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After the Fire
In 1990, as towering flames closed in around his California home, author Pico Iyer picked up his mother’s cat and ran to the car, hoping
COGNOSCENTI | The Trump administration’s rhetoric about disability diminishes us all
Grateful to write today for Cognoscenti/WBUR, Boston’s NPR station (read the full essay here): “The language we use and the stories we tell shape our
S8 E13 | What Solitude Gives Us After Catastrophe with Pico Iyer
Apple YouTube Spotify More! What happens when we step away from the noise of daily life and into silence? Author Pico Iyer joins Amy
Spread the Word to End the Word
To my knowledge, no one has ever called our daughter Penny by the most common slur used to demean people with intellectual disabilities, the r-word.
S8 E12 | Americans & Foreign Aid: A Crisis of Compassion? with Dr. Matthew Loftus
Apple YouTube Spotify More! When U.S. foreign aid is frozen, what happens to the people who depend on it? In this episode, Dr. Matthew Loftus
It’s Worth Seeking After Truth
Have you listened recently to the 1970s song Imagine by John Lennon? New York Times columnist Ross Douthat was on my podcast this week, and
February 2025 Favorites
Favorite books, essays, podcasts episodes, and more that I enjoyed in the month of February… Books: The Long Call by Ann Cleeves. I don’t typically
S8 E11 | Why Religion Still Matters with Ross Douthat
Apple YouTube Spotify More! In the work of reimagining, religion can play a significant part. What does it mean to be human? Does God
Caring for Humans is Slow, Messy, and Beautiful
Our family relies on the provision of support from the government by way of education and therapies for our daughter Penny. If we were in
A Commitment to Hope
I want to start out by saying: The work I do is not about politics, and I’m going to try hard to make sure it
Advocacy: A Bridge to Belonging
A parent recently made a suggestion to me that I hadn’t ever thought of before. I was speaking about Reimagining Family Life with Disability and
I Wish More Churches Would Love Their Neighbors Like This
Take delight in who you are (and/or in who your child is). Connect to community. Take the next step towards a good future. I had
S8 E10 | The Myth of a Colorblind, Meritocratic Society with David M. Bailey
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Recent political changes and executive orders have polarized the complex conversation around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). David M. Bailey,
Dry January and Lent
I just finished Dry January, which is to say, I abstained from alcohol for the month of January. It was hard at first, and then
How to Navigate the Pressures of Modern Family Life
Our front hall table is still covered in holiday cards. There are the uber-organized people who sent their cards at Thanksgiving, then the steady stream
January 2025 Favorites
BOOKS: Heretics Anonymous Marilee and I have been enjoying Heretics Anonymous on car rides together. It’s the story of a group of high school students
Why I don’t want to respond to President Trump’s baseless, inaccurate, and unjust accusations about who caused the plane crash into the Potomac
Yesterday, President Trump held a press conference where he suggested that the reason an army helicopter crashed into a passenger plane in Washington, D.C. was
How to Delight in Our Children
As humans, we need to know that other people delight in who we are. Psychologists tell us it’s a core need, and they say we
Connect to Community | It Makes All the Difference!
Peter and I have often received praise for our parenting when people meet Penny, our daughter who has Down syndrome. That’s all very nice, but
Cultivating Connection One Word at a Time
I once shared a post that included a story from someone who identified as a “person with autism.” To respect their choice of words, I
S8 E9 | How to Talk About Disability with Carrie Hahn
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Is disability a tragedy? Are disabled people “inspiring”? The language we use often reveals our assumptions about disability. Carrie Hahn,
