Solidarity or Silence?: How Leftist Politics Often Overlooks the Disabled with Anthony David Vernon

This podcast and YouTube episode features an in-depth conversation with Anthony David Vernon, a philosopher and educator, exploring the intersection of disability studies, left-wing politics, and the systemic failures of accessibility in a post-pandemic world. The discussion challenges the "normative" framework of society, examining how both civic institutions and political movements often fail to truly incorporate the voices and needs of the disabled community.

Key Discussion Highlights
The ADA and the "Checkmark" Problem: Vernon argues that because the ADA is enforced primarily through personal lawsuits and remains largely unfunded, it often results in "checkmark" compliance rather than true accessibility.
The Post-Pandemic Erasure: The conversation explores how the rush to move past COVID-19 safety measures has prioritized "normative desires" over the accessibility needs of high-risk and disabled individuals.
Multimodality as Justice: Implementing "ready-made" scaffolding and multiple points of entry into education and digital spaces benefits all learners, not just those with a formal diagnosis.
 

Referenced Works (APA Format)
Albers, B. (2022). Able-bodied leftists cannot abandon disabled solidarity to move on from COVID. Truthout. https://truthout.org/articles/abled-bodied-leftists-cannot-abandon-disabled-solidarity-to-move-on-from-covid/
Data for Progress. (2023, October 3). Disabled voters do not believe politicians care about disabled Americans. https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2023/10/3/disabled-voters-do-not-believe-politicians-care-about-disabled-americans
Hryhorec, S. (2025, October 26). LET ME IN: Mark Butler’s office isn’t accessible [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEfbZzCspDk
Iacoboni, G. (2023). Why politics is failing disabled people and what to do about it. Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF). https://isrf.org/blog/why-politics-is-failing-disabled-people-and-what-to-do-about-it
Rotarou, E. S., & Sakellariou, D. (2024). Neoliberalism and disability: The systemic erasure of access. Social Science & Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953623007189
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. (n.d.). Disability studies and political theory: A framework for inclusion. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/425af050-0220-49dc-b28d-f86d976dcf02/content
Varn, C. D. (2023, October). Multimodal availability for those with learning disabilities. PeerCentered. https://www.peercentered.org/2023/10/multimodal-availability-for-those-with.html
Vernon, A. D. (2023, December). Silence: Non-verbal communication in philosophy. Activated Thinker. https://medium.com/activated-thinker/silence-non-verbal-communication-in-philosophy-d5d148ba8a1d
Willies, E. (2025, June 16). Anthony David Vernon advocates for social democracy as a tool of rebellion against fascism [Video]. YouTube.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs7l6jNGDzw

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