Center for Racial and Disability Justice

An orange banner at the top is overlaid by a white horizontal CRDJ logo. Under this, bolded orange and white text reads “This NDEAM, Remember, If it’s not competitive + integrated, it isn’t employment!” There are some stylized figure of people with different impairments and one wheelchair user framing the bottom in the same shade of light brown.

A group of three women are collaborating while sitting at a long table with desktop computers. There is a short filing cabinet between two of them and the third is on a stool facing one of the women typing on her computer. Above them, text reads “Day Training Programs Are Not Employment. If a “training program” does not pay minimum wage, it’s not a job.”

A person kneels before a vending machine while looking up at their coworker who is reaching out a hand to grab an item. Above them, text reads “Subminimum Wage Is Not Employment. Paying disabled people less than minimum wage devalues labor and violates equity.”

Two people in an office smile at each other as they work at their respective desks. A white board with some scribbles is behind them. Above the graphic, text reads “Volunteering Is Not Employment, Volunteering is valuable, but if you aren’t paid, it isn’t employment.”

A person is sitting on a bean bag chair and smiling while working on a laptop with headphones on. Next to them is their bag and a stool with a plant and cup of coffee. Under this, text reads “Competitive Integrated Employment” with a bulleted list reading “At least minimum wage (or higher), same workplace as nondisabled peers, same opportunities for advancement.”

On a burnt sienna background, large bolded text reads “NDEAM, National Disability Employment Awareness Month” with a person sitting at a desk using a laptop and wearing a headset. There are some abstract shapes and dots around them, but the entire color scheme of oranges and tans fits together.

This #NDEAM, we’re affirming what real employment means.

True equity means fair pay, inclusion, and opportunity for disabled workers.
If it’s not competitive and integrated, it isn’t employment.

#DisabilityEmployment #DisabilityJustice

A silhouette of a man with his head down is framed in front of carceral bars. This illustration of containment fades into a drawing of a historic-looking institution. Over these elements, a white border and box contain the blog's text, reading "The Return of Asylums: Why H.R.4022 Endangers Disability Rights." Under this, the Medium logo and gray text read "CRDJ Staff" with the Center's all-white logo at the top-left corner.

Congress may soon reshape behavioral health. H.R.4022 would let Medicaid fund more institutions, but without real community investment, it risks re-institutionalizing disabled people. We must choose community, not #confinement.

Read now on Medium: nlawcrdj.medium.com/the-return-o...

#UPDATE 🚨 26-year-old Imarah Aaliyah Bryan, a woman with special needs was sentenced to 50 days in jail after a petty theft at a Target in Orlando. Her case is sparking outrage and raising questions a... TikTok video by Thetalklounge

True justice demands more than punishment.

We need alternatives rooted in support, not cages—responses that meet disability with dignity, rather than plea deals, police fees, and incarceration.

Learn more: www.tiktok.com/@thetalkloun...

#DisabilityJustice #DisabilityCriminalization

This is not an anomaly.

Across the U.S., people with disabilities are funneled into jails for minor offenses. The system criminalizes survival, treating vulnerability itself as a threat.

Imarah’s case shows how disability, poverty, and race converge under punishment.

Instead of care, the system imposes incarceration, debt, and criminal records—treating unmet needs as crimes rather than addressing root causes.

Her plea was less about guilt and more about survival. Prolonged detention pressures people into deals that end cases quickly—but at great cost.

She was sentenced to time served, forced to pay $300+ to police, and banned from the store.

A booking photograph of a young Black woman shown from the shoulders up against a plain gray background. She is wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt. Her expression is neutral, with her lips closed and her eyes wide, looking directly into the camera. Her hair is cut short and closely cropped. The lighting is even and flat, typical of institutional mugshot photography.

[THREAD] In May 2025, 26-year-old Imarah Aaliyah Bryan, a Black woman with cognitive disabilities, was jailed in Orlando for allegedly stealing $145 from Target.

She spent nearly 50 days behind bars before pleading no contest.

Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA - KFF Health News The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for thei...

Government shutdown, President Trump's plan to lower drug prices, vaccine uncertainty, and more health news.

Host @julierovner.bsky.social is joined by panelists @shefali.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social, and @rachelcohrs.bsky.social on "What the Health?": kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

Today's the last day for 150K+ feds who took the "Fork" (deferred resignation program), including 800+ at the Social Security Administration.

The experience at SSA demonstrates 3 things about the DRP:

1. It's the tip of the iceberg
2. It wasn't really voluntary
3. It hurts service to the public

An intro to designing accessible data visualizations by Sarah L. Fossheim 10 dos and don'ts for designing accessible data visualizations, including real-life examples and resources

People often ask what accessibility considerations to keep in mind when creating data visualizations. For guidance and advice, check out Sarah L. Fossheim's list of 10 things to do (or not do) when designing accessible data visualizations.

fossheim.io/writing/post...

A poster announcing a teach-in in washington DC. Sunday, October 26th - Sunup to Sundown Washington, DC - The National Mall “AMERICA’S FRONT YARD” FEATURING KELLIE CARTER JACKSON, NICOLE HEMMER, DEREK MUSGROVE, NATE DIMEO, TRESSIE MCMILLAN COTTOM, AMANDA SEALES, JODY AVIRGAN, JAMES FALLOWS, MARTHA JONES, MARCIA CHATELAIN, PAUL BUTLER, NATHAN CONNOLLY, AND MORE

Announcing a good ol’ fashioned Teach-In in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 26th.

We’ll convene for a series of lectures, stories, and conversations to celebrate and stand up for the work of history and museums.

Shoutout to @natedimeo.bsky.social for bringing this idea to us.

See you in DC!

Trump Thanks Chief Justice Roberts Won'T Forget GIF Alt: Trump Thanks Chief Justice Roberts Won'T Forget GIF

NEW: Leah & Kate track the wild implications of the unitary executive theory at SCOTUS & outside of it.

Then Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social & Jamelle Bouie @jamellebouie.net join all 3 hosts to talk about Redemption & the Supreme Court - & how that surfaces today.

crooked.com/podcast/the-...

The deceptive phrase behind Trump's Medicaid purge How the idea of “able-bodied” is abused

For the November/December issue of @motherjones.com, I dove into the history of the word "able-bodied"—including how it's been harmful to disabled Americans since the 1930s and it most certainly will be when Medicaid work reqs come into play again. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

An image of the US Capitol at night is tinged with blue, accentuated by graphics of data and technology information in a lighter blue. The Chicago Tribune logo is underlined in a similar blue with the op-ed headline and byline under it.

Health tech is being sold as “modernization.” But in reality, it’s laying the groundwork for a techno-carceral state where your medical data can be weaponized against you.

It’s care becoming control. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/24/o...

Red and white background with heading: “WHAT YOU CAN DO… SHARE THE TRUTH.” Bullets: • Trust real experts, especially people with lived experience. • Support families by advocating for policies that promote care and support, not surveillance. • Uplift the voices of autistic people. • Condemn eugenics framing and disinformation. • Share this post and the truth to stop the lies! At bottom: “Together we can fight disinformation and demand care, accommodations, and support — not control.” Logo: Center for Racial & Disability Justice.

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White background with black heading “WHAT REAL HEALTH MEANS.” Bullets: • Perinatal care centering Black, Brown, Indigenous, disabled, and multiply marginalized people. • Programs that increase financial, education, and community-based support for autistic kids and their families. • Support for careworkers, including higher wages and health benefits. • Valuing neurodiversity, not erasing it. • Listening to autistic voices. At bottom in red: “HEALTH MEANS SUPPORT + DIGNITY, NOT CONTROL.”

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White background with black heading “A PATTERN OF CONTROL” with “CONTROL” circled in red. Subheading: “This isn’t new. It’s the American way. When faced with social problems, the U.S. chooses erasure:” • Locking disabled people in institutions instead of supporting community living. • Criminalizing disability, along with race and poverty, through policing and punishment. • Targeting pregnant people — especially multiply marginalized and disabled folks — with surveillance and punishment. • Forcibly sterilizing people under eugenics laws — a practice rooted in history and still legal in many states. At bottom in red: “In America, we don’t solve problems. We surveil, cage, or kill. The Tylenol scare is just the latest chapter in the eugenics playbook.”

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Red and white background with black heading “THE DEEPER PROJECT.” Subheading: “This isn’t about supporting families… it’s about eliminating neurodiversity.” Bullets: • Frames autism as a disease instead of an identity. • Focuses on “prevention” instead of providing real care and support for autistic people. • Denies autistic people and their families of resources while promoting fear and eugenics ideologies. • Tells autistic kids their lives do not matter. Bold text at bottom: “The quiet part out loud: they don’t want neurodiversity to exist.”

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White background with black heading “THIS RHETORIC…” and red arrows pointing to bullets: • Relies on bad science to promote eugenics ideologies. • Shifts blame from inequities in perinatal care to safe, common medications. • Recycles old vaccine myths and anti-repro lies to distract from real solutions. • Fuels surveillance of pregnant people — especially people of color and disabled folks. • Demonizes neurodiverse people instead of addressing the lack of care and support. Below in red: “Multiply marginalized pregnant people are already surveilled and criminalized. This lie fuels that violence.” Large bold white text: “THE RESULT: LESS CARE, MORE CONTROL.”

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Red and white background with heading “HERE’S THE EVIDENCE” circled in red. • Largest study to date: A sibling-comparison study of 2.5M children found no link between prenatal Tylenol use and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability; claims otherwise misinterpret the data. • Actual health experts agree: WHO, EMA, MHRA, and other global health authorities affirm Tylenol is safe in pregnancy with no reason to change guidance. • Decades of research: Long-term research consistently shows no causal link — claims to the contrary are political disinformation.

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Blue background with white text reading: “THIS ISN’T ABOUT TYLENOL. IT’S ABOUT CONTROL and erasing NEURODIVERSITY.” “CONTROL” is circled in red. A figure of RFK Jr. in a suit has a TV for a head; the screen displays the words “FAKE NEWS.” Logo at bottom right: Center for Racial & Disability Justice.

Tylenol doesn’t cause autism. Decades of research show no link. This lie fuels fear + control—blaming meds, targeting racialized & disabled pregnant people, and devaluing autistic lives. This isn’t health—it’s eugenics. We need care that supports neurodiversity, not erases it. Share the truth. [1/7]

ASAN Condemns Administration's Rampant Misinformation about Autism, Acetaminophen, and Vaccines; Calls for Respectful, Fact-Based Approach - Autistic Self Advocacy Network On September 22nd, President Trump, RFK, and other members of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership held a press conference that contained false and harmful information about…

Monday’s press conference with President Trump, RFK, and other members of HHS leadership contained false and harmful information about autism, acetaminophen, and vaccines. Read our full statement in formal language and plain language here: autisticadvocacy.org/2025/09/asan...

How to Decolonize Wealth amid a Racial Justice Backlash - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly While some retreat on racial justice, others double down. The Decolonizing Wealth Project, for instance, is calling for a $1 trillion shift in resources in the next 10 years.

While some retreat on racial justice, others double down. The Decolonizing Wealth Project, for instance, is calling for a $1 trillion shift in resources in the next 10 years. nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-decol...
@decolonizingwealth.bsky.social @steve-npq.bsky.social
@villanuevaedgar.bsky.social

@rooseveltinstitute.org @aapd.com @npwf.bsky.social @autisticadvocacy.org @americanprogress.bsky.social @hrw.org @trevorproject.bsky.social @advancementproject.org

A black background contains a list of references for various disabled women's equal pay day and bisexual identity support. These resources include some from the National Partnership on Women & Families, the Center for American Progress, and Human Rights Campaign.

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