As Trump Guts Support for Disabled Students, Their Families Fight Back

Crip camp showcases a time when justice and empowerment were at the forefront. Camp Jened wasn't just a summer camp; it was a breeding ground for future activists who would go on to challenge societal norms and fight for disability rights. The campers, many of whom faced systemic barriers in their daily lives, found a space where they could express themselves freely and connect with others who shared similar experiences.

1. Intersectionality - This principle was particularly clear to me during the sit in. When other marginalized communities in Northern California got behind those participating in the sit in and assited them in any ways that the could. The work of the Black Panther Party to bring them food, meals, and other necesities. Local LGBTQ+ groups in the community showing up to protest outside the building and maintain their support. I also think it is impactful to agknowledge the way that the civil rights movement, impacted the disability rights movement and paved the way for other marginalized communities to fight for themselves. 

The Crip Camp film showed all ten of the principles of disability justice in various ways from Camp Jened to the Disability Rights Movement, and the crossover of support between the media, the Black Panther Party, and other liberation groups, for the disability rights activists and their needs. You really saw how these principles can pour into one another-community care contributing to sustainability. One scene greatly struck the principle of recognizing historical context for me.

https://bicollegenews.com/2025/04/14/access-denied-bryn-mawrs-campus-remains-inaccessible-for-many-students/

Leadership of the most impacted: The disability rights movement and the section 504 protests are a clear example of "leadership of the most impacted," as the protests were organized and held by disabled people. While in this context the reason was less about spotlighting the voices of the most impacted, but rather a consequence of the rampant ableism and willful ignorance of government leaders and the broader US, the result was still similar. Furthermore, although Judy became the leader of the movement, aligning with the heirarchy of disablities mentioned in the documentary, she constantly made that everyone in the community had their voice heard (even when discussing things as trivial as what to eat for dinner!). 

I really enjoyed watching Crip Camp. Previous to this documentary, I had not known about camp Jened. I thought it was interesting that there was a clear hierarchy of disability, but at Jened this hierarchy was less prominent. It was interesting to see how principles of disability justice were in action at Camp Jened and disability rights movements prior to the creation of these principles. 

While reading chapter 8 of "A Disability History of the United States" I noted this part of the passage, "Incarceration has since become the dominant method of "care" and institutionalization for poor people percieved to have mental or pyschiatric disabilities." (102) I wondered how the abolition movement crosses with Disability movement, and this qoute made me realize how institutionlization has not really changed. If it's not the asylum wards there are jails with even worse healthcare access. The criminilization of mental health shows how there was pushbakc against the disability movement the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of asylums they put people in jails and add on legal ramifications such as being charged with crimes, not being able to vote or get a job with a felony.

I was looking through the instagram for incoming freshman at Bryn Mawr and I came accross a girl who is an ambulatory wheelchair user that is committed to Bryn Mawr. While the idea of this definently really excites me, I am worried that Bryn Mawr's facilities aren't advanced enough to accomodate a wheelchair user, even if they are able to walk sometimes. In her description she specfies that she plans to use her wheelchair to get around daily and I wanted to consider some of the challenges she may face and how to combat them ahead of time. 

"'At our peril, we are right now trying to decide what ways of being in the world ought to be eliminated'" (Rosemarie Garland-Thomson in "Tommorrow's Children" by Erika Check Hayden)