Listen to this post:
Remember a few months ago when I did that podcast episode with Alice Wong? We were talking about a big question: Why aren’t there more disabled voices hosting radio shows and podcasts? We also talked about interrogating the word “good.” There’s no inherent goodness to one voice and badness to another. If we could break away, even just a little, from the capitalist idea of smooth, quick, efficient speech as being the best kind of communication, maybe we’d be more open to having more disabled voices on our airwaves.
Not long after that episode came out, Alice sprang some amazing news on me: She was starting her own podcast. We had just lamented on the air about it, and now some huge change would be coming.
Alice created the Disability Visibility Podcast, conversations on disability politics, culture, and media. The show prioritizes guests from marginalized communities, centering their voices and perspectives. The guest line-up is extremely diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, class, disability type, and gender identity, to name a few pieces. This is absolutely critical. We still have most of the mainstream news about multiply-marginalized people primarily being published by non-disabled, cis white US citizens.
There’s only two episodes out yet. So, how do I know so much about the guests coming up? I had the extreme good fortune to work alongside Geraldine Ah-Sue and Sarika Mehta as audio producers on the episodes. I also transcribe every episode, and Alice posts them as a Google Doc and a screenreader accessible pdf. I have the best job ever.
Start here, with the podcast preview to learn more about it. Then, leap over to iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe. Every two weeks, a new episode will come out with audio and text transcripts at the same time!
If you’re not already part of the Disability Visibility Project’s Facebook community, please join to find tons of news, culture, current events, politics, and media. Hop over to the website at DisabilityVisibilityProject.com. Love their work as much as I do? Consider supporting the DVP on Patreon.
Happy podcasting!