Peter Torres Fremlin
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desibility.bsky.social
Peter Torres Fremlin
@desibility.bsky.social
1.6K followers 570 following 260 posts
Covering world news with a disability lens. I love languages, questions and places I've lived 🇬🇧🇧🇷🇧🇩🇪🇬

Writing Disability Debrief: https://www.disabilitydebrief.org/signup
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desibility.bsky.social
Peter Torres Fremlin @desibility.bsky.social · Dec 5
I make a newsletter on international disability news and I need your help.

The two biggest challenges for a project like this are visibility and financing.

Please share, to help others find it.

And if you're comfortable, it runs on pay-what-you-can.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/open...
Photo of Peter, a white man nearly 40, sitting in wheelchair and engaging smile. He works on a laptop, and wears a green hoody with a disabled-gingerbreadman theme. He has short dark curly hair, glasses and a trimmed beard.
desibility.bsky.social
Part of disability is trying to explain our experiences, whether it be to children, bureaucrats or a new lover.

My favourite quotes on self-advocacy and much more, including @accease.bsky.social @rossshowalter.com @afropersonnage.ch et al

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/self...
“Self-advocacy is hard work”
Explaining our experiences, “cripping up”, and kids' questions
www.disabilitydebrief.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
rossshowalter.com
New story! I wrote (yet again) about ASL students, romantic relationships, and the uncertainty that arises when someone starts to learn a language after meeting you.

I'm grateful to @rrrubenstein.bsky.social and @theoffingmag.bsky.social for giving it space.
A Manual for ASL Students - The Offing
Fiction - The Offing Magazine
theoffingmag.com
September 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
thesqueakywheel.bsky.social
If The Squeaky Wheel has ever given you a smile, a laugh, or a temporary cold sore, please consider donating at thesqueakywheel.org/donate.
But that tenth doctor? She (yes, she) RECOMMENDs giving us your money. 9 out of 10 doctors RECOMMEND giving them your money. give it to ‘em!!! Swipe for a less funny but more informative message help us grow Squeaky Wheel Media is not only a certified laughfest™, it’s a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and we rely on donations from our readers to sustain and grow. If our crowdsourced strategy doesn’t work, we might have to ask Larry Ellison, and he seems pretty busy. do we spend it on labubus? No. All donations we receive go directly towards our mission of empowering disabled comedy writers and educating the public about disability issues. At a time when free speech and disability rights are constantly under attack, your contributions ensure we can be a loud and squeaky voice fighting for disability justice. Our fundraising goals While all of Squeaky Wheel’s administration is volunteer-based, we know we could achieve further reach and greater impact with a stronger financial foundation. With more funding, we can compensate for more writers and creatives, hire our first paid staff (all of whom will be disabled, of course), and ensure Squeaky Wheel will be a vocal presence in the disability community for years to come. All that... for memes? In addition to our online satire publication, our organization has expanded into a workshop program, an international television series, a gift shop, an annual disabled comedy festival, and a soon-to-be-announced mutual aid program. give the gift of love (By love, we mean money) Interested in making a HUGE impact on our measly little operation? While one-time donations are a wonderful way to lock in that tax deduction, we also encourage you to consider a recurring annual or monthly donation, for all of eternity, or until your debit card expires and you’re too overwhelmed to update your payment info. No donation is too small, however donations can be too big if they skyrocket us into the billionaire-class, fundamentally undermining our scrappy spirit and turning us into corrupted hypocrites. In all sincerity, telling our jokes is a true joy, and we would do it for free. But pretend we didn’t say that, and please donate, because we want to do this forever, things cost money, and disabled people deserve fair and equitable pay.
November 24, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
desibility.bsky.social
“I'm honoured to be your ancestor”: remembering Alice Wong in her own words.

Alice's writing changed the way I see myself and our future. Here are the ones that touched me most:

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/hono...
A digital illustration of Alice Wong, an Asian American woman in her early fifties, with a ginger cat curled up in her lap. Alice is looking directly at us and smiling with her mouth closed and a serene, thoughtful expression. Her hair is tied up, and she wears her signature dark red lipstick and a blue sweater. She sits in a wheelchair with a head rest, and is connected to a long ventilator tube through a tracheostomy. The background is coloured with a light blue wash of watercolour and signed by Kinanty Andini.
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
desibility.bsky.social
“I'm honoured to be your ancestor”: remembering Alice Wong in her own words.

Alice's writing changed the way I see myself and our future. Here are the ones that touched me most:

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/hono...
A digital illustration of Alice Wong, an Asian American woman in her early fifties, with a ginger cat curled up in her lap. Alice is looking directly at us and smiling with her mouth closed and a serene, thoughtful expression. Her hair is tied up, and she wears her signature dark red lipstick and a blue sweater. She sits in a wheelchair with a head rest, and is connected to a long ventilator tube through a tracheostomy. The background is coloured with a light blue wash of watercolour and signed by Kinanty Andini.
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
desibility.bsky.social
Sometimes disability lets you rip up the blueprint and do life differently.

Mario Georgiou shares how his progressive disability – Usher Syndrome – led him to move from London to Budapest, and the (mis)adventures he had along the way:
Falling for Budapest
Moving country with a progressive disability and finding a new attitude to risk
www.disabilitydebrief.org
November 12, 2025 at 2:05 PM
desibility.bsky.social
Mad Pride protests in France denounced violence in medical treatment. One of the protestors said: “All my life, I’ve been told I was different. Today, I’ve come to fight against normality!”

This and more in an update with disability news from 42 countries.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/figh...
Fight against normality
Protests, sign languages, and curated disability news from 42 countries
www.disabilitydebrief.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
emile-chabal.bsky.social
I wrote something with the wonderful @mcslaven.bsky.social about how the immigration debate in the UK has becoming so mind-bogglingly radicalised.

foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/05/b...
Britain Is Having the World’s Most Extreme Immigration Debate
The British discourse makes even the Trump administration look moderate.
foreignpolicy.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
a11ynews.bsky.social
The United Nations isn't doing enough on disability www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/un-s... #a11y
The United Nations isn't doing enough on disability
A five-year reform made important steps but progress is “extremely slow”
www.disabilitydebrief.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:21 PM
desibility.bsky.social
What happens to disability rights in a backsliding democracy?

We can learn from countries who have been down that path already.

Gabor @petrigoh.bsky.social shares his own experience and research from Central and Eastern Europe.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/this...
“This should not be happening”
Lessons on how backsliding democracy curtails disability rights
www.disabilitydebrief.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
kamiloulis.bsky.social
Join us this Thursday! The awesome @desibility.bsky.social will be our guest, and I am really looking forward!
October 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
desibility.bsky.social
The UN isn't doing enough on disability: an evaluation of a five-year reform shows progress is “extremely slow”.

Plus, the lessons of inclusion that I took from latrines.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/un-s...
The United Nations isn't doing enough on disability
A five-year reform made important steps but progress is “extremely slow”
www.disabilitydebrief.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
thesqueakywheel.bsky.social
Take the quiz at thesqueakywheel.org/who-said...
Who Said It: A Disability Charity or a Eugenicist?
October 22, 2025 at 4:38 PM
desibility.bsky.social
Why is it that a “King-of-the-Hill” leadership style, individualistic and sometimes despotic, often occurs in the disability movement? And how can it be avoided?

IK Ero shares reflections from two decades of advocacy, arguing to recenter our motivations.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/you-...
“You have to do something”
Reflecting on leadership after leaving the advocacy frontlines
www.disabilitydebrief.org
October 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
celestinefraser.bsky.social
After 9+ years of making disability media, I've finally started a newsletter on #Substack! Body Babble is the newsletter where crip, queer & misfit bodies talk back.

My first essay, "When you stammer with someone", is about #Stammering #Pride.

Read + subscribe: www.bodybabble.com/p/when-you-s...
When you stammer with someone
At Stammering Pride, dysfluency creates connection
www.bodybabble.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:36 PM
desibility.bsky.social
A global survey of assistance dog handlers shows that 65% had encountered skepticism about their dog's legitimacy, and 43% had been refused access to public spaces in the past year.

All this and more in the latest disability news...

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/work...
Working like a dog
Barriers for assistance dogs, and curated disability news from 41 countries
www.disabilitydebrief.org
October 9, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
giannamarie.bsky.social
I don’t rep GNs, but I’m really rooting for Rachel to get signed! I loved her recent essay in the Disability Debrief newsletter and would love to see more people have access to her art!
racheldl.bsky.social Rachel DL @racheldl.bsky.social · Oct 8
18-yr-old Rachel wants to enjoy college like her peers–seemingly housing & food secure, with family. Instead, an ex-homeless runaway youth, Rachel is thrust into adulthood on her own. To survive, she must rebuild community & confront a dark secret at the root of her new independence. #DVpit #GN #DIS
Two graphic novel pages, representing rachel scribbling in a notebook a cartoon about food insecurity rachel at university health services, the doctor inquiring why she doesn't have health insurance
October 8, 2025 at 1:44 PM
desibility.bsky.social
"The disability movement has come together as one of the strongest voices defending human rights in Argentina."

The disability emergency in Argentina shows the dangers disabled people face from the far-right. It's great to see how they can be resisted.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/chai...
A chainsaw to disability rights
How Argentina’s far-right government is attacking disability benefits and the disability movement is fighting back
www.disabilitydebrief.org
October 1, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
claraunite.bsky.social
So far the best list of resources I've found about the intersection of disability and climate justice! ♿️✊️🌏

Thanks to @desibility.bsky.social for compiling this!
www.disabilitydebrief.org/climate-unde...
Climate and disability resource guide: understanding
Disabled perspectives, climate activism, and resources for education and research.
www.disabilitydebrief.org
September 29, 2025 at 7:13 AM
desibility.bsky.social
Imagine... the year is 2050, and disability rights are real.

Send us a letter to tell us what this future looks like.

We'll publish our five favourite entries and pay £100 for each one. The deadline is 1st November 2025.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/letters-from...
Letters from the Future
An Open Call for Disability Science Fiction
www.disabilitydebrief.org
September 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
cgimenezs.bsky.social
Missed reading the Debrief, it has so many issues to keep thinking about. Nyuki wrote on education & inclusion back in February. She wonders about inclusion in education and I want to think assimilation, normalcy, and much more. www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/one-...
desibility.bsky.social Peter Torres Fremlin @desibility.bsky.social · Feb 12
“I wish we practiced ‘inclusion’ differently. I no longer want my students to be included as a favour or out of pity. I no longer want them to be included if it means they need to change themselves to fit in. It is not inclusion if you have to walk on eggshells and always fear being excluded.”
Illustration of a window onto a classroom with a group of Black children rigidly studying, and others on the outside noisy and restless. Inside the classroom the students lean over their books and the blackboard has "inclusive education" written on it. Outside the children look noisy and climb as if into the class from a bench and the window pane. A bee flies around them.
September 26, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
apulrang.bsky.social
Disability Thinking Weekday - Monday, September 22, 2025 - Rehabilitation, AI biases, and COVID vaccine access

#Disability #Disabled

disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/9-22-25-reha...
9/22/25 - Rehabilitation, AI biases, and COVID vaccine access
Good afternoon! And welcome to Autumn. It's my favorite season, weather-wise, here in Northeastern New York State. The leaves aren't anywhere near full color yet. When they are, I may share a photo ...
disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io
September 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
katribertram.bsky.social
What a much-needed hope-filled call to reimagine our future in this week's @desibility.bsky.social brief. Take a look and submit: www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/reim...
Ability to reimagine ourselves
An open call for science fiction, breathing together, and more from the mailbag
www.disabilitydebrief.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by Peter Torres Fremlin
racheldl.bsky.social
Excited to share my new piece with @desibility.bsky.social! It's about my experience in a physical rehabilitation hospital, shame, and, the ways that for-profit healthcare emphasizes individual responsibility for failing health - to my own detriment.
desibility.bsky.social Peter Torres Fremlin @desibility.bsky.social · Sep 17
“Independence was the supposed goal, and the hospital would justify withdrawing their costly care by pretending I had achieved it.”

In today's Disability Debrief, @racheldl.bsky.social exposes the perils of for-profit healthcare in the US.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/get-...
Get set for independence
Why I left the rehab hospital more disabled than when I arrived
www.disabilitydebrief.org
September 17, 2025 at 2:53 PM
desibility.bsky.social
“Independence was the supposed goal, and the hospital would justify withdrawing their costly care by pretending I had achieved it.”

In today's Disability Debrief, @racheldl.bsky.social exposes the perils of for-profit healthcare in the US.

www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/get-...
Get set for independence
Why I left the rehab hospital more disabled than when I arrived
www.disabilitydebrief.org
September 17, 2025 at 11:38 AM