPop Demon Hunters Gets Right About Activism

But seriously, hear me out.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

The full ruling explaining why NIH grant cuts are illegal came out today. It's just as blistering as the judge's oral remarks. And it uncovers fresh details in DOGE's role orchestrating the cuts — and on the cuts at Columbia. Here are my top highlights from the 103-page ruling. 🧵

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Lovely to see @samanticka.bsky.social get some attentio. She has done so much for the #ActuallyAutistic community and she's right: I know plenty of autistic lawyers, both who got diagnosed as kids and those who got diagnosed as adults after law school.

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Thinking Person's Guide to Autism @thinkingautism.com · 11/04/2025

"There’s a stereotype that autistic people are generally drawn to STEM fields & that law is an anomalous profession for us to go into, but in my experience that is not true. I have known & worked with quite a few openly autistic lawyers." @samanticka.bsky.social: www.americanbar.org/groups/diver...

americanbar.org

Lawyer Spotlight: Sam Crane

Sam Crane, a late-diagnosed autistic individual, discusses the stereotypes associated with autistic people in law, the role the law plays in disability advocacy, and the advice she would give to aspir...

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Staṡa M 🦖 🇵🇸 @stasam.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Lovely & informative interview with @samanticka.bsky.social Sam Crane, who has over 15 years of experience in disability law & policy, including senior roles at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) & Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities… 1/ www.americanbar.org/groups/diver...

americanbar.org

Lawyer Spotlight: Sam Crane

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"

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Emily Ladau @emilyladau.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

@samanticka.bsky.social's reminder that advocacy can be joyful really resonates with me. "Combine a lot of angry advocates together, and the situation gets even worse. Conflicts can’t de-escalate. People can’t problem-solve and understand each other." sammka.substack.com/p/why-should...

sammka.substack.com

Why Should Advocacy Be Joyful?

This week we're getting personal about the feelings - good and bad - that come with being an advocate, why joy matters, and how to build towards it even when everything is on fire

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Matthew Cortland (they) @matthewcort.land · 01/02/2025

Our messaging should be along the lines of: "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (sometimes called DEIA)" Write out the words. Include accessibility (the feds do, and those are the policies directly under attack.)

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Matthew Cortland (they) @matthewcort.land · 31/01/2025

StopRFKjr.com is a simple link you can send to your friends, family, colleagues that makes it incredibly easy for them to call their U.S. Senators and tell them to oppose the disastrous nomination of RFK Jr to run all federal health programs. Please share StopRFKjr.com as widely as you can

stoprfkjr.com

Call TODAY to stop RFK Jr

RFK Jr is a danger to every single American… and Trump wants him to lead Medicare. Help us stop him!

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

I know this is beside the point but I also wanted to point out that FCPS is one of the best school districts in the state. Those kids can read and the main areas that need to improve are their racial disparities - equity initiatives are there to *help kids learn*

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Anxious Rage @anxiousrage.blacksky.app · 30/01/2025

Just sent emails to the superintendent and school principal, asking them to publicly push back on the "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling" EO. Also found the board meeting schedule. If anyone wants to join me, I'm linking a couple of templates below that helped me write mine.

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Dr. Lina Prince St. Cameron @converselina.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

in case any media wants to have a chat with a former Department of Transportation employee who can speak first-hand to what the disability accommodation practices look like in the Department, I'm here they were not that great even under Buttegieg. the idea of hiring ATCs unfit to perform is lunacy.

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Friendly Neighborhood Mouse @missmouse.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I hope you’ll pardon me jumping in. You could also post the audio of ATC diverting 19 flights after the collision with cool, calm precision. archive.liveatc.net/kdca/KDCA1-T...

archive.liveatc.net

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Also we need to hammer here that actually, air traffic controllers have tons of medical reqs. The only PWD getting hired for these jobs via schedule A are those whose disabilities are truly irrelevant to the job, like ppl with lower body mobility issues bsky.app/profile/sama...

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Also check out Direct Access to the Capital Act which likely contributed to unsustainable crowding. I doubt anything Trump did had time to make the difference here but that law was passed in early 2024 amid already significant crowding

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I'll add that if I had to bet, the big policy failure here is not DEIA (obviously) OR air traffic controller hiring freeze - but the airport being overcrowded because of this recent legislation.

levernews.com

Before D.C. Airport Collision, Lawmakers Brushed Off Warnings And Boosted Flights

Despite midflight near-misses and dire pleas, airline-bankrolled lawmakers recently expanded flight traffic at Washington’s busy airport.

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Certainly unsurprising - but figured people might want to know what the actual truth is here.

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Protect Our Care @protectourcare.org · 30/01/2025

RFK Jr. isn’t just pushing anti-vaccine rhetoric—he’s cashing in on it. Sen. Kaine revealed he receives contingency fees from Gardasil lawsuits. He has a financial stake in undermining vaccines. #StopRFK

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

We don't know the answers to ANY of those questions right now. This kind of accident should never have happened. We know that air traffic controllers should be adequately staffed, etc. But we can't learn from tragedies unless we *actually investigate them and see what went wrong*

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Another comment on this kind of blame game because it's on the left too. We have no idea what actually happened. Was the air traffic controller ACTUALLY disabled? Was this airport's staffing level ACTUALLY affected at that time by a hiring freeze? Was this preventable by air traffic control at all?

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Air traffic controllers can still be hired through Schedule A but only if their disabilities aren't medically disqualifying. People *with* psychiatric, neurological, intellectual disabilities do get hired *for other federal jobs that they can safely perform*.

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Air traffic controllers have very strict medical requirements and must be free from any significant psychiatric or neurological condition. They need to be able to use their limbs to the extent necessary to perform their duties.

leftseat.com

Pilot Medical Solutions – LeftSeat.com – The Fastest, Most Trusted Aeromedical (FAA) Service

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Let's fact check this claim about disability. The language he's citing seems to be taken from federal Schedule A hiring authority, which lets people with disabilities apply to federal jobs outside competitive process. But it doesn't override medical requirements for air traffic controllers

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Protect Our Care @protectourcare.org · 30/01/2025

He literally said this yesterday 👇

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Dr Lindsey Fitzharris @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

If you think today's news headlines are horrific, check out this one from 1906. Chilling.

A newspaper clipping that reads: "Noisy, Hungry Frogs Sadden Farmer's Life. They scare his cattle and they also eat his flannel shirt."

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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Judge MCCONNELL will *grant* the restraining order, saying the withdrawal of the "hugely ambiguous" OMB order is only a distinction without a difference "based on comments by the president’s press secretary.”

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Data for Progress @dataforprogress.org · 29/01/2025

NEW: While some of Trump’s first-week actions are popular, voters oppose a majority of those we tested — including his “Gulf of America” directive, eliminating the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and ending a policy that helped states enroll residents in Medicaid.

Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress.
Title: Voters Oppose Many of Trump's Week 1 Actions.
Description: Below are actions that President Trump has taken during the first week of his second term as president. For each action, say whether you support or oppose it.
Ordering government officials to label certain international drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations" — Support: 62%, Oppose: 24%
Declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border — Support: 55%, Oppose: 35%
Establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — Support: 46%, Oppose: 37%
<strong>Terminating</strong> all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs across the federal government and placing their employees on administrative leave — Support: 43%, Oppose: 45%
See full results at: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/1/29/after-week-1-voters-have-a-slightly-favorable-view-of-trump-but-oppose-many-of-his-executive-orders

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Protect Our Care @protectourcare.org · 29/01/2025

RFK Jr. says he’ll “make America healthy” but couldn't even explain how Medicaid works. Senator Maggie Hassan calls him out: He gave word salad answers, was uninformed, unprepared, and would follow Trump’s orders—even when they hurt seniors, disabled kids, and veterans. #StopRFK

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Nicole Jorwic @nicolejorwic.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Federal funding freezes may be paused, but Medicaid is still at risk. Learn more about how the freeze impacts programs like Medicaid Money Follows the Person in our latest @caringacrossgen.bsky.social #MedicaidMinute video. #SaveMedicaid

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Protect Our Care @protectourcare.org · 29/01/2025

Senator Ron Wyden is right: RFK Jr. wrote a book claiming people were “misled” into thinking measles is deadly. Now, he’s trying to downplay his role in Samoa. That’s not what the parents say. That’s not what Gov. Josh Green says. It’s time to set the record straight. #StopRFK

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Nico Coer ❌👑 @nicocoer.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

There will be more actions in the future, don’t worry. But this is the next step in the process. Tell even the republican congress critters their powers that they fought to have are being stolen out from under them by Trump. Most might not bend, but we don’t need most- we just need a few to stumble.

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Nico Coer ❌👑 @nicocoer.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Actions, but it is an essential part of prepping the field. This election might not have got us the preferable battlefield, but we can make it marginally less disadvantageous by making sure that the metaphorical officers have doubts seeded and footing uncertain.

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Nico Coer ❌👑 @nicocoer.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Please keep in mind that congress critters have to keep track of constituent correspondence. Often that tracking is over simplified, but it is there. Don’t let people think they have overwhelming support. Don’t let them think they are on stable ground. No, this isn’t the beginning and end of your

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

SNAP, SSI and Medicaid likely continuing for now. It's disgusting that they've done this and put people in fear for their survival.

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Also also! Credibility matters! If you scare the crap out of SNAP recipients by saying their SNAP got cancelled, but then their cards reload two days later, they're not going to believe you when you talk about stuff that's a real threat! Because they've noticed you're a liar!

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Not to mention the many, MANY people who seem to be deliberately equivocating between things that MIGHT happen, things that are LIKELY to happen, and things that have ALREADY happened. The difference actually matters to the people affected!

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Sam Crane @samanticka.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Thank you! Saw similar misinfo saying that the anti-trans EOs would apply to people applying for adoption (which is a state-level issue, and while some states are extremely antagonistic to trans people, others aren't!). This is NOT a good time to scare trans people away from second-parent adoptions.

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