disability

Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

by Cara January 5, 2011

Trigger Warning for sometimes graphic descriptions of human experimentation and medical research on non-consenting individuals There’s a photo on my wall of a woman I’ve never met, its left corner torn and patched together with tape. She looks straight into the camera and smiles, hands on hips, dress suit neatly pressed, lips painted deep red. [...]

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California Inmates Receive Mental Health Care While Locked in Cages

by Cara December 28, 2010

Today, the LA Times reports on the state of mental health care in California state prisons. Namely, they report on an aspect of how that care is delivered, now that the courts have mandated that treatment be provided even to inmates in maximum-security prisons: with the patients locked inside individual cages. Yes, really. Before group [...]

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Australian Women Report Sexual Abuse in Victoria Psychiatric Wards

by Cara October 4, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of violence against women with disabilities, and discussions of sexual violence particularly within the context of psychiatric units. Last week, news broke in the Australian state of Victoria that women who are patients in psychiatric wards are being routinely sexually harassed and assaulted by men who are patients in those same [...]

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Disabled Student Assaulted on School Bus; Bus Driver Watches and Doesn’t Respond

by Cara August 6, 2010

Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions of violence against people with disabilities, school violence, and victim-blaming. As evidenced by a recent post, violence of all kinds is a major problem in schools, and school administrations not only frequently fail to respond appropriately to said violence, they’re also often a direct part and/or cause of the problem. [...]

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Blogging Against Disablism Day: Ableism and Abuse

by Cara May 1, 2010

Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions of neglect and abuse against people with disabilities. Today is Blogging Against Disablism Day, which takes place on May 1st of every year. At this blog, I tend to write an awful lot about different forms of violence and abuse against women. I’ve talked in the past about various ways [...]

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Court Gives Women the Right to Sue Wal-Mart for Gender Discrimination

by Cara April 27, 2010

Yesterday, a federal appeals court ruled that a class action lawsuit against Wal-Mart, for alleged discrimination against female employees, can go forward. For almost ten years, the company has attempted to block the lawsuit, and is still unprepared to give up: A federal appeals court ruled Monday that thousands of female Wal-Mart employees can sue [...]

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The Importance of Consent in Everyday Situations

by Cara April 15, 2010

Yesterday, I had my hair cut. As the stylist called my name, she asked if I would like a shampoo. I politely declined. She then noticed how thick my hair is and she said she was going to take me back to the sink to wet it. And being incredibly used to this, I readily [...]

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Montana State Hospital Pays $375,000 Settlement to Rape Victim

by Cara February 19, 2010

Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions of sexual violence. Moodybpgirl recently wrote about a really horrifying case in which Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs paid a six-figure settlement to a woman who was raped during her stay there, by a fellow patient who also just so happened to be a convicted sex offender. A female [...]

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Deaf Woman Was Not Told Her Cancer Was Terminal

by Cara February 9, 2010

I’ve heard a lot of heartbreaking and enraging stories in my lifetime, but this still manages to rank pretty highly up there. Health care providers never gave a woman with cancer and her husband, both of whom were deaf, a repeatedly requested interpreter. And thus, they weren’t told for three months that she was dying. [...]

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Mother’s Disability Featured in Custody Dispute

by Cara December 23, 2009

Kaney O’Neill is a 31-year-old mother with a 5-month-old son. Her ex-boyfriend, and her son’s father, is now waging an ugly custody battle against her. So far, it’s an experience that countless parents have endured. What makes O’Neill’s story newsworthy, if not rare, is the fact that she has a disability — and her ex [...]

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