The About Disability Hate podcasts were only made possible thanks to our amazing volunteers Michayla and Olivia. They interviewed disabled people about their insights and experiences of disability hate and wrote blogs. They have shared their reflections on the first year of making the podcasts.
Michayla writes:
The Stop Disability Hate podcast project has been nothing short of transformative for me and my understanding of disability matters, including systemic issues that disabled people face, disability hate, and resulting hate crime incidents. Additionally, as an American, this experience has also allowed me to see just how much UK local and national governance systems compare to those of the US, especially in the ways it supports (or fails to support) disabled people.
The successful development of this podcast is owed in large part to the individuals who took the time to share their personal stories and perspectives with us. Each episode was invaluable to increasing my awareness of disability hate and its connection to other seemingly unrelated issues. This is true whether listening to Flick speak passionately about the importance of the Reverse the Ban activism in (Episode 1) or speaking with Iain about unexpected impacts of Covid-19 pandemic guidelines on disabled people (Episode 5). It is our hope that by centering the voices of disabled people, we might raise greater awareness of disability hate and the real, human lives that it affects.
Michayla is a graduate of the University of York with an MA in International Development. While she has lived and studied in the U.K., her current home is in the United States – in Texas in particular. Alongside volunteering with us here in York, she also works with refugee advocacy agencies closer to her home in the U.S. Michayla is passionate about advocacy in all its forms and finds joy in meeting people exactly where they are at and all the intersections they embody. She is looking forward to continuing this work with YDRF and is excited for all of the learning to come.
If you are interested in making podcasts about disability hate in and around York then please get in touch with Marije for more information and for a chat.