Mike Ervin is a writer and disability rights activist living in Chicago. He blogs at Smart Ass Cripple, “expressing pain through sarcasm since 2010.”
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Mike Ervin
Claire VanValkenburg
Need Help? Uncle Donald Does Not Want You!
Now Trump will be able to say maybe he didn’t build that wall, but he did build a bureaucratic barbed wire fence that keeps out the lazy “public charges.” more
DoD photo
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Yikes!
I’m supposed to be writing about how hiring disabled people is the right thing to do and makes good business sense. But I’m not comfortable carrying that message. more
Smart Ass Cripple: ‘Don't Shoot Me, I'm _______!’
New communications cards are available to help police officers and deaf individuals communicate. more
Ed Dunens
HUD Does the Right Thing. What’s the Catch?
This is exactly the kind of valuable, constructive action HUD should be taking. So why were they doing it? more
Kavanaugh’s Callousness and Why it Matters
A 2007 decision completely disrespects people’s rights and their freedom of choice because of their disability. more
Smart Ass Cripple: Ah, for the Good Old Days!
Arbitration agreements with medical facilities are all the rage these days. We’ve probably all signed them, whether we know it or not. more
Smart Ass Cripple: Calling for a Straw Summit
I drink martinis through a straw—which isn’t easy. more
Max Pixel
The Other Refugee Crisis
“I’m searching in vain for an antonym for the word ‘refugee.’ I need that word to characterize people, myself included, who feel compelled to stay in their states.” more
Kenneth Lu
Waiting in Line 28 Years to See a Movie
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law July 26, 1990. Today, some outfits still act like it doesn’t apply to them. more
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Gets Some Marijuana: A True Story
Local D.C. law says marijuana cannot be sold legally, but enterprising entrepreneurs have found another way. more
Brian Alberth
The Tyranny of Politeness
The proper time and place to protest, they say, is always the time and place where they feel they can most easily ignore us. When we show up at their churches, homes, and country clubs, we are no longer constrained by their rigged rules. more
Paul Sableman
Storming the Opposition
‘I’m excited to be clogging the door, for whatever reason.’ more
YouTube
Hey Cripple, Can’t you Get Over It?
I wish just once I could see a real story of hope, where somebody makes a grand entrance in a colorful new wheelchair and maybe pops a wheelie or two. more
DonkeyHotey
Smart Ass Cripple: Reevaluate This!
Disabled people dread the recurring laborious bureaucratic waltz of having disability eligibility reevaluated. And it's getting worse. more
ARIMAG
Dinosaurland Means Jobs, Jobs, and more Jobs!
Our city’s bid absolves Dinosaurland of all legal responsibility should any park visitors be eaten by a dinosaur or suffer any other misfortune. more
NPS Photo/Janice Wei
How I Became Afraid to Visit National Parks
I didn’t know that I have been contributing to the crumbling infrastructure of our national parks. more
Fear of Windfalls
Many residents in West Virginia are about to receive $525 because their water supply has been poisoned. How could this be a bad thing? more
The Flying Menagerie of Fee-Dodging Furry and Feathered Creatures
A new airline policy for traveling with a support animal requires 48-hours notice—a problem in case of emergencies, which is exactly when one really needs support. more
Smart Ass Cripple: The Price of Replacement Heads
Buying these things for my toothbrush is a harsh reminder that most of us are neutered hostages of a brutal, taunting, capitalist web. more
