Category: Advocacy
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A Disabled Civil Rights Leader Had Problems at AMC Theatres and I Can Relate
In December 2023, during the Christmas holiday, Bishop William Barber II, a 60-year-old North Carolina civil rights advocate, was removed from a North Carolina AMC Theatre. He was coming to watch “The Color Purple” with his 90-year-old mother. AMC employees requested he leave because of his special chair. He brought this chair for his medical…
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A Hotel Experience With Braille That Went Above and Beyond
January is Braille Literacy Month and I ‘m going to share a positive experience I had at a hotel many years ago. It was so wonderful I still remember it to this very day. It showed me there are thoughtful people still left in the world. It also showed me establishments want to be inclusive…
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Make Media Literacy Your 2024 New Years Resolution
It is a brand new year and with that comes new years resolutions. I have to admit I am not big on resolutions because of their poor success rate. You know how it goes. You make a decision to lose weight, exercise more, or change some other personal bat habit. Then by February all of…
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Too Close for Comfort: How to Respect a Blind Person’s Personal Space
National Personal Space Day Today, Nov 30 is National Personal Space Day which promotes kindness toward sensitivities and supports healing and self-protection by recognizing everyone’s right to decide when and how to be touched. This got me to thinking about an incident where a well-meaning sighted person didn’t respect my space. It happened during my…
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Some of My Favorite Reads Are on the 2023 Banned Books List. Are Yours Too?
Banned Books Week I was in shock when I read the 2023 list of banned books. I have to be honest in saying I have not been paying close attention with the news and conversation around band books. I guess, since I am an older person it didn’t really apply to me. But then I…
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Resent Ablism? Here’s How I Forgive and Move On
A huge part of living with a disability is enduring ablism. Yes, I said enduring because it is something I put up with on a regular basis. Sometimes it is very subtle like saying I don’t look disabled. Other times it is glaringly obvious like designing inaccessible websites or apps. What is Ablism? First, let’s…
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10 Audiobooks to Honor 33 Years of the ADA
July 26 is the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In honor of this enduring achievement and powerful civil rights legislation I have crafted a book list. These books are written mostly by disabled people and speak loudly to our lives, hopes and dreams. My aim is to spark your curiosity, educate…
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Disabled Author Confronts the Church in My Body Is Not a Prayer Request
In July 2008, I was interviewed for an article on disability and religion for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. When the reporter spoke to me he asked me to describe the problems I was having attending and participating in church. Prior to my interview other disabled people exposed the physical barriers. However, my story was different.…
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Black Blind Journalist Publishes the 1930s Detroit Tribune
Before Black History Month is over, I am sharing a story about a Black man with a visual impairment. He was a poet, journalist and newspaper publisher. I learned about his life from the Blind History Lady and was compelled to share it here on my blog. As a Black blind journalist myself, it is…
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Gaslighting is the Word for 2022 But It is not New to Me
Gaslighting is the word for 2022. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary announced it last month. Gaslighting is not a new idea or concept. However, it has become more pronounced in the last couple of years with the increase of misinformation, conspiracy theories, fake news and Twitter trolls. Gaslighting Definition and History So, what is gaslighting in the…
Empish J. Thomas 