Blog - Amy Julia Becker

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A digital collage featuring a video cut out of me speaking with a background behind me of a retail store and an advertisement for children's clothing. The ad features a young girl with Down syndrome wearing a pink shirt and smiling. A large speech bubble overlays the image with the text: "WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT... people with disabilities being in ads, TV shows, etc/?”

What do I think about ads, TV shows, and movies that include people with disabilities?

April 3, 2025

At a recent event, one woman asked me what I think of advertisements that include people with Down syndrome and other visible disabilities. Another man

Our family with three teenagers together for spring break on a sandy beach with ocean waves in the background.

Spring Break With Our Teenagers

March 31, 2025

I am perhaps one of the rare parents who LOVES parenting teenagers, and being with all three of them for a few uninterrupted days in

George Inness, Landscape, 1888, oil on canvas, 22 1/8 x 27 9/16 in. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Estate of Charles F. Brush 1929.464

Show Up With Care

March 28, 2025

I’ve been concerned by the resurgence of the r-word in our culture. I’ve felt anxiety over political policies and news stories, and I’ve dug into data about our culture’s epidemic of

This image is a collage featuring five different media recommendations. From left to right: 1. The Russell Moore Show – A podcast with a blue background and black-and-white text. 2. The Lucky Few Podcast – A podcast featuring an image of three women smiling and engaged in conversation. 3. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks – A memoir displayed as a book cover, with a hand holding the book. The cover features a desert-like landscape. 4. The Good Hard Story Podcast with Katherine Wolf – A podcast with a soft, neutral-toned design featuring Katherine Wolf 5. Ezra – A film starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, and Whoopi Goldberg.

March 2025 Favorites

March 27, 2025

Favorite books, essays, podcasts episodes, and more that I enjoyed in the month of March, plus recent political news that I’m paying attention to… Books:

Penny sits at a wooden table in a softly lit room. She is writing in a notebook. A small table lamp with a white shade provides light. A red pencil case sits on the desk near the lamp.

When Talking About Feelings Is Hard, Try Writing

March 26, 2025

Penny has always loved reading and writing. She realized years ago that sometimes she can’t use words to talk about her feelings or thoughts, but

S8 E14 | Want to Change Culture? Show Up With Care with Andy Crouch

March 25, 2025

Apple YouTube Spotify More! How does language, both careless and careful, shape our world? What’s the connection between social status and the words we choose?

A diverse group of people with disabilities, including individuals using wheelchairs, a person with Down syndrome, and a little person in scrubs, are depicted in a vibrant setting with a yellow background. They are outlined in white and engaged in various actions such as speaking, gesturing, and holding objects like a clothing hanger.

In the Room Where Decisions Are Made

March 21, 2025

I will never forget the day that our daughter Penny said to me, “It doesn’t only matter what you think.” We were shopping for a

College Campus Tour

March 20, 2025

William was home for spring break, and he mentioned to Penny that he hadn’t actually seen where she goes to school. She gave us both

Learning From Silence

March 14, 2025

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

A close-up photograph of a laptop screen displaying an online news article. The article's headline reads, "The Trump administration's rhetoric about disability diminishes us all." The page features an image of former U.S. President Donald Trump speaking at a podium, with other smaller images below.

COGNOSCENTI | The Trump administration’s rhetoric about disability diminishes us all

March 12, 2025

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

March 11, 2025

Apple YouTube Spotify More! What happens when we step away from the noise of daily life and into silence? Author Pico Iyer joins Amy Julia

a cartoonized photo of Penny, with her glasses and light brown hair visible behind a book, is reading a colorful children's book.

Spread the Word to End the Word

March 7, 2025

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

March 4, 2025

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

This image is a digital painting with a cubist-inspired abstract design. It features fragmented architectural elements such as arches, towers, and domes in warm earth tones of brown, beige, and ochre, contrasted with cool blues. Some circular and reflective elements add depth and dimension, giving the composition a surreal quality. The style resembles a fusion of modern abstraction with historical architecture, creating a dreamlike cityscape.

It’s Worth Seeking After Truth

March 1, 2025

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

a collage of five book covers. From left to right: A book cover featuring a blonde woman in a light-colored blazer sitting on a couch. The title and author are partially obscured. "One of Us Is Lying" by Karen M. McManus. The cover has a red title with a handwritten style over images of four students with their faces obscured. "The Long Call" by Ann Cleeves. A blue-toned cover with an image of a coastal landscape, featuring a house and birds flying overhead. A black-and-white historical photograph of people with disabilities protesting, one holding a sign that says, "We shall overcome." A bright orange cover with large white and red text reading "Good Faith," accompanied by the authors’ names, Curtis and another partially hidden name.

February 2025 Favorites

February 28, 2025

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

February 25, 2025

Apple YouTube Spotify More! In the work of reimagining, religion can play a significant part. What does it mean to be human? Does God

A vast refugee camp stretches across a valley, filled with countless makeshift tents in shades of orange, blue, and brown. The tents are densely packed and blend into the dusty, earth-toned landscape. In the background, mountains rise under a golden-hued sky, with a distant body of water reflecting the light

Caring for Humans is Slow, Messy, and Beautiful

February 22, 2025

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 digital painting depicts two people walking along a curved road lined with utility poles and trees. The scene is infused with an abstract and expressive style, featuring bold brushstrokes and a blend of warm and cool tones—vibrant oranges and yellows contrast with deep blues and purples. The figures cast long shadows on the reflective surface of the road, suggesting early morning or late afternoon light. The sky and background elements are loosely defined, with intersecting lines adding movement and energy to the composition.

A Commitment to Hope

February 14, 2025

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