Stuff You Missed In History Class Podcast - May 28, 2014
Hosts Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey do a really good job explaining the “Deaf President Now” movement at Gallaudet University in 1989 to an audience that is probably mostly unaware of it. I especially appreciated their focus on the ideological divide between different approaches to communication for the Deaf … between those who emphasize speaking and lip-reading, and those who assert the importance of Sign Language. I was also impressed at the episode’s introduction, in which the hosts talk about being hesitant to cover disability history topics because they don’t want to perpetuate syrupy hero-worship that back-handedly implies low expectations and “otherizing” of disabled people. This might be a concern they have learned from others, but it sounded like the idea came naturally to them, which is nice to hear.
I left a comment suggesting that they do an episode on the 1977 504 Protests, another empowering moment in disability history. Shows and podcasts like this need more encouragement to take on disability topics now and then.
