This season of Contra*, we’re sharing oral history interviews from the Remote Access Archives. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. 

What did remote access look like 20 years ago? 30 years ago? How has the disability community been innovating with phones, emails and the internet since these were emerging technologies? This episode features a conversation with Corbett O’Toole, a white, queer, disabled elder, artist and author, who discusses the significance of remote access technologies over the past few decades – from her role in the polio community to the early disability rights movement to disability justice today. 

For an episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com.

Themes: 

• Disability advocacy and justice

• Anti-colonialism and the disability community 

• Remote participation and conferences 

• Queer feminism and the disability community

• COVID-19 pandemic and long COVID 

• Nomad community and internet access 

Links: 

• Corbett’s website

• Corbett’s scholarship in UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library

• Corbett’s scholarship in the SF Public Library History Archives 

• Remote Access Archive
  

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. This season we’re sharing some of those conversations. We’re also taking a closer look at some of the documents in the remote access archive in mini-episodes, like the one you're listening to today!

What was the role of remote access before the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at documents associated with the Toomey Gazette, later known as the Rehabilitation Gazette, a print newspaper sent out by a rehabilitation center to its broader community starting in 1955. 

For an episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com.

Links:

Remote Access Archive

Crip News

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

Welcome to Season 4 of Contra*! We’re back with new episodes from the Remote Access Archives. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. This season we’re sharing some of those conversations. 

For an episode transcript, please visit criticaldesignlab.com.

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? Aimi’s conversation with Hector Ramirez, a disabled, queer and Two-Spirit, and biracial disability rights advocate focuses on how remote access has transformed during the pandemic, and the implications of the pandemic on his disability community and culture. 

Themes: 

• Disability politics and advocacy

• Remote access and workplace participation

• COVID-19 pandemic era 

• institutionalization and isolation 

• Public policy and access

Links: 

• Hector Ramirez

• Hector Ramirez on Linkedin

  
  

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

Welcome to Season 4 of Contra*!

On this season of Contra*, we’re sharing oral history interviews from the Remote Access Archives. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times.  This season, we'll be sharing some of these conversations.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com.

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

For more information on our guest, show notes, and transcript please go to criticaldesignlab.com

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at two articles documenting Alice Wong’s 2015 trip to the White House via a robot.

In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at documents that highligt an innovative remote access technology and the importance of remote access before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For an episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Links:

Disability Visibility Project

Remote Access Archive

This episode, we hear from Qudsiya Naqui, a blind South Asian lawyer and podcast creator. Qudsiya shares how remote access has transformed her daily work and inspired her to start her own podcast, Down to the Struts, welcoming her into the broader disability community. 

Themes: 

• Disability advocacy and justice

• Advocating for remote workplace access 

• Blindness and screen readers 

• Podcast remote recordings and production

• Navigating access in cross disability communities 

Links: 

• Qudsiya’s podcast, Down to the Struts

• Qudsiya on Linkedin

• Remote Access Archive 
  

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. This season we’re sharing some of those conversations. We’re also taking a closer look at some of the documents in the remote access archive.

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at documents associated with the UCLA Hybrid Access Strike and reflects on solidarity.  

For an episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Links:

Remote Access Archive

On this episode of Contra*, Aimi talks to Susan Molloy, a white disabled woman and environmental illness activist. Susan is a resident of a remote, disability community outside of Snowflake, Arizona. Susan shares how she found her way to remote disability advocacy, the barriers to remote access faced by folks with environmental illnesses, and how she and others in her neighborhood advocate, innovate, and design living spaces that fit their needs. 

For a full episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Themes: 

• Remote access and navigating different sensitivities 

• Chemical sensitivities, electrical sensitivities, and electronics shielding

• Environmental Illness 

• Negotiating access and remote access pre-COVID

• Disability communities and collaborative access 

Links: 

• EI Wellspring 

• Remote Access Archive
  

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at five documents sent to us by Communication First. Communication First works to advance the rights of people who cannot rely on speech. These documents highlight the need for some disabled people to have in person support, including in person support to participate in remote access.

Find the full epsiode transcript at criticaldesignlab.com.

Links:

Communication First

Remote Access Archive

This episode, we hear from Thomas Reid, who is a Black disabled and blind man, podcast producer extraordinaire, and host of Reid My Mind Radio. Thomas discusses audio description and access, especially in the film industry, Blackness and disability, accessibility and blindness, and cross-disability community as he has navigated becoming blind as an adult.

He also shares his reasons for hope in the audio description and narration industry, and how remote access has transformed his ability to connect with and grow his community. 

For a full transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com.

Themes: 

• Audio descriptions, visual descriptions, and access

• Remote recording and podcasting

• History of podcasting in the blind community

• Disability innovation over the years

• Blindness in adulthood

Links: 

• Thomas Reid’s website, Reid My Mind
• Thomas’ podcast, Reid My Mind Radio
• Thomas Reid on Linkedin
• Remote Access Archive
  

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie shares a bit about Glitch Realm, a piece of digital art by Yo-Yo Lin and Kevin Gotkin, developed for one of the Remote Access parties and reflects on joy and access magic. 

For a full episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Links:

Remote Access Archive

On this episode, we hear from moira williams, an Indigenous disabled artist. moira shares their experience with pre-pandemic and pandemic forms of remote access, especially as it pertains to joy, community-building, performance, nightlife and parties, visual protests and more. 

For a full episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Themes: 

• Joy as resistance

• Hybrid and remote parties and community building

• Movement in disability spaces and communities 

• Zoom participation and community building

• Indigenous communities and disability justice

• Land acknowledgement in remote digital settings

• Disability arts

• Crip nightlife / remote access parties 

Links: 

• moira williams website

• moira williams linkedin

• Disability Arts NYC

• Remote Access: Witches ‘N Glitches

• Remote Access Archive
  

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at the Olmstead Quality of Life Survey and reflects on the limits of remote access.  

For a full episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Links:

Remote Access Archive

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at Cripping Pandemic Learning, documents developed by Danielle E. Lorenz and Hannah Sullivan Facknitz to support access for disabled students to online learning. These documents highlight the collaboration and simplicity of access-knowledge sharing common to disability culture. 

For a full episode description, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Links:

Remote Access Archive

This episode, we hear from Katie Goldfinch, a white, nonbinary person and solidarity worker with Touretteshero. Katie gives us insight into the disability arts scene in the UK, how Touretteshero navigates the pandemic, and how they are working hard to share collective joy, education, creativity, and curiosity with kids and teachers remotely. 

For a full episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Themes: 

• Remote access, collaborative access, and education

• Creating joy and collaboration remotely

• Disabled kids and disability arts

• Play and performance 

Links: 

• Touretteshero website

• Remote Access Archive 
  

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at Crips for E-sims for Gaza, an effort by Alice Wong, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha and Jane Shi to encourage disabled people and their allies to donate to get eSims to people in Gaza. Kelsie reflects on the relationship between mutual aid, remote access and the importance of doing something, however small.  

For a full episode transcript, visit criticaldesignlab.com

Links:

Donate to Crips for Esims for Gaza

Remote Access Archive