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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they

@verakub.bsky.social
446 followers 326 following 71 posts

Researcher - Encounters with strangers in accessible parking spaces. Disability / queer / media studies. Views own. #BWithTheT

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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Today's the day: I finally got to wear the floppy hat! It feels like ages since I passed my viva 6 months ago, but it was a great (if very hot) day to celebrate the completion of my PhD. I look very smug in the first photo because I am!
Vera, a white woman with short brown hair, in red and green robes and a black floppy hatVera in graduation robes receiving the PhD award on a stage
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
This all looks strangely familiar. Great to see some coverage of the reality of what it's like to use a Blue Badge on a daily basis. Matches my findings as part of www.politicsofparking.com
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Sal Cap0ne @salimotxo.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
My friends created this little collection of poetry written by students in Gaza under unimaginable conditions. If anyone wanted to give it a boost they would be most grateful.
ionabooks.com
Let’s Throw Away War (PDF download)
Experience a powerful collection of Gaza poems that resonate with loss, hope and memory. Download now to explore voices that refuse to disappear.
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Academic Audio Transcription Ltd @aat-transcribes.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Have you ever considered how social researchers may contribute (knowingly, intentionally or otherwise!) to epistemic injustice and oppression through research practices? Dr Zara Bain has, and will be hosting a free webinar to bring this discussion to life. Join us on Tues 24 Feb @ 7pm GMT.
funnels.academicaudiotranscription.com
WEBINAR: Epistemic Injustice, Oppression & Ignorance: An Introduction for Social Researchers - Sign-up Page
Expand your conceptual toolkit with our accessible introduction to the concepts every social researcher should know.
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
My full PhD thesis on disabled people's encounters with strangers in accessible #BlueBadge parking spaces is now publicly available: etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/17... TLDR? Here's the summary report instead: drive.google.com/file/d/1wmfK... #DisabilitySky #DisabilityStudies
A sign on a wooden post that reads "Blue Badge holders only" with a wheelchair symbol and a parking symbol
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Natalya D @natalyad.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
US post about considering trans people as disabled for legal purposes 19thnews.org/2026/01/disa... and how the current US fascist administration is trying to reverse that and how it's not the end of the fight. Often what trans people need is flexibility and 'reasonable accommodations'.
19thnews.org
Disability groups are standing united for trans rights. That hasn't always been the case.
Forty years ago, disability advocates abandoned the LGBTQ+ community in exchange for legal protections. Decades later, they are fighting a Trump administration rule to roll-back more safeguards for tr...
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
My full PhD thesis on disabled people's encounters with strangers in accessible #BlueBadge parking spaces is now publicly available: etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/17... TLDR? Here's the summary report instead: drive.google.com/file/d/1wmfK... #DisabilitySky #DisabilityStudies
A sign on a wooden post that reads "Blue Badge holders only" with a wheelchair symbol and a parking symbol
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Rachel Charlton-Dailey @rachelcdailey.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Lot of people (men) waste their time and mine telling me the government and media haven't deliberately turned the public against disabled people. Lemme save you the trouble lads, I literally wrote the book on it. And I report on it nearly every day.
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Katharine Wright @wrightkatharine.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Abudagga said: “When I read that they link bringing my family to the UK with UK security, and suggest the children are better off in Gaza, I simply could not believe in British values and norms any more. I expected the British government cared about family life, about human rights.” I am ashamed.
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Leah Burch (she/her) @leahfburch.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
It was a pleasure to read your thesis and be your examiner. It was such a well written thesis and brilliantly defended during the viva. Huge well done! This is such an important piece of research, can’t wait to read more of your work!
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I'm excited to announce I have just passed my PhD viva with no corrections! So pleased that 4 1/2 years' work has paid off and thank you to my lovely examiners @kirstyliddiard1.bsky.social and @leahfburch.bsky.social and Chair Jennifer Allsop for a great discussion.
Cover of PhD thesis
University of Birmingham logo
The Politics of Parking: Disabled People Experiences of Everyday Oppression through Encounters with Strangers in Accessible Parking Spaces
By Vera Kubenz Vera, a white woman with short brown hair standing in front of a door pointing at her t-shirt. The blue t-shirt has bold white text saying "I'm only on it for the parking" above a wheelchair stick figure throwing its arms up in delight
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Rick B @rickburgess.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
How the banning of 37 international aid organizations in Gaza is being felt by Palestinians mondoweiss.net/2026/01/how-...
mondoweiss.net
How the banning of 37 international aid organizations in Gaza is being felt by Palestinians
The majority of Gaza’s population now relies on foreign aid to secure food, water, and every other basic necessity. The Israeli government’s banning of 37 organizations that provide this vital aid wil...
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
The findings of my PhD my research are covered in @theipaper.com today, highlighting the level of hostility faced by #BlueBadge holders and how this may get worse due to the rhetoric around the Motability cuts ⤵️ inews.co.uk/news/motabil...
inews.co.uk
‘You’re a scrounger’: Motability backlash sparks abuse of blue badge holders
Shocking scale of hostility faced by disabled drivers in public car parks revealed
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The i Paper @theipaper.com · 22/12/2025
Disabled drivers who use blue badges are facing “terrifying” levels of threats, verbal abuse and violent attacks trib.al/7aT9pLO
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
The findings of my PhD my research are covered in @theipaper.com today, highlighting the level of hostility faced by #BlueBadge holders and how this may get worse due to the rhetoric around the Motability cuts ⤵️ inews.co.uk/news/motabil...
inews.co.uk
‘You’re a scrounger’: Motability backlash sparks abuse of blue badge holders
Shocking scale of hostility faced by disabled drivers in public car parks revealed
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Dr Zara Bain @zaranosaur.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Delighted that I’m going to be doing a guest lecture at a U.K. philosophy department in the spring about being a philosopher specialising in social justice who also runs a social enterprise If you or your department would also be interested in having me along to talk to your students, let’s chat
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
The recording of my dissemination event from my research on disabled people's encounters with strangers in Blue Badge bays is nowavailable on politicsofparking.com, alongside a summary report of the research findings #DisabilityStudies #BlueBadge #DisabilitySky
politicsofparking.com
The Politics of Parking
Final summary repot: Read the summary report
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
The recording of my dissemination event from my research on disabled people's encounters with strangers in Blue Badge bays is nowavailable on politicsofparking.com, alongside a summary report of the research findings #DisabilityStudies #BlueBadge #DisabilitySky
politicsofparking.com
The Politics of Parking
Final summary repot: Read the summary report
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I'll be holding an online workshop on findings from my research into disabled people's encounters in #BlueBadge parking spaces & how encounters can actively exclude people Fri 12th Dec 12-1pm on Teams with captions, register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/20a4a6... #DisabilitySky
events.teams.microsoft.com
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Great to see my research coveree by @johnpring.bsky.social! For anyone interested in finding out more, I'll be talking about my research at an online event on 12 Dec, 12-1pm, alongside guests @christiane.link and Anjna Patel MBE from Disabled Motoring UK: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/20a4a6...
events.teams.microsoft.com
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
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Disability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Years of scapegoating rhetoric has led to ‘envy and resentment’ of those with blue badges, research finds #BlueBadge #Motability #DisabilityHateCrime www.disabilitynewsservice.com/years-of-sca...
disabilitynewsservice.com
Years of scapegoating rhetoric has led to ‘envy and resentment’ of those with blue badges, research finds
Years of scapegoating rhetoric and politicians casting disabled people as “scroungers” have reinforced prejudices about the blue badge parking scheme and led to “envy and resentment” instead of equ…
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Great to see my research coveree by @johnpring.bsky.social! For anyone interested in finding out more, I'll be talking about my research at an online event on 12 Dec, 12-1pm, alongside guests @christiane.link and Anjna Patel MBE from Disabled Motoring UK: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/20a4a6...
events.teams.microsoft.com
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Reminder: I will launch the results from my research into disabled people's encounters in #BlueBadge parking spaces in an online workshop on Fri 12 Dec, 12-1pm, on Teams with captions Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/20a4a6... #DisabilitySky #DisabilityStudies
Close up of the wheelchair symbol in an accessible parking bay. The symbols is in white paint on a blue background with cracks all over
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Reminder: I will launch the results from my research into disabled people's encounters in #BlueBadge parking spaces in an online workshop on Fri 12 Dec, 12-1pm, on Teams with captions Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/20a4a6... #DisabilitySky #DisabilityStudies
Close up of the wheelchair symbol in an accessible parking bay. The symbols is in white paint on a blue background with cracks all over
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I'll be holding an online workshop on findings from my research into disabled people's encounters in #BlueBadge parking spaces & how encounters can actively exclude people Fri 12th Dec 12-1pm on Teams with captions, register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/20a4a6... #DisabilitySky
events.teams.microsoft.com
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
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Tig Slater @tigslater.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Incredibly sad to hear of the death of @sfdirewolf.bsky.social. I was always amazed by her generosity in our (small) interactions, and I've got a lot from her writing. Rest in power, what a force.
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cjds2012.bsky.social @cjds2012.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
The philosopher D. R. Parton said: Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen Pour myself a cup of ambition And yawn and stretch and try to come to life Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin' Out on the street, the traffic starts jumpin' With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5. 1/2
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
It's done! After four years (end of my minimum period), I have just submitted my PhD thesis on disabled people's encounters in accessible parking spaces 🥳♿🅿️ #DisabilitySky #DisabilityStudies #BlueBadge #PhD #PhDlife
Thesis cover page with University of Birmingham Crest: "THE POLITICS OF PARKING: DISABLED PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES OF EVERYDAY OPPRESSION THROUGH ENCOUNTERS WITH STRANGERS IN ACCESSIBLE PARKING SPACES
by VERA ISABELLA KUBENZ
A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Social Policy, Sociology, and Criminology
School of Social Policy and Society
College of Social Sciences
University of Birmingham
September 2025
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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Speaking from Gaza, Manar Al Houbi told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show she was informed just days before her evacuation from Gaza that her family would not be allowed to come with her – despite the Labour Government allowing other students' families to enter the UK.
thenational.scot
Gaza student hoping for Glasgow PhD in urgent plea as family blocked from entering UK
A student from Gaza hoping to study in Scotland has issued a plea to the UK Government urging them not to "make her choose" between her…
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Unite UCU @uniteucu.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
With another 9 @ucu.org.uk branches now calling on UCU to do the right thing we wonder if @drjogrady.bsky.social is listening to her members.
We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to: 
• Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions. 
• Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action. 

Signed, 25, no, 37, no, now 46 UCU branch committees (and still counting)
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Catherine Hale @catherinehale.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Great to hear a robust challenge to DWPs misleading stats on out of work benefits. Thank you as ever @benbgeiger.bsky.social
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Matt Baume 🏳️‍🌈 @mattbaume.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
When we talk about how "Magneto was right," this is why -- here he is, correctly predicting how this is going to go. It starts with dehumanizing; then that leads to tracking; tracking leads to arrests; arrests lead to camps; camps lead to genocide.
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M a r c u s 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Oh nothing gets racists more puce than having a better car than them. I have STORIES
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Nicola Spurr @nicolaspurr.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Just today Anas tweeted this:
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Nicola Spurr @nicolaspurr.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
The #IDF has just murdered #AnasAlSharif & several #AlJazeera colleagues in a targeted strike on their tent. After weeks of harassment. What consequences? @peninternational.bsky.social @indexoncensorship.org @ifjglobal.bsky.social @cpjunion.bsky.social @nujofficial.bsky.social
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Fiona Robertson @fionaswriting.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
As a disabled activitist grieving for the deaths to come because of Wednesday's vote, who's had to see the front page media headlines saying we *still* are getting too much, this is the true face of Britain. They want us dead. We're inconvenient and unprofitable. Glad JM has joined us.
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Prof. Virginia Braun (she/her they/them) @ginnybraun.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Read the thread and don’t be an asshole! #SupportTransKids (& adults)
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M a r c u s 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Men deserve safety too you absolute ghoul
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Disability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Four disabled Labour MPs stood up to their government’s attempts to reduce vital disability benefits, despite ministers’ chaotic last-ditch concessions to rebels that removed a significant chunk of their cuts bill. www.disabilitynewsservice.com/four-disable...
disabilitynewsservice.com
Four disabled Labour MPs stand up to government over cuts to disability benefits
Four disabled Labour MPs stood up to their government’s attempts to reduce vital disability benefits, despite ministers’ chaotic last-ditch concessions to rebels that removed a significant chunk of…
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
My new paper in @urbanstudiesjournal.com highlights how having their legitimacy challenged in accessible parking space can actively stop disabled people from using these spaces, meaning there is no such thing as an 'accessible' space. Full paper is open access below ⤵️ #DisabilitySky
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Urban Studies Journal @urbanstudiesjournal.com · 03/07/2025
🏙️ NEW article in our Special Issue on "Infrastructural encounters: Disability in urban lives" Take a look 👇🧵 #UrbanStudies
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M a r c u s 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Funny how they went for the Black and Irish bands isn’t it (white Irish people: welcome back!)
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
A 2nd paper from my PhD on #BlueBadge parking encounters is now published in @urbanstudiesjournal.com This one focuses on 'faking' encounters and how no space is truly accessible while disabled people are under constant surveillance Available open access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
‘There’s nothing wrong with you’: The making of disability through encounters in accessible parking spaces - Vera Isabella Kubenz, 2025
This paper explores what constitutes an ‘accessible’ space by examining encounters in accessible parking spaces during which disabled people are accused of ‘fak...
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
A 2nd paper from my PhD on #BlueBadge parking encounters is now published in @urbanstudiesjournal.com This one focuses on 'faking' encounters and how no space is truly accessible while disabled people are under constant surveillance Available open access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
‘There’s nothing wrong with you’: The making of disability through encounters in accessible parking spaces - Vera Isabella Kubenz, 2025
This paper explores what constitutes an ‘accessible’ space by examining encounters in accessible parking spaces during which disabled people are accused of ‘fak...
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Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Stephen Kinnock is lying. People don't lose PIP when they get a job, its not an out of work benefit & plenty of people on PIP work Kinnock knows this. What he's doing is part of a wider govt strategy to paint disabled people as shirkers & scroungers stealing from working people
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Rick B @rickburgess.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
It's not MP's Starmer needs to talk to it's disabled people and our orgs, the fact his entire discussion with MP's of his own party shows he has learnt nothing. He is playing politics with our lives and does not even respect us enough to involve us. Kill The Bill.
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Campaign for Disability Justice @campaignfdj.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
.@vickyfoxcroftmp.bsky.social’s resignation is a stark warning. An MP with a decent knowledge of the welfare system & employment struggles of Disabled people sees the truly devastating impact of the proposed cuts – and acted on it. @johnpring.bsky.social #TakingThePIP
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Emily Herring @emilyherring.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
I wrote about how two icons, Beyoncé and Karen O, helped me through the ordeal of hitting puberty in the early 2000s for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social Beyoncé, Karen O and getting past the male gaze app.theneweuropean.co.uk/story/137746...
Beyoncé performing in a white cowboy outfit with her daughter Blue IvyKaren O with a spiky helmet, fringed cape, huge KO letters on her front performing with her arms stretched out
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Dr Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
I considered quitting 2 weeks into my PhD after being told I'd have to sit in a building off campus because my school couldn't meet my accessibility needs: a chair with armrests plus a desk not directly underneath a light. I complained. PGR lead told me to calm down bc they were "trying to help me".
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