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2023 Organizing Institute - Disability Justice 

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2023 Organizing Institute - Disability Justice 

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Workshop Slides

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Disability Justice Workshop Glossary of Terms 

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Disability Justice Workshop Glossary of Terms 

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NDA club - sample light advocacy letter 

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NDA club - sample light advocacy letter 

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Club Recruitment & Retention - NDA Workshop Slides

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Club Recruitment & Retention - NDA Workshop Slides

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Club Recruitment & Retention - Final December 2023

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A 28-page guide to getting started with the Neurodiversity Alliance. Individual pages in this guidebook are available below.

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ND Alliance - Tools, Activities, & Resources

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In the summer of 2020, the Crip Camp Impact Campaign hosted a 15 week virtual camp experience that featured trailblazing speakers from the disability community. With nearly 10,000 participants, Crip Camp 2020 showed the power of committing to accessibility for all.

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click here to watch the one hour recording of the Neurodiversity workshop hosted by the NDA. Interested in bringing this workshop to your campus? email our team info@thendalliance.org

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Native American Heritage Month - PDF presentation 

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Native American Heritage Month - PDF presentation 

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Welcome to Accessible Social, a free resource and education hub that shares best practices for creating accessible and inclusive social media content.

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Welcome to Accessible Social, a free resource and education hub that shares best practices for creating accessible and inclusive social media content.

Short on time and looking for the "too long, didn't read" version of the site? Check out the Accessible Social Quick Guide! Any information found on Accessible Social may be freely shared, cited, or referenced on other websites or publications.

To avoid confusion, Accessible Social will continue to call the platform now known as X by its previous name (Twitter) and use the iconic bird branding until the new brand is more established and widely recognized.

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Learn how to create social media content that is accessible for people with disabilities.

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The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." This is true for other fundamental rights, as well.

Do I have First Amendment rights in school?

You have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear expressive clothing in school - as long as you don't disrupt the functioning of the school or violate school policies that don't hinge on the message expressed.

What counts as "disruptive" will vary by context, but a school disagreeing with your position or thinking your speech is controversial or in "bad taste" is not enough to qualify. Courts have upheld students' rights to wear things like an anti-war armband, an armband opposing the right to get an abortion, and a shirt supporting the LGBTQ community.

Schools can have rules that have nothing to do with the message expressed, like dress codes. So, for example, a school can prohibit you from wearing hats - because that rule is not based on what the hats say - but it can't prohibit you from wearing only pink pussycat hats or pro-NRA hats.

Outside of school, you enjoy essentially the same rights to protest and speak out as anyone else. This means you're likely to be most protected if you organize, protest, and advocate for your views off campus and outside of school hours.

You have the right to speak your mind on social media, and your school cannot punish you for content you post off campus and outside of school hours that does not relate to school.

Can my school tell me what I can and cannot wear based on my gender?

Public schools can have dress codes, but under federal law dress codes can't treat students differently based on their gender, force students to conform to sex stereotypes, or censor particular viewpoints.

Schools can't create a dress code based on the stereotype that only girls can wear some types of clothes and only boys can wear other types of clothes. For example, your school can require that skirts must be a certain length, but it cannot require that some students wear skirts and prohibit others from doing so based on the students' sex or gender expression. That also applies to pants, ties, or any other clothing associated with traditional gender roles.

Dress codes also must be enforced equally. For example, rules against "revealing" clothing, such as bans on tank tops or leggings, shouldn't be enforced only or disproportionately against girls.

All students should be allowed to wear clothing consistent with their gender identity and expression, whether they identify as transgender or cisgender. This also applies to homecoming, prom, graduation, and other special school events. Schools shouldn't require different types of clothing for special events based on students' sex or gender identity - for example, requiring tuxedos for boys and prom dresses for girls.

Can my school discipline me for participating in a walkout?

Because the law in most places requires students to go to school, schools can discipline you for missing class. But schools cannot discipline you more harshly because of the message or the political nature of your action.

The punishment you could face will vary by your state, school district, and school. If you're planning to miss a class or two, look up the policy for unexcused absences for your school and school district. If you're considering missing several days, read about truancy. Also take a look at the policy for suspensions.

If you are facing a suspension of 10 days or more, you have a right to a formal process and can be represented by a lawyer. Some states and school districts require a formal process for fewer days.

You should be given the same right to make up work just as any other student who missed classes.

What do I do if I'm confronted by police at my school?

If you're stopped by a police officer at your school, stay calm. Don't argue, resist, run away, or otherwise interfere with the officer. Ask if you're free to leave. If the answer is yes, calmly and silently walk away from the officer.

If the officer asks you a question, you have the right to remain silent. You also have the right to refuse to write or sign a statement. But if you waive these rights, anything you say, write, or sign can be used against you. And if you choose to make a statement, ask to have a lawyer, parent, or guardian present before you are questioned.

You can refuse to give your consent to be searched by the police. This may not stop the search, but this is the best way to protect your rights if you end up in court.

Don't consent to a phone search; police need a warrant to search your phone. The same goes for a strip-search. No police officer or school employee has the authority to strip-search you.

Don't resist, fight, or flee from an officer who is arresting you. Say you wish to remain silent and ask for a lawyer immediately. Don't say anything, sign anything, or make any decisions without a lawyer present.

The rights of immigrant students

Schools cannot discriminate against students on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

Undocumented children cannot be denied their right to a free public education, and schools should not require families to prove their immigration status in order to enroll their children in school.

Students with limited English proficiency cannot be turned away by public schools, which must provide them with language instruction.

The rights of students with disabilities

Public schools are prohibited by federal law from discriminating against people with disabilities, and cannot deny them equal access to academic courses, field trips, extracurricular activities, school technology, and health services.

Educators and administrators must make necessary academic and medical accommodations, ensure equal access to educational activities and opportunities, and respond to harassment and bullying.

LGBTQ student rights

LGBTQ students have a right to be who they are and express themselves in public schools.

Public schools should not "out" students to their families.

Public schools have a responsibility to create a safe learning environment. They cannot ignore harassment based on a student's appearance or behavior. Students should report harassment or threats to a principal or counselor. This puts the school on notice that officials can be held legally responsible for not protecting students.

Public schools cannot force students to wear clothing inconsistent with their gender identity.

If a public school permits any noncurricular clubs - clubs that aren't directly related to classes taught in the school - then it must allow students to form a Gay-Straight Alliance or other LGBTQ-themed clubs, and the school can't treat it differently from other noncurricular clubs.

Students' transgender status and gender assigned at birth are confidential information protected by federal privacy law. If your school reveals that information to anyone without your permission, it could be violating federal law. If you don't want school officials revealing your private information to others, including your legal name, tell them very clearly that you want your information kept private and that they should not disclose that information to anyone without your consent.

Some states and cities explicitly protect the right of transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Additionally, several courts have ruled that excluding transgender boys and girls from using the same restrooms as other boys and girls violates federal education law. This is an area of the law that is changing a great deal right now. We recommend that you contact the ACLU if you have any questions about your rights at school.

The rights of pregnant students

Public schools and all schools that get federal funds are prohibited from excluding pregnant or parenting students from school, classes, or extracurricular activities, or pressuring them to drop out or change schools.

These schools must provide pregnant students the same accommodations that students with other temporary medical conditions are given, including the ability to make up missed classwork, attend doctor's appointments, take time off for childbirth and recovery, and learn in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.

These schools are not allowed to punish a student who chooses to terminate a pregnancy or reveal a student's private medical information.

Additional resources:
LGBTQ Youth & Schools Resource Library

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Know Your Rights | Students' Rights | ACLU

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The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." This is true for other fundamental rights, as well.

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Project LETS Disability Justice Resources

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Project LETS Disability Justice Resources

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disability justice

History of Disability Justice (Source)

The term disability justice was coined out of conversations between disabled queer women of color activists in 2005, including Patty Berne of Sins Invalid (and Mia Mingus & Stacy Milbern, who eventually united with Leroy Moore, Eli Clare, and Sebastian Margaret) seeking to challenge radical and progressive movements to more fully address ableism.
"Disability Justice was built because the Disability Rights Movement and Disability Studies do not inherently centralize the needs and experiences of folks experiencing intersectional oppression, such as disabled people of color, immigrants with disabilities, queers with disabilities, trans and gender non-conforming people with disabilities, people with disabilities who are houseless, people with disabilities who are incarcerated, people with disabilities who have had their ancestral lands stolen, amongst others." (Source)
Disability justice recognizes the intersecting legacies of white supremacy, colonial capitalism, gendered oppression and ableism in understanding how people's' bodies and minds are labelled ' deviant', ' unproductive', ' disposable' and/or ' invalid '.

Introductory Readings
Sick Woman Theory Wherever You Are is Where I Want to Be: Crip Solidarity, Mia Mingus A Babe-Licious Healing Justice Statement, BadAss Visionary Healers (BAVH) Dialogue on Disability Justice Movement Building with Patty Berne Disability Solidarity: Completing the "Vision for Black Lives" Addressing the Criminalization of Disability from a Disability Justice Framework: Centring The Experiences of Disabled Queer Trans Indigenous and People of Colour State Sanctioned: Disability
Introductory Videos
Ableism is The Bane of My Motherfuckin' Existence "Is medicine about quality of life, or is it about social control? And perpetuating this idea that you have a good body?" - Stacey Milbern My Body Doesn't Oppress Me, Society Does: Barnard Center for Research on Women

Impairment: Physical or neurological manifestation vs. Disability: What society creates as barriers because of the impairment

"If I'm in a place where my access needs are being met, then my impairment isn't so significant." - Stacey Milbern

"It's not easy to live with an impairment. There are time when it's not convenient to have a body. But that's not what oppresses us. What oppresses us is living in a system that disregards us, is violent towards us, essentially wants to subjugate our bodies or kill us -- that's oppressive. My body doesn't oppress me." - Patty Berne

"There are always going to be people in pain. That's just the nature of being in a body. But the social body we can change. And I think it requires a power analysis." - Patty Berne

Disability Justice Curricula (Source)

CONTEXT

ABLEISM AND DISABILITY JUSTICE

ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION

STATE VIOLENCE AND DISABILITY JUSTICE

DESIRABILITY AND SEXUALITY

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Other Resources:

About a third of prison and jail inmates reported a disability in 2011-2012, PR Newswire

'Ban the Box': Good for people with disabilities, U.S. Department of Labor blog

Supporting, not imprisoning, Aboriginal people with disabilities, could save millions, The Conversation,

Why are so many mentally ill people imprisoned in PA? The Pittsburgh Courier

A Psychologist as Warden? Jail and Mental Illness Intersect in Chicago, New York Times

In U.S. Prisons, Psychiatric Illness is Often Met with Brute Force, TruthOut

Breaking the School to Prison Pipeline for Students with Disabilities - National Council on Disability

Brave New Films Releases "Over-Criminalized" - film exploring use of prisons to treat mental illness

Deaf in Prison: Examining Social Exclusion within Systems - from Adler University blog

Mental Health Courts: Challenges, Questions, and Tensions - Center for Court Innovation

Callous and Cruel, Human Rights Watch Report

Mentally Ill Inmates are Routinely Physically Abused, Study Says, Timothy Williams for the New York Times

Solitary Confinement Makes Teenagers Depressed and Suicidal, Ian Kysel for Washington Post

Dealing with Dementia Among Aging Criminals, New York Times

Exploring what it means when police refuse to provide medical attention to their victims, Daily Kos

Jails Are No Substitute for a Mental Health System, The Hill

Cook County Jail a 'mental health provider,' says Sheriff Tom Dart, threatening lawsuit, The Huffington Post

Three bills in Florida on police and disability, David Perry (blog)

Black, Autistic, and Killed by Police, Chicago Reader

Risk of being killed by police is 16 times greater for people with mental illness, The Guardian

Is handcuffing special needs kids acceptable discipline? The Herald Times Online

Distraught People; Deadly Results, The Washington Post

Police Brutality, Mental Illness, and Race in the Age of Mass Incarceration, Austin McCoy for Nursing Clio (blog)

Shocking video of police shooting shows why we need to talk about how cops deal with the mentally ill, Fusion

A Tribute to Tanisha Anderson: African American, Schizophrenic, and Lost on the Streets, Huffington Post (see also Cleveland -> Tanisha Anderson)

Man Tries to Inform Police Son is Autistic - Gets Assaulted, Tasered, Cassandra Fairbanks for The Free Thought Project

Autism and Race (organization/website)

Kim Discusses Disability, Race, and Infrastructural Neglect, The Wesleyan Argus

What Racial, Disability, and LGBT Justice Have in Common, PBS News Hour

Public Schools' Disturbing Conflation of Race and Disability, Al-Jazeera America

Race, Depression, and Sandra Bland, The Cavalier Daily

Disabled Black Lives Matter, Huffington Post

We Must Change the Ableist Language Surrounding Sandra Bland's Death, For Harriet

Mental Illness and Jails: Race is Left Out of the Equation, TruthOut

Police Brutality, Mental Illness, and Race in the Age of Mass Incarceration, Austin McCoy for Nursing Clio (blog)

Shooters of color are called 'terrorists' and 'thugs,' why are white shooters called 'mentally ill'? - Anthea Butler op-ed in the Washington Post

Care Under Conditions of Capitalism and White Supremacy: An Interview with Mia Mingus, Bluestockings

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The term disability justice was coined out of conversations between disabled queer women of color activists in 2005, including Patty Berne of Sins Invalid (and Mia Mingus & Stacy Milbern, who eventually united with Leroy Moore, Eli Clare, and Sebastian Margaret) seeking to challenge radical and progressive movements to more fully address ableism.

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NDA Club Recruitment: Faculty, Class & Campus

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NDA Club Recruitment: Faculty, Class & Campus

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1 hour 30 minute virtual panel recording of a talk featuring speakers from Chainless Change, Detroit Disability Power and Sins Invalid.

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3 minute 30 second interview clip with writer, and disability justice organizer Mia Mingus

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Disability Justice - Mia Mingus (interview clip)

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At a glance

Neurodiversity is a viewpoint that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits.

Neurodivergent people experience, interact with, and interpret the world in unique ways.

This concept can help reduce stigma around learning and thinking differences.

What would happen if the world viewed neurodevelopmental differences like ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities differently? If everyone noticed the strengths that can come from these differences first, instead of the challenges?

That's the basic idea of neurodiversity - that differences don't have to only be looked at as weaknesses. They're not problems that need to be "fixed" or "cured." They're simply variations of the human brain.

The neurodiversity view is also personal. Being neurodivergent can help shape identity and how people see themselves and their value in the world. Neurodivergent people experience, interact with, and interpret the world in unique ways. That can sometimes create challenges. But it can also lead to creative problem-solving and new ideas - things that benefit everyone.

The concept of neurodiversity isn't new. Judy Singer, a sociologist on the autism spectrum, began using the term in the 1990s. Singer rejected the idea that people with autism are disabled. Her view was that their brains just work differently from others.

About the author

About the author

Amanda Morin is the author of "The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education" and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days.

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Neurodiversity is a viewpoint that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits. Neurodivergent people experience, interact with, and interpret the world in unique ways. This concept can help reduce stigma around learning and thinking differences. What would happen if the world viewed neurodevelopmental differences like ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities differently?

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10 Principles of Disability Justice - Sins Invalid

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Click here for a plain-text PDF of the ten principles and their brief descriptions . For an updated version of the 10 Principles with more in-depth explanations, please go to tinyurl.com/DJ10Principles . For more information about Disability Justice including the 10 Principles and much more

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From Sins Invalid, check out this A-Z coloring book lifting up the stories and culture of disability.

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A Coloring Book For Our Communities

Sins Invalid's new Disability Justice from A to Z coloring book includes artwork associated with each letter of the English alphabet, offering an accessible disability justice tool for anyone who can benefit from the creative, embodied, self-soothing aspects of coloring.

Twenty-six crip, trans, queer, and BIPOC artists offer their interpretations of Disability Justice concepts including "Access, Activist, and All of us," "Deaf, Disabled, and Divine," "Mutual Aid, Movement, and Mobilize," and "Wild, Worthy, and Whole." Artists include Syrus Marcus Ware, Selennnart, Sky Cubacub, Ottis Smith, Rebekah Erev, Inés Ixierda, ET Russian, TextaQueen, and many more.

Each entry also includes the English letter as well as the ASL letter, a plain-language description of the concepts, and an image description of the artwork.

Available as a digital download, spiral bound, saddle-stitch, or looseleaf - choose the one that meets your access needs!

8.5"x11", 64 pages, 70lb uncoated paper, 6.9oz.

Disability Justice from A-Z Coloring Book Artists

Maricela Delaluz Altán Kata: A is for Access, Activist, and All of us.

Rafi Ruffino Darrow: B is for BedLife, Blind, and Borderless.

Syrus Marcus Ware: C is for Crip, Color, and Community.

Naima Boudreaux: D is for Divine, Disabled, and Deaf.

Letícia Robles-Tovar: E is for Emergent, Earth, and Evolve.

Selennnart: F is for Fat, Flow, and Freedom.

Tupili Arellano: G is for Grateful, Grumpy, and Graceful.

Dominique Butler: H is for Heavy, Holding, and Healing.

Koomah: I is for Integrity, Intense, and Improvise.

Sky Cubacub: J is for Joy, Justice, and Juicy.

Ottis Smith: K is for Krip Hop, Keeping on, and Kin.

Marcel J. Williams: L is for Learning, Love, and Liberation.

Lilac Vylette Maldonado: M is for Mutual Aid, Movement, and Mobilize.

Rebekah Erev: N is for Neurodivergent, Nurture, and Nope.

Laya Monarez: O is for Oppression, Organize, and Overthrow.

Annie Mok: P is for Pride, Pain, and Power.

Gabe Perrusquia: Q is for Queer, Questions, and Quiet.

Sandie Yi: R is for Rest, Radical, and Revolution.

Inés Ixierda: S is for Solidarity, Support, and Sustainability.

Elliot Kukla: T is for Touch, Truth, and Tummies.

Emily Stern: U is for Unity, Unshamed, and Universal Health Care.

Mustafa Baqai: V is for Voice, Visibility, and Vote.

Sugar Magnolia Edwards: W is for Wild, Worthy, and Whole.

James Diamond: X is for X All Boxes that Apply

ET Russian: Y is for Yum, Yes, and You.

TextaQueen: Z is for Zebra, Zygote, and Zenith.

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Disability Justice from A to Z Coloring Book - Sins Invalid

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Sins Invalid's new Disability Justice from A to Z coloring book includes artwork associated with each letter of the English alphabet, offering an accessible disability justice tool for anyone who can benefit from the creative, embodied, self-soothing aspects of coloring.

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The Neurodiversity Podcast - Sensory Needs

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The Neurodiversity Podcast - Sensory Needs

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As we wrap up 2023, we are presenting a series of episodes called Perspectives. Today, we talk about sensory needs. These varied needs impact a wide range of life activities for neurodivergent people. From unique processing needs of the five senses we were all taught in elementary school, to the newer and wider understanding we have of the proprioceptive, vestibular, and interoceptive sensory systems, having an awareness of how these systems impact our daily lives can make a big difference.

For guest bios, or to listen to the full episodes, here are the links:
Episode 146 Episode 138 Episode 191
If you're a teacher and not yet a member of the Neurodiversity University Educator Hub, we'll be opening up registration in January. It will only be open for a limited time, so make sure you're notified when it happens. Sign up here.

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Episode 203: Perspectives Series - Sensory Needs - The Neurodiversity Podcast

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Three of our best guests, talking about the sensory needs of neurodivergent people.

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The Problem with Masking ADHD and Autism (burnout, etc.)

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One School District Approach to Disability Justice 

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One School District Approach to Disability Justice 

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The Oakland Unified School District in California has a disability justice learning and action group. Check out their webinars and workshops here.

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Intersectional Coalition Building: Brief Community Outreach Overview

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Intersectional Coalition Building: Brief Community Outreach Overview

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Intersectional Coalition Building_ Brief Community Outreach Overview

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Intersectional Coalition Building - Workshop Slides

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Intersectional Coalition Building - Workshop Slides

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Brought to you by the Neurodiversity Alliance. Reach our staff for more info on how to bring this workshop to your school.

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Black History and Futures Month - Week of Action Teach In 

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Black History and Futures Month - Week of Action Teach In 

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6 Common Workplace Neurodiversity Barriers and Opportunities — Neuroinclusion Hub, LLC

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As someone who has worked across several industries since graduating college, I’ve worked at places that were supportive and saw my neurodivergence as a strength, while others lacked the resolve and/or knowledge of legal and HR practices of what it meant to have a more neuro-inclusive workplace. Eve

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Oregon Dept. of Ed. Understanding and Addressing Ableism in Schools 

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Oregon Dept. of Ed. Understanding and Addressing Ableism in Schools 

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Anti Ableism Workshop: Impacts of Ableism Handout

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Anti Ableism Workshop: Impacts of Ableism Handout