CRIP Community

September is bringing major disability stories into the national spotlight.

From the ongoing fight over the right to live in our communities, to Disability Voting Rights Week, to the premiere of Being Heumann at the Toronto International Film Festival, disability rights and disability culture are making headlines across America.

And that’s exactly what CRIP Community is here to do: bring the news that matters to disabled people directly to the community.

The right of disabled people to live in the community rather than being unnecessarily placed in institutions remains one of the most important disability-rights battles in America.

Recent federal developments have put renewed attention on how the government interprets its obligations under the ADA’s integration mandate and the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision. National disability organizations have strongly objected to the proposed federal approach.

Why we’re watching

This isn’t just a legal argument. It’s about where we live. Who we live with. How independently we can live. Whether we have choices.

For decades, disabled people have fought for the right to be part of their communities.

A disability-rights icon is getting a major Hollywood spotlight.

Being Heumann, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Siân Heder, opened the Toronto International Film Festival this month as its opening-night film. Ruth Madeley stars as legendary disability-rights activist Judy Heumann.

The film tells the story of Heumann and the historic 1977 Section 504 protest that helped push the federal government toward implementing critical disability-rights protections, and features a predominantly disabled cast — continuing a conversation about authentic representation in Hollywood.

Why it matters

Judy Heumann didn’t ask America to feel sorry for disabled people. She fought for rights. And now a new generation gets to see that history on the big screen.

Disability Voting Rights Week is a national, nonpartisan effort led by the American Association of People with Disabilities and its REV UP campaign. This year’s campaign focuses on building political power, strengthening participation, and creating a more accessible democracy.

The fight over community integration isn’t new. Olmstead v. L.C. established that unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities can violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Today, disability advocates continue to defend the principle that people with disabilities should have meaningful opportunities to live in the community and receive services in integrated settings.

Being Heumann is more than another movie. It’s an opportunity for millions of people to learn about a chapter of American civil-rights history that many may never have been taught. The film’s predominantly disabled cast also puts representation front and center.

The disability community is seeing progress in some areas while fighting major battles in others. That contradiction matters — because disability rights aren’t something we can simply check off a list.

They have to be protected. They have to be expanded. And they have to be defended.

There are people whose names become part of history. Judy Heumann is one of them.

A wheelchair user who faced discrimination when she sought to become a teacher, Heumann went on to become one of the most influential disability-rights activists in American history. Her activism helped make disability rights a national civil-rights issue, and her legacy continues today.

Disabled people are everywhere. We’re:

• Voters.
• Workers.
• Parents.
• Entrepreneurs.
• Artists.
• Athletes.
• Students.
• Activists.
• Creators.
• Friends.
• Partners.
• People looking for love.

CRIP Dating is preparing to launch a new dating community created specifically with people with disabilities in mind. But dating is only part of the vision — because the disability community needs more than another place to meet someone. It needs places to connect, communicate, celebrate, and be heard.

That’s why we’re introducing CRIP Community — a place for:

• 📰 News
• 🏆 Victories
• ⚖️ Rights & Advocacy
• ♿ Accessibility
• 🎬 Entertainment & Culture
• 💻 Technology
• 🌟 Community Stories
• ❤️ Disability Pride

• 📰 Breaking disability news
• 🏆 Disability victories
• ⚖️ Major court cases
• ♿ Accessibility
• 🎬 Representation
• 💻 Technology
• 🌟 Community leaders
• ❤️ Stories that make us proud
• 💘 The road to the CRIP Dating launch