Allison Access

Allison Access Building knowledge about disability rights, accessibility, advocacy, the ADA, Section 504, IEPs, and the CRPD.
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Disability rights education, advocacy tools, and community through the Disability Power Arena.

09/02/2026

Legally blind update on my August goals, and my new September goals.

08/28/2026

The only way we challenge stigma is by talking about it… even when those conversations are hard.

That’s exactly what SHUT THE F UP: Disability Power Podcast is about. 🎙️

⚡ A new short special edition episode is OUT NOW… talking disability, mental health, stigma, and some of the biggest stories in the news right now. From Lionel Messi to Lindsay Clancy, the USS Abraham Lincoln, electric shock gloves, and more.

▶️ Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify + Apple Podcasts.

https://youtu.be/uH-MNeEbV8I

08/28/2026

POV: I turned a rainy fit check into my own post-game interview 😂🎤
Welcome to the Disability Power Arena, my disability rights learning and advocacy community. I bring almost 20 years as a disability rights lawyer, plus my own background in disability studies and justice, into everything we talk about here.
Pop Culture Night is one of the ways we dig into disability representation, what’s being done well in film and TV, what’s still missing, and why it matters. Tonight we also touched on the news that Being Heumann, the new film about disability rights icon Judy Heumann, is set to open the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10. Today’s outfit was just whatever felt right for a rainy night out, and honestly, that’s the vibe in the Arena. Whatever you’re into, whatever you’re wearing, whatever you’re building, you belong here. One of my favorite things from tonight was hearing that an Arena member found a wheelchair over 100 years old that she’s turning into a garden piece. That’s the kind of creativity and joy that shows up in this community.
Knowledge is power.

08/28/2026

I’m legally blind with a condition called STARGARDTS and I see the world through a different lens. Yesterday I visited the Adirondack Wild Center, Museum in Tupper Lake, NY to check out the troll exhibit. There were six different trolls to find and it was a little over 4 miles of walking for us, but it was beautiful and so much fun and I have so many videos and images so I just wanted to show this first troll and let you know that there will be a lot more so follow along as all show how I see beauty in the blind spot on this fun at her on deck adventure. And yes, I am from a small town and had to use this song as one of many of the songs I found myself playing while I was doing videos yesterday so that’s fun as well ha ha. Stay tuned for more information about the accessibility that is available for people with different types of disabilities and so much more about all of the different trolls and other cool things to check out when you visit the wild center.

08/27/2026

I’m so tired after having my blind girl adventure at the Adirondack wild Center museum to check out the troll exhibition. I’ll do more content on this in the next few days, but it was really beautiful and such a fun day!

08/26/2026

I’m wearing my JUTY hat from a project named after Judy Heumann that worked with youth with disabilities in Armenia and Moldova. The project lost funding and I lost my job during the DOGE cuts as disability funded programs were targeted like so many other programs. I have created a disability rights, learning an advocacy community and continue to try and be one of the many feisty group of disabled people that Judy Heumann, and so many other founders of the disability rates movement helps build. When disability rights are under attack is so important that we all work together to protect our rights. And one of the events that we have every month in the ARENA is a pop culture discussion night, where we discuss positive and negative representation of disability in society, and the impact that has on our advocacy efforts and what we can do to challenge ableism. This is an important part of our disability rights fight… That’s why I bring my background as a lawyer and my background in disability studies and justice to have this event as part of ARENA membership. If you’re interested in joining or learning more about the ARENA, please check out the link in my bio. And I look forward to seeing members on Thursday! 🎬 Disability in Pop Culture Night
Disability Power Arena
Thursday, August 27 • 7 PM ET

08/26/2026

Power reminder: I started my disability journey at the same time she started her career. I grew up with her. And then two years ago, this… 🔥

If you have a disability and someone makes you feel like there is something “wrong” with you… then raise your glass. 💜

08/24/2026

School device bans are becoming an accessibility issue — and parents of disabled students need to know this.

As schools restrict phones, smartwatches, Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, and other connected devices, there’s an important distinction: a general school policy does not automatically answer whether a disabled student can use technology they need for disability-related access.

If your child uses assistive technology or a connected device through an IEP, 504 Plan, or disability-related accommodation, don’t assume a new blanket device ban ends the conversation.

Device rules matter. Disability access matters too.

08/24/2026

A federal judge just struck down the 75-country immigrant visa policy, and there’s an important disability rights and human rights connection here. ⚖️🌍

The policy suspended immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries based on concerns that they could become a “public charge.”

But federal immigration law prohibits discrimination in immigrant visa issuance based on nationality, among other protected categories, and these decisions are supposed to involve an individualized review.

And think about this:

⚽️ 18 of the 48 countries that competed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup were on this list.

Millions of us just spent weeks watching these countries, cheering for their teams and falling in love with players and fans from around the world.

But here’s the piece I especially want the disability community to pay attention to:

Health is one of the factors considered in public charge determinations.

When government policy starts making assumptions about who may become a “burden,” disability advocates need to be part of that conversation.

There are over 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world.

Disability doesn’t care where you come from. 🌍

That’s why I created my disability rights learning and advocacy community:

֎ DISABILITY POWER ARENA ֎

Because disability rights connect to immigration, education, employment, health, sports, culture and human rights around the world.

Knowledge is power.

And yes, the thunderstorm caught up with me before I could finish. 😂⛈️ I’ll have more to say about this one.

And since we’re talking about the World Cup too: Was there a country or team you unexpectedly fell in love with this summer? ⚽️🌍

And for the bigger conversation: What do you think about making immigration decisions based on nationality rather than the individual person?

08/23/2026

🎮 Accessibility doesn’t ruin gaming. It lets more people play.

I’m legally blind, and I keep seeing the same argument: accessibility features somehow make games worse.

So naturally, I called my lifelong-gamer brother. 😂

I’ve spent 20 years working in disability rights law and advocacy. He knows gaming and esports. Put us together and apparently we have A LOT to talk about.

Here’s the part I want people to understand:

Disabled gamers belong in gaming.

And many accessibility features are OPTIONS. They can make a game playable for someone who otherwise couldn’t play it — without changing how anyone else chooses to play.

Our first attempt at this conversation had one tiny problem: I DIDN’T RECORD HIS AUDIO. 🤦‍♀️😂

So we pivoted.

T1. Faker. Riot Games. League of Legends Worlds. Linkin Park’s “Heavy Is the Crown.” 👑

And because I’m the sports fanatic in this sibling partnership, Lionel Messi and Argentina somehow made their way into the conversation too. 😂🇦🇷

Sports. Esports. Gaming. Disability. Accessibility. Representation.

These worlds overlap far more than I realized — and they absolutely belong in conversations about disability rights and advocacy.

֎ That’s part of what we’re building in the DISABILITY POWER ARENA: a disability rights learning and advocacy community where we can have these conversations, learn together and turn knowledge into power. ֎

And this gaming conversation?

We’re just getting started. 🎮

If you’re a disabled gamer, I want to hear from you: What games do you play, and what accessibility features make the biggest difference for you? Drop it in the comments. 👇

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