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
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
Lwp Kommunikáció
Mourners, Stop Insulting Stephen Hawking
In Heaven, is everyone a non-disabled white man? more
Smart Ass Cripple: Thanks, NRA, for Making Shooting Easy, Even for Me
In a society where the guy with biggest gun rules, I’m a sitting duck. more
David Galbraith
Smart Ass Cripple: Congress Eyes Gutting the Americans with Disabilities Act
Tales of “drive-by lawsuits” are like those hair-raising stories about welfare fraud. They make for blaring headlines but in the grand scheme of things are not that common. more
Take a Dump for Trump: The Scoop on Political Resistance
Picking up after my dog has never been so satisfying. more
The Importance of Being Shameless
My wife often accuses me of being shameless. She means the good kind of shameless. I take it as high praise. I only wish it were true. I’m not nearly as shameless as I aspire to be. But I’m working on it. more
Randen Pederson
Hurray! Let’s All Go Bananas Over the Republican Tax Cuts!
Hell, with my newfound largess, I may even decide to splurge and buy organic bananas. more
C-SPAN
Everybody Loves Frank—When it's Convenient
Stephens delivered a dramatic rebuke of the notion that people with Down Syndrome and their families lead lives of perpetual suffering. Republicans gave him a standing ovation but voted against him anyway. more
Screwed in the City: Trying to Pay Rent with Social Security
When your monthly income is $763, and the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment where you live is $861, you’re screwed. more
Disabled Oklahomans Catch a Break, For Now
After major blowback and a legal threat from the ACLU, the state funds a vital program—for a few more months. more
Beware the Wrangler
The Republicans want to cut Medicaid without thinking about the consequences. more
