Radically Revealing Truth: Accountable Disability Journalism
On April 13, 2022, AWN hosted a conversation with Cara Reedy, Finn Gardiner, Alaina Leary, and s.e. smith on the topic of accountable disability journalism.
Join us in conversation with Cara, Finn, Alaina, and s.e. as we explore the intersections of disability and journalism.
Journalism is a way through which we view and learn about the world around us. Especially because we cannot be everywhere at once, journalism is the way in which we connect with community-it is where we begin to learn of each other’s lives and how we can support one another. Because community care relies on the reports that journalists make, it is vital that journalism be accurate and accountable to our communities. Accountable journalism is justice. And accountable disability journalism is disability justice. Join us as we explore what this means.
Moderator: Lydia X. Z. Brown, AWN Director of Policy, Advocacy, and External Affairs
Corrected transcript coming soon.
Presenters
Cara Reedy
Cara Reedy is a journalist and producer who worked at CNN producing documentaries as well as writing for Eatocracy and CNN Business. She’s freelanced at NPR. In 2019, she co-produced a short doc for The Guardian entitled Dwarfism and Me, which was an exploration into the treatment of Dwarfs in American society. She is now the Director of the Disabled Journalists Association at Storyline Partners.
Finn Gardiner
Finn Gardiner is a disability rights advocate with interests in educational equity, intersectional justice, comparative policy, and inclusive technology. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tufts University. He is currently the Communications Specialist at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University, where he combines disability advocacy, policy analysis and research, and written and visual communications through policy briefs, original reports and white papers, and contributions to research projects. His research and advocacy interests include education and employment for autistic adults, comparative disability policy, inclusive technology, LGBTQ cultural competency, and policy that addresses the intersections between disability, race, LGBTQ identities, class, and other experiences.
Alaina Leary
Alaina Leary is a program manager at We Need Diverse Books, a book reviewer for Booklist, a journalist, and an affiliated faculty member at Emerson College. Her work has focused on increasing equity and access for marginalized people and has been published in outlets like Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Refinery29, The Boston Globe Magazine, Teen Vogue, and Healthline. She lives outside of Boston with her wife, three literary cats, and a rainbow bookshelf.
s.e. smith
s.e. smith is a Northern California-based journalist, essayist, and editor. smith’s work on disability, culture, and social attitudes has appeared in publications such as the Washington Post, Time, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Vice, in addition to anthologies, most recently Disability Disability. They received a National Magazine Award in 2020 for their work in Catapult.