Featured Special Project Archives - Disabled Journalists Association

Featured Special Project

Author David Kiley is on the right side of the image with his arms folded standing next to a colleague

David Kiley’s ‘Wheel Head’ Memoir Is a Wild Ride Through Para Sport History

Dave Kiley isn’t particularly interested in being your inspiration. How do I know? I’ve read his book. Kiley and...

By John Loeppky

December 7, 2025

Featured Special Project

Why the Trump Administration Dropped Plan for Major Cut in Disability Benefits

On Nov. 13, a small team of advocates for people with disabilities stepped through White House security and into...

By Eli Hager, ProPublica

November 24, 2025

Featured Special Project

Journalist Sonali Gupta wearing a purple shirt with black pint, seated at a table with a laptop open in front of her

How Disabled Journalists Work: Sonali Gupta

In this series, DJA journalists share their experiences and tips for getting their work done, how they find the...

By Sonali Gupta

November 11, 2025

Government

Sae Joon Park stands on in New York's Times Square wearing a dark T-shirt, his hands in his pockets.

He Won a Purple Heart, Came Back with PTSD — Then Trump Deported Him

Sae Joon Park is in disbelief. Park, an army veteran who came to the U.S. from South Korea when...

By Sean Kelly

November 5, 2025

Featured Special Project

An image of Zohran Mamdani, in a suit, head on his hand, in an empty dining room

What Exactly is Zohran Mamdani’s Disability Platform?

Kara McCurdy Prior to New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City’s Democratic primary, there were questions...

By John Loeppky

November 3, 2025

Featured Special Project

A group of Caucasian advisory members and the night mayor gathered together for a group photo for a night out.

Disabled to the Front: Nashville’s Punk Professor Redefines Access and Joy

Dr. Cynthia George — better known around Nashville’s punk scene as Dr. CynCorrigible — is impossible to miss....

By Sonali Gupta

November 5, 2025

Featured Special Project

A student firefighter team, dressed in full gear, puts out a dumpster fire during a training exercise

5 disability-led newsletters to explain this dumpster fire of a world we’re living in

As a Disability-led organization, we think it’s important to share the wealth. Here are five newsletters that we...

By John Loeppky

October 16, 2025

Featured Special Project

An image of the White House, fountain in front in full view. There are a few clouds above in a blue sky

Trump nixes special education agency, lays off staff amid shutdown

Aaron Kittredge via Pexels Donald Trump’s onslaught of cuts to federal services is now being directed at...

By John Loeppky

October 13, 2025

Featured Special Project

A newspaper clipping of a headline stating that Joseph Clifton Smith was sentenced to the death penalty in connection with a 1997 murder. The article includes a photo of Smith from the time.

Alabama wants to execute a man with intellectual disabilities. That’s unconstitutional, legal advocates say

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Hamm v. Joseph Clifton Smith. Smith,...

By R.L. Nave

October 8, 2025

Featured Special Project

A group of four wheelchair basketball players gathered on a court laughing with one another.

Hoop Dreams: U.S. and India Team Up for Wheelchair Basketball Cultural Exchange

A delegation of collegiate wheelchair basketball athletes and coaches from programs in Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois and New...

By John Loeppky, Sonali Gupta

September 23, 2025

Featured Special Project

Ashley Castillo, a Black Afro-Latina journalist, stands in a pink shirt and jeans. She is holding a TV microphone and is smiling. Behind her is a street scene that includes people and trees

How Disabled Journalists Work: Ashley Castillo

Monday Before my tasks, I have a morning routine. I get ready, eat breakfast,...

By Ashley Castillo

September 17, 2025

Featured Special Project

How Disabled Journalists Work: John Loeppky

In this series, DJA journalists share their experiences and tips for getting their work done, how they find the industry...

By John Loeppky

September 8, 2025