Episode 30: Jessy Yates, the MTA, and Buttons - The Accessible Stall

It seems like we just can’t get enough of the MTA. On this episode, we discuss the newest pilot program by the MTA to encourage riders to get up for people with disabilities or pregnant women. How is the MTA trying to achieve this? With buttons that you pin onto your shirt. We thought this was so odd that we brought our good friend Jessy Yates on to discuss this with us. Enjoy! By the way, we get a little bit risque and racy in this episode, so consider this a small content note.

Who is Jessy Yates?

Jessy Yates is an actor, performer, burlesque dancer, and *~professional disabled person~*. What’s more, she is a very good friend of ours. We have been trying to get her on our show for a long time. As a result, we are very excited!

Tell us more about these buttons.

The idea behind these buttons is that it will encourage people riding the train to get up for the people wearing them. However, there’s several things about this that is odd.

1. Wheelchair users don’t exactly need a button to tell passengers they need a seat. Wheelchair users need improved access and more space.
2. People who have invisible disabilities could and should just ask someone to get up.
3. If someone who isn’t willing to get up for you when you ask, they aren’t going to get up for you when you wear a button that asks.
4. It’s just a button. What can it actually achieve?

However, we are both skeptical (and of course we ordered buttons, I mean, come on), and we have an opportunity to test our hesitations “in the wild” once we receive them.

During our discussion with Jessy though, our opinions changed. She brought up some really good points that made us go from being generally against them to skeptical. We’re very excited to see if they actually work.

Where can I find Jessy Yates?

You can find her:

• On Instagram here
• On Twitter here
• And on Facebook here

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Bonus Episode: Disability in the News - The Accessible Stall

We don’t usually do this, but we got so fired up we just had to record an episode immediately.  We spoke about how disability is portrayed in the news, but the show notes will tell you all you need to know about why we’re angry about it.  So angry that we disrupted our own schedule to release this episode as soon as possible. Please enjoy.

Show Notes: O.C. Mom Who Attended Every Class With Quadriplegic Son Earns Honorary MBA Alongside Him

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Episode 29: Bureaucracy, Canada, Andrew Gurza - The Accessible Stall

On this episode, we sit down with fellow podcaster and friend Andrew Gurza. He recently a hard time getting his passport. Such a hard time in fact, that he managed to get himself on national news in Canada. So we thought we’d chat with him about his experience, and the weird little differences between the US and our neighbors to the north. We hope you enjoy this episode! More is always on its way, and we thank all of you, as always, for listening.

Who is Andrew Gurza?

He’s just some guy. Just kidding! Andrew is a “Disability Awareness Consultant and Cripple Content Creator working to
make the lived experience of queerness and disability accessible to all.” Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t he? We think so too, so naturally we had to have him on our show. He also hosts two podcasts, which you can find at the link above. (Spoiler alert: We have both appeared on his show separately and those are the best episodes in our not-so-humble opinion!)

What’s the big deal then?

Andrew Gurza was denied service at a passport office in Canada because of some stupid bureaucratic rule. The rule states that a government employee can’t assist someone filling out a form, for fear that they will lead on the person filling out the form. That makes sense on paper, but what if someone can’t fill out a form? Shouldn’t the rules be bent in that case? According to the Canadian government, no.

We talk about various bureaucratic BS like that that you have to navigate when you’re someone with a disability. And we also talk about how weird Canada is! Did you know their milk comes in bags?! We didn’t!

Anyway, we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it! Go check out Andrew’s podcast!

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Episode 28: New York Subway Lawsuits - The Accessible Stall

On this episode, we talk about the recent lawsuits filed by disability rights activists suing New York City for having a subway system so inaccessible it’s practically unusable some days.

Notes from this episode: New York City’s Subway System Violates Local and Federal Laws, Disability Groups Say, Disabled NYers File Class Action Lawsuit Against MTA Over Inaccessible Subway Stations

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