Autistic

This 2025 Supreme Court case has major implications for students with disabilities. At the heart of the case, A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, is the question of whether students face a higher burden of proof when suing schools for discrimination under the ADA and Section 504. 

Drs. Alicia and Stephanie Rolin break down what the Court ruled, why this decision matters for civil rights in education, and what happens next for A.J.T. and other students across the country.


*Note:
This is not intended to be medical advice, and the content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of their employers or funders.

** About Us
I'm Dr. Alicia Rolin; I work in emergency pediatrics and do research.
I'm Dr. Stephanie Rolin, an emergency psychiatrist and grant-funded researcher.
And yes, we're sisters. 

*** About The Show
Rolin Forward is where we break down the biggest stories affecting your health, so you can keep moving forward. 

**** Our Series:
This episode is part of our SCOTUS Summer,  where we unpack the recent Supreme Court cases reshaping health in America. 

00:00 – We set the stage for the case, and try learning to pronounce it.

01:00 – The case starts with a teenager in Kentucky fighting for fair education.

02:15 – The teen at the center of the case.

04:15 – Initial court victories and the steep legal hurdles families face under ADA and Section 504.

05:41 – A 1982 precedent resurfaces, imposing a higher burden of proof on families.

06:10 – The Supreme Court levels the field with a unanimous ruling. The ruling makes it easier for families to argue their side of the case.

07:33 – But the case isn’t over — here’s what happens next in the lower courts and why it matters.

08:33 – Why this decision could trigger more claims and force schools across the U.S. to change.

09:35 – It's a rare win for disability justice. And it sends a powerful message for families.

10:20 – Hope for AJT, and What’s Next. Plus, our latest song explains it all.

A Win for Disability Rights: AJT vs. Osseo

This episode of VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast features Michael Lewis, Vice President of Policy for the American Association of People with Disabilities, for a conversation about his work and personal experience with cerebral palsy, the history of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Disability Pride Month, and more. Send questions, comments, feedback, or guest suggestions to pcfpodcast@vhha.com or contact on X (Twitter) (twitter.com/VirginiaHHA) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/virginiahha/) using the #PatientsComeFirst hashtag.

VHHA Patients Come First Podcast - Michael Lewis

Subscribe on Patreon and hear this week's full patron-exclusive episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/135737340

Beatrice, Artie and Tracy discuss the potential impacts of a new Trump executive order called “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” which threatens to dramatically expand involuntary psychiatric commitment and make it easier for the government to disappear people off the streets, allegedly in the name of “compassion.”

Runtime 1:51:47

Note: We're back! Thank you to everyone for all the well wishes and many kind messages during our parental leave. We have a lot coming together soon processing current events and reacting to some big developments that happened while we were away. As we ramp production back up we'll be prioritizing the patron feed first to make sure patrons get a full new episode every week.

Get Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism

Find Tracy's book Abolish Rent here: www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2443-abolish-rent

Unlock full episode

Teaser - Empty Rights and Underlying Conditions (08/04/25)

A woman was sent to hospital unconscious after an apparent bear attack outside a facility for people with disabilities, police said on Friday. More and more wild bears have been spotted in residential areas in Japan in recent years, resulting in a rising number of attacks and deaths. "A 73-year-old woman was found lying down with head injuries at the facility entrance on Thursday night," a local police spokesman in Akita Prefecture said. Emergency doctors told police they believed it was a bear attack based on the injuries the woman suffered, the spokesman said.

Episode notes:

‘Bear attacks woman outside disabled home in Akita’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/08/05/bear-attacks-woman-outside-disabled-home-in-akita/



Bear attacks woman outside home for people with disabilities in Akita

In this Complex Care Journal Club podcast episode, Dr. Robbie Dembo and Ms. Kate Honsberger discuss a mixed methods study of oral health experiences and disparities among children with special health care needs. They describe oral health problems faced by children with medical complexity, barriers to high-quality dental care reported by family caregivers, and strategies for disseminating findings from their study.

SPEAKERS
Robbie Dembo, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Principal Investigator
National Opinion Research Center (NORC)
University of Chicago

Kate Honsberger, BA
Director, Health Care Programs 
National Opinion Research Center (NORC)
University of Chicago

HOST
Kristina Malik, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics,
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Medical Director, KidStreet
Pediatrician, Special Care Clinic,
Children's Hospital Colorado

DATE
Initial publication date: August 11, 2025.

JOURNAL CLUB ARTICLE
NORC at the University of Chicago. Oral Health Among Children with Special Health Care Needs. Accessed August 4, 2025. https://www.norc.org/research/projects/oral-health-children-special-health-care-needs.html

OTHER ARTICLES REFERENCED
Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Shared care planning for children with special health care needs.  Accessed August 4, 2025. https://www.cahmi.org/our-work-in-action/engagement-in-action/cshcn

Cohen E, Kuo DZ, Agrawal R, Berry JG, Bhagat SK, Simon TD, Srivastava R. Children with medical complexity: an emerging population for clinical and research initiatives. Pediatrics. 2011 Mar;127(3):529-38. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-0910. Epub 2011 Feb 21. PMID: 21339266; PMCID: PMC3387912.

Yu JA, McKernan G, Hagerman T, Schenker Y, Houtrow A. Identifying children with medical complexity from the National Survey of Children’s Health combined 2016–17 data set. Hospital Pediatrics. 2021;11(2):192- 197. doi:10.1542/hpeds.2020-0180

TRANSCRIPT
https://cdn.bfldr.com/D6LGWP8S/as/9767nfr2rj79c2hft2cc3g8/Dembo_and_Hornsberget_final_8-7-25‌

Clinicians across healthcare professions, advocates, researchers, and patients/families are all encouraged to engage and provide feedback! You can recommend an article for discussion using this form: https://forms.gle/Bdxb86Sw5qq1uFhW6.

Please visit: http://www.openpediatrics.org OPENPediatrics™ is an interactive digital learning platform for healthcare clinicians sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital and in collaboration with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. It is designed to promote the exchange of knowledge between healthcare providers around the world caring for critically ill children in all resource settings. The content includes internationally recognized experts teaching the full range of topics on the care of critically ill children. All content is peer-reviewed and open-access thus at no expense to the user. For further information on how to enroll, please email: openpediatrics@childrens.harvard.edu

CITATION
Dembo R, Honsberger K, Malik K. Brushing Up on High-Quality Oral Health Care for Children with Medical Complexity. 08/2025. OPENPediatrics. Online Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/openpediatrics/brushing-up-on-high-quality.

Brushing Up on High-Quality Oral Health Care for Children with Medical Complexity

Nagoya Mayor Hirosawa has apologized to disability groups for discriminatory comments made at a June 2023 public forum on barrier-free access in the planned wooden reconstruction of Nagoya Castle’s main keep. At the meeting, a wheelchair user’s request for an elevator was met with remarks such as “endure it” and “don’t confuse equality with selfishness,” along with a derogatory term, drawing applause from some attendees. Then-Mayor Kawamura and city officials present did not intervene, prompting public outrage. Following a review, the city pledged human rights training for staff, formal apologies, and measures to prevent a recurrence. Hirosawa said the city will work to balance historical authenticity with accessibility in the reconstruction plan.

Episode notes:

‘Discriminatory Comments Over Nagoya Castle Accessibility Towards Wheelchair User Prompts Mayor to Apologize’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/08/09/discriminatory-comments-over-nagoya-castle-accessibility-towards-wheelchair-user-prompts-mayor-to-apologize/



Discriminatory Comments Over Nagoya Castle Accessibility Towards Wheelchair User Prompts Mayor to Apologize

This episode was recorded live at the 2025 Socialism Conference in Chicago, where we collaborated with conference organizers to host four discussions over the first weekend in July. All four recordings are now available for Death Panel patrons at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

feat. Beatrice, Sophie Lewis, Melissa Gira Grant

Session description: As the state intensifies its assault on gender, sexuality, and reproduction—criminalizing abortion, trans care, and pregnancy outcomes, dismantling government functions to fight "gender ideology," and defining "real women" under the guise of protection—how do we endure and resist? Under the shadow of a second Trump administration, the erosion of rights is not a glitch but a feature of a broader regime of privatization and control. Journalist Melissa Gira Grant, and authors Sophie Lewis and Beatrice Adler-Bolton discuss how today's attacks are part of a longer history of state repression, and how we can build resistance in an era of hyper-austerity and rising fascism.

Editor's Note: About 8 minutes in, we had to temporarily switch to our local audio backup to restore a piece of the conversation that is absent in the livestreamed version. The audio quality gets better again around the 16 minute mark.

Find our Socialism Conference 2025 sessions that have yet to be unlocked here:

Dean Spade on Community Care in the Face of Collapse (DP x S25)
— Bea, Dean Spade
www.patreon.com/posts/134644217

Thanks to Han Olliver for our Death Panel x Socialism Conference 2024 poster image, which is being used as the cover image for this episode on platforms that support it. Find and support Han's work at www.hanolliver.com

Find our book Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism

Find Tracy's book, Abolish Rent, here: www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2443-abolish-rent

Find Phil's new book, Counting Like a State, here: kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700639687/

Death Panel merch here (patrons get a discount code): www.deathpanel.net/merch

As always, support Death Panel at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

Become a patron

Gender, Sexuality, Reproduction and the State: Fighting Back Against the So-Called Law (DP x S25)

A disability rights group has submitted over 23,000 signatures to JR Kyushu, urging an investigation and stronger safety measures following the death of a visually impaired woman at Tsukumi Station in Ōita Prefecture three years ago. The woman was struck by a limited express train during unstaffed hours in December 2022. The group, comprising people with visual and physical disabilities, also delivered a written statement reflecting concerns from visually impaired passengers. During a meeting at JR Kyushu’s Ōita branch, members called for clear rescue protocols for falls from platforms. Co-representative lawyer Yasuyuki Tokuda urged JR to take the voices of disabled passengers seriously.

Episode notes:

‘23,000 Sign Petition Demanding Safety Reforms After Death of Blind Woman at JR Tsukumi Station’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/08/09/23000-sign-petition-demanding-safety-reforms-after-death-of-blind-woman-at-jr-tsukumi-station/


23,000 Sign Petition Demanding Safety Reforms After Death of Blind Woman at JR Tsukumi Station

t’s Obon! Although there is an interesting article about how In June, Japan enacted the Act on the Promotion of Measures Concerning Sign Language, a law aimed at advancing the acquisition and use of sign language and preserving sign language culture. Building on the 2011 amendment to the Basic Act for Persons with Disabilities, which recognized sign language as a language, and the spread of local ordinances such as Kanagawa Prefecture’s 2015 Sign Language Ordinance, the new legislation clarifies the responsibilities of national and local governments. It mandates securing opportunities for learning sign language, training interpreters, enhancing education, and ensuring cultural transmission. The law has prompted municipalities such as Yokohama to strengthen interpreter placement and related services, while deaf advocacy groups are calling for further expansion, particularly the assignment of interpreters to all ward offices.

Episode notes:

‘Deaf Advocacy Groups in Japan Hopes New Law Leads to Expanded Support’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/08/14/deaf-advocacy-groups-in-japan-hopes-new-law-leads-to-expanded-support/


Bring Out Your Dead on No News Obon!

**Welcome to Epic Hook's Official Soundcloud 🎶**


 We are a passionate rock band committed to delivering high-energy music that resonates with fans around the globe. Here, you'll find an array of content including original songs, live performances, and insights into our creative process. Our mission is to create a community where rock enthusiasts can unite and celebrate the power of music. Subscribe today for a front-row seat to our latest releases and join us as we embark on this epic musical adventure!

We do a bit Of EDM and POP at time to time 

Epic we take copyright infringement very serious !!

If u dont have a picture u be banned from my Soundcloud

if u trying to sell or promotion u be banned its a music streaming service NOT A promotion service

i Have Admin and over teams working for Epic Hook so i dont need your service so STOP STOP u will be  banned

Hosted by Michael Gillan Peckitt, who resides in Kobe, Japan, the Disability News Japan Podcast is News website 'Barrier Free Japan's podcast, a weekly digest of some of the news about disability in Japan in audio form. New episodes will usually be available every Friday at 6am Japan Time.

Politics, culture, and public policy from the left. Stay alive another week.

w/ Beatrice Adler-Bolton, Artie Vierkant, Phil Rocco and Jules Gill-Peterson. 

https://www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

New tracks tagged #disability