by Shira Leeder A curb cut on a sidewalk, a ramp into a public building, closed captions on a video, or a workplace accommodation that allows someone to do their job—these are not small conveniences. They are the result of decades of disability rights advocacy that transformed everyday life for…
Speech delivered by Michele Mashburn at the first annual Disability Pride flag-raising ceremony at the Santa Clara County Building on July 23, 2026 Thank you, Supervisor Duong, for creating this space today. And thank you to the Division of Equity and Social Justice, and Viviana Barnwell, for your work envisioning…
by Michele Mashburn on the All Things Disability Equity web site, June 4, 2026 Two weeks ago, more than 100 people lay down in a parking lot in East Oakland. Above them stood cardboard gravestones: “Died unhoused.” “No suicide hotline.” “Rural hospital closed.” “Can’t afford insurance.” Hospital and ER staff,…
The following opinion piece by disability activist Michele Mashburn was published in San Jose Spotlight. In a recent op-ed by San Jose Downtown Association CEO Alex Stettinski, he expressed concerns about the impact of Americans with Disabilities Act-related lawsuits on small businesses. He advocated for a “time to fix” period,…
Inclusion is not hard to do on events and other types of meetings. Accessibility is vital to our society. To cover accessibility, intention matters. Inclusion of this most impacted starts with accessibility in all its forms. While it may not be possible to be 100% accessible, honesty matters in communicating…
