Judge George Daniels ruled that “meaningful access” to NYC taxis is a must.

“It is clear…that less than 2% of the city’s fleet being wheelchair accessible, resulting in the unavailability of taxi transportation and significantly increased waiting times for disabled persons who require wheelchairs, is not meaningful access. In fact, during oral argument, [the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission] conceded that its regulations do not provide meaningful access to individual who require wheelchairs. It must do so… Meaningful access for the disabled to public transportation services is not a utopian goal or political promise, it is a basic civil right. Title II [of the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibiting discrimination against disabled people] requires immediate and full compliance.”

Until the city comes up with a “comprehensive plan” for cab accessibility, it will only be allowed to issue new medallions (fancy word for licenses) for wheelchair-accessible taxis.

And this won’t stop at NYC. As United Spinal argued before the legal victory, “this fight reaches far beyond the city’s front lines. If NYC creates an equitable system of accessible public transportation then other cities both small and large will follow.”

via Rolling Rains

What was the first song you ever wrote, and what inspired it?

I’m very new to writing songs and I think my first song (If you can call it a song…it was more like a poem) was “Krip-Hop.” I call myself a poet but I always loved music and realized that many poets like Gil Scott-Heron, Jill Scott, Ursula Rucker and many more have started as poets and became singers. I mean Hip-Hop is really poetry if you drop the music.

It can be a pain in the ass dealing with the oppression that comes with being disabled. Does being both black *and* disabled complicate things at all?

For me it’s just who I am but the oppression in both communities against each other is still shocking. Fuck, it is 2012 and still there is racism in the disabled community and ableism in the people of color community. A lack of coming together and very little knowledge, visibility in the mainstream of the history, art, music and other contributions of people of color with disabilities is just mind-blowing. However recently there are projects around this country and world are doing their best to change this lack of knowledge but I wish we could all come together. The system we live under keeps us apart and competing each other and that is very sad.

How’d you get involved with [disabled performance artists' group] Sins Invalid? 

Sins Invalid was started by a group of friend, Patty Berne, Todd Herman, Amanda Coslor and I back in 2004. Patty Berne and I, both people of color with disabilities, were out at a beautiful dance event and we both turned to each other and asked why don’t we see ourselves as disabled people of color with strong politics on the San Francisco Bay Area’s performance stage. [We carry out our cultural work with an] intersectional framework of holding all identities of people who were left out of the disability rights movement.

Who are some hip-hop artists you’re listening to, and who are some disabled artists you’re into right now?

Most Hip-Hop artists I listen to are more political artists like Queen Latifah, Sista Souljah, Public Enemy, Missy Elliot, MF GRIMM, Immortal Technique, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Bambu, Sugar Hill Gang, Brother Ali, Brown Buffalo. I’m loving my Krip-Hop peeps like Kounterclockwise, Preechman, Wheelchair Sports Camp, Miss Money, Fezo and the list goes on. I just wish I could find more disabled women in Hip-Hop.

What are you working on now, yourself?

Trying to write a book on Krip-Hop Nation. Writing for Poor Magazine and IDEAL Magazine.

And what are you working on with Krip Hop Nation?

We are putting out a CD on police brutality/profiling against people with disabilities and a film documentary on this topic. We also working on a film documentary on the late Joe Capers who changed the sounds of early Hip-Hop in Oakland, CA. Lastly, Krip-Hop Nation is a part of Neli Latson’s cultural movement to free him from [unjust] incarceration because of profiling. Neli is a Black young man with autism who is locked up for just sitting on a library lawn and protecting himself from abusive police. Krip-Hop Nation and Martin Vale has teamed up to do a CD for Neli of all types of music from nondisabled and disabled musicians. Krip-Hop Nation will be at University of Washington in Seattle on February 10 and 11. Big news is we might be attending the Paralympics in London and returning to DADA Festival in Liverpool, UK all in the late Summer or early Fall of 2012 and a lot more.

PS. RIP HEAVY D

A poet friend, Vanessa Huang, has a good guide for making events accessible to people with chemical sensitivities: a place for all of us.

In related news, Vanessa’s also raising money via Kickstarter to put towards supporting herself while she finishes her first poetry collection, quiet of chorus. Video below.

You can rent the movie now on Itunes. Watch the Beats Rhymes and Life trailer here.

• When dating online, how much should you reveal about your disability?
• During sex, are physically disabled people always the ‘bottom’?
• How do I explain my ‘gross’ disability when I’m on a date?

Where’s Lulu takes the irreverent and underappreciated view that disability can be fun(ny). We like to highlight this. Haters can suck it.

Email us a question for the next episode, and if we use it, we’ll send you an extremely limited edition Where’s Lulu wallet or bag, designed and manufactured by Toshio’s mom, Carolyn!

Background music used in this episode is stuff we cooked up at home:

STONE FOX (a.k.a. Lulu) – COPACETIC

TOSHIO – MUSHROOM AND THE TREE

Calling all people with disabilities, deaf people, elders, and allies

Join us on Wednesday November 2, in solidarity with Occupy Oakland’s General Strike, for a Teach-In and protest of impending State and Federal budget cuts that impact our community.

We will convene near the right (north) side of City Hall at Oscar Grant Plaza at 2pm. Look for our Disability Action Brigade signs. We will march a short distance at a slow pace to a site where we will have a sit-in and teach-in to alert the public about the potential impacts of the impending trigger cuts on our community, and how we have borne the burden of unabalanced budgets for decades.

At 5:30 pm, those of us who are able, will go the the Port of Oakland. Van shuttles will provide wheelchair accessible transportation. We will do our best to provide accessible transportation both to and from the Port. At the Port we will join the larger group of Occupy Oakland to shut it down and disrupt business as usual.We will determine a safe space to support the shut-down together as a large presence of elders and people with disabilities. Our intent is to create a safe space where people who are more vulnerable can participate without threat to our safety, while supporting those who choose different tactics.

This action is committed to non-violence while maintaining a militant stand against the 1%. Please respect the principles of non-violence when protesting with us.

We are working hard to secure ASL interpretation, but cannot guarantee it will be present. We are looking into Spanish and Mandarin interpretation as well.

In order to provide a fully accessible action, please help us maintain a smoke and scent free space.

If you have any other access needs or other questions, please contact us at:

Phone: 510-686-3139
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cuido/

• On Friday, cops at Occupy Raleigh arrested eight people when a woman in a wheelchair refused to move. The next day, police allowed people to occupy the same area, possibly indicating that their dedication to the cause is making the mayor think twice about pulling a Jean Quan.
• A disabled Londoner explains why she’s protesting on the other side of the pond. The government there is set to cut 20% of the budget for disability living allowances, mobility payments for people in residential care, and unemployment benefits.
• Lawyer TK Small explains why, economically, disabled people should be supporting the Occupiers.
• #Occupy at Home has “information for those supporting the #Occupy movement from home (due to illness, disability, or any other reason).”
• Another clue to why disabled people are pissed: “People with disabilities are doing worse now than they were at the height of the unemployment crisis brought on by the Great Recession.”
• Here’s a video shot during a great teach-in by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project at Occupy Wall Street (I was there!), where activists describe how we can (and why we must) include disabled trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex people in the movement:

Re: the picture making the internet-rounds of the protester in the wheelchair getting teargassed at Occupy Oakland. As msjennylin says, “Don’t pity her, just remember WE ARE FIGHTING TOO!”