Disability Culture Lab

Disability Culture Lab DCL is a nonprofit disability media and narrative lab, by and for disabled folks. We exist to dismantle ableism and celebrate disabled community and culture.

This week, we're diving into how anti-Black racism is disabling. From the disabling impacts of state violence and incarc...
07/15/2026

This week, we're diving into how anti-Black racism is disabling. From the disabling impacts of state violence and incarceration to the stress of discrimination, disabled Black folks sit at the intersection of multiple forms of oppression. Even within the disabled community, disabled Black people are marginalized and sidelined in favor of white narratives.

Support disabled Black folks through mutual aid, uplifting the work of disabled Black organizers and artists, and supporting these great organizations:
Center for Disability and Racial Justice ()
Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition ()
Autistic People of Color Fund ()

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In a new piece for Disability Culture Currents, Ise Pinka explores their relationship with how their body is perceived a...
07/14/2026

In a new piece for Disability Culture Currents, Ise Pinka explores their relationship with how their body is perceived as a disabled Trans person, and how that's impacted by which mobility aids they choose to use each day.

From Ise: “Do I leave without any mobility aid? Do I take the crutches? Or do I sit in the wheelchair? This is an existential choice: the decision determines how much of a self I can afford to be that day.”

Read more at the link in our bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents. Alt text embedded and image description below.

Text reading: “New! On Currents. ‘Do I leave without any mobility aid? Do I take the crutches? Or do I sit in the wheelchair? This is an existential choice: the decision determines how much of a self I can afford to be that day.’ by Ise Pinke (they/them), disability, literature, and gender scholar, ‘The Body I Borrow to Leave the House’ Link in bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents.”The image has a dark blue background with a subtle lightning bolt pattern and a large white rounded square in the center with the text from the piece.

For National Minority Mental Health Month, we're highlighting the essay "Agency to Serve" by Justin Bullock, previously ...
07/13/2026

For National Minority Mental Health Month, we're highlighting the essay "Agency to Serve" by Justin Bullock, previously published in Disability Culture Currents in May 2026. In this piece, he dives into his experiences with the health care system as a Black doctor with bipolar disorder.

From Justin: "I am bipolar. My bipolar disorder is one of my greatest strengths as a kidney doctor. When I say I am bipolar, I do not mean that I had bipolar disorder and it is now in my past. I have not overcome bipolar disorder; I live with it."

Read more at the link in our bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents.

Trigger warning: This piece briefly mentions a su***de attempt; details provided related to su***de are minimized to prevent traumatization.

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Text reading: "National Minority Mental Health Month. I'm bipolar. My bipolar disorder is one of my greatest strengths as a kidney doctor. When I say I'm bipolar, I do not mean that I had bipolar disorder and it is now in my past. I have not overcome bipolar disorder; I live with it. Justin Bullock, doctor, 'Agency to Serve.' Link in bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents. Graphic is light pink with a subtle darker pink lightning bolt pattern, and text in dark teal.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Disability Pride Month! Disabled people in the U.S. are currently facing a mod...
07/08/2026

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Disability Pride Month! Disabled people in the U.S. are currently facing a modern age of eugenics amidst rising fascism, and we can’t think of a better time to explore the ways that oppression is disabling — and what we can all do about it.

(Spoiler: Embedding the principles of disability justice into other movements is crucial to getting us ALL free.)

Stick with Disability Culture Lab this month as we break down how disability connects to various forms of oppression, from anti-Black racism to transphobia to immigrant detention.

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Read our latest Currents piece, “Poverty Should Not Be the Price of Love" by Kerrie Popa. She uncovers how the U.S. gove...
07/07/2026

Read our latest Currents piece, “Poverty Should Not Be the Price of Love" by Kerrie Popa. She uncovers how the U.S. government's support systems punish disabled people for marrying. From Kerrie: “It’s quite common for couples with disabilities to delay marriage, perhaps even indefinitely, to maintain benefits. In this way, many disabled people are forced to live in fear of having their couple status discovered and penalized.”

You can read the full piece at the link in our bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents

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Text reading: “It’s quite common for couples with disabilities to delay marriage, perhaps even indefinitely, to maintain benefits. In this way, many disabled people are forced to live in fear of having their couple status discovered and penalized.“ Quote from ”Poverty Should Not Be the Price of Love” by Kerrie Popa (she/her), a disability rights advocate. Read the full piece at tinyurl.com/DCCurrents. The background is dark orange with a subtle lightning bolt pattern. And there are yellow lines creating two corners of a square around the text. There is a light green square with white quotation marks in the top left. The Disability Culture Currents logo is in the top right. At the bottom is the link to read the full piece.

Every thing we do at Disability Culture Lab starts with radical inclusion, and Disability Culture Cabaret is no exceptio...
07/06/2026

Every thing we do at Disability Culture Lab starts with radical inclusion, and Disability Culture Cabaret is no exception!

When you join us on July 31, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. ET at Sycamore + Oak in Washington, D.C., you’ll enjoy the following access features:

Pay What You Can | Outdoor Venue | Livestream | Negative COVID Test Required For Entry | Food + Drink Available for Purchase | Wheelchair-Accessible + Gender Neutral Bathrooms Available | Masking Required for Indoor Spaces/Bathrooms | Scent-Free Performance Space | ASL + CART + Audio Description | Wheelchair Accessible | Metro-Accessible + Street + Lot Parking | 18+ Event.

RSVP today via the link in our bio (tinyurl.com/DCLCabaret2026)!

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Graphic reads: Disability Culture Lab Presents... Disability Culture Cabaret 2026. July 31, 2006 from 6 to 9 p.m. ET. Access info: Pay what you can, outdoor venue, Livestream, negative COVID test required for entry, food and drink available for purchase, wheelchair-accessible and gender neutral bathrooms available, masking required for indoor spaces/bathrooms, scent-free performance space, ASL and CART and audio description, wheelchair accessible, Metro-accessible and street and lot parking, 18-plus event. The black graphic features purple- and orange-gloved hands and white starbursts. The text is rainbow colored.

DMV! Today is the first day of Disability Pride Month, and we can’t think of a better time to celebrate and collectively...
07/01/2026

DMV! Today is the first day of Disability Pride Month, and we can’t think of a better time to celebrate and collectively dream about our liberation. Join us and our soon to be announced co-hosts and sponsors for our third annual celebration of Q***r Disabled community: Disability Culture Cabaret 2026!

Happening on July 31, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sycamore + Oak, this free 18+ event will feature drag, burlesque, and more, and we can’t wait to share in the wonder, delight, community, and joy of it all with YOU.

Tickets + access info available via the link in bio (tinyurl.com/DCLCabaret2026). RSVP and secure your spot today!

Access Info:
Pay What You Can | Outdoor Venue | Livestream | Negative COVID Test Required For Entry | Food + Drink Available for Purchase | Wheelchair-Accessible + Gender Neutral Bathrooms Available | Masking Required for Indoor Spaces/Bathrooms | Scent-Free Performance Space | ASL + CART + Audio Description | Wheelchair Accessible | Metro-Accessible + Street + Lot Parking | 18+ Event

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Graphic reads: Disability Culture Lab Presents... Disability Culture Cabaret 2026. RSVP now. July 31, 2006 from 6 to 9 p.m. ET at Sycamore and Oak, located at 1110 Oak Drive Southeast in Washington, D.C. and livestream. 18+ Event. Tinyurl.com/DCLCabaret2026

The black graphic features purple- and orange-gloved hands and white starbursts. The text is rainbow colored.

As the U.S. government continues to attack our right to integrated community living, Center for Democracy + Technology’s...
06/30/2026

As the U.S. government continues to attack our right to integrated community living, Center for Democracy + Technology’s Ariana Aboulafia (she/her) writes about the need to oppose federal policies that make it harder for disabled people to live independently AND the AI-powered surveillance technologies that make us choose between maintaining our lives at home and safeguarding our privacy.

From her Disability Culture Currents op-ed “From Inside The House: How Surveillance Tech Further Threatens Independent Living”: “When surveillance technologies are presented as an ideal option for staying at home, the ideals and practical benefits of independent living are threatened, even if people are technically able to remain in their communities.”

Read the full piece at the link in our bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents

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In our newest Currents piece, "Disability Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum" writer Kevin Garcia dives into his experiences with...
06/30/2026

In our newest Currents piece, "Disability Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum" writer Kevin Garcia dives into his experiences with childhood bullying for being q***r that led to CPTSD. This piece shows us the ways in which different forms of oppression are disabling. From Kevin: “I'm not the only gay man with CPTSD, and I’m not the only q***r person with that diagnosis, either. Q***rphobia and trauma go hand-in-hand, and that trauma is disabling. It's the combat fatigue we experience from fighting for our lives every day.“

You can read the full piece at the link in our bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents

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Text reading: “I'm not the only gay man with CPTSD, and I’m not the only q***r person with that diagnosis, either. Q***rphobia and trauma go hand-in-hand, and that trauma is disabling. It's the combat fatigue we experience from fighting for our lives every day.” Quote from “Disability Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum” by Kevin Garcia (he/him), writer and musician. Read the full piece at the link in our bio: tinyurl.com/DCCurrents. The text is in a large white speech bubble against a dark blue background with a subtle lightning bolt pattern. The Disability Culture Currents logo is in the bottom left, and the link to read the piece is in the bottom right.

We're looking for production team members to help us facilitate q***r and disabled joy!If you are a DMV-based, q***r, an...
06/29/2026

We're looking for production team members to help us facilitate q***r and disabled joy!

If you are a DMV-based, q***r, and disabled DJ, emcee, or photographer, please submit an application to join the team producing Disability Culture Cabaret 2026 via the link in the comments by July 6. Email [email protected] with
questions.

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1110 Oak Drive SE
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