Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
@erinryanhey.bsky.social
disabled writer, speaker, educator, and creator | 🏳️⚧️
Profile:  white person with glasses and brown hair, smiling
Banner: my life has always been a continuous struggle with ill health and ambition, and I have mastered neither.
Profile:  white person with glasses and brown hair, smiling
Banner: my life has always been a continuous struggle with ill health and ambition, and I have mastered neither.
Pinned
Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
@erinryanhey.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Please don't leave disabled people behind in your revolution. Please do not see us as sacrifices for the greater good, or dead weight. Please see our lives as worth saving, too.
Disabled people, aided by the Black Panthers, staged the longest sit-in in American history in 1987, winning 504 protections. Just 3 years later we orchestrated the capitol crawl, in which many wheelchair users crawled and pulled themselves up the steps of the capitol to win passage of the ADA.
Can’t be overstated how much Alice Wong contributed to and developed the modern disability rights movement. “Disability Visibility” showed me that I could be proud of my disabled identity. A huge loss - thank you for everything.
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
November 15, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Can’t be overstated how much Alice Wong contributed to and developed the modern disability rights movement. “Disability Visibility” showed me that I could be proud of my disabled identity. A huge loss - thank you for everything.
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
how did i go so long not knowing we were literally teaching people to read wrong. i knew something wasn't right but jesus christ www.apmreports.org/episode/2019...
How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers
For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't kno...
www.apmreports.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
how did i go so long not knowing we were literally teaching people to read wrong. i knew something wasn't right but jesus christ www.apmreports.org/episode/2019...
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
After a breast cancer scare last year, Charity Herndon decided to pursue her dream of opening a bookshop. The result is a Jane Austen-themed mobile bookstore called Austen’s Shelf.
🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/jane-au...
🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/jane-au...
October 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
After a breast cancer scare last year, Charity Herndon decided to pursue her dream of opening a bookshop. The result is a Jane Austen-themed mobile bookstore called Austen’s Shelf.
🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/jane-au...
🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/jane-au...
Senator Ed Markey said Trans rights are human rights while literally wearing the trans pride flag. 🏳️⚧️
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) at the Boston No Kings rally today, wore the trans pride flag like a scarf draped over his shoulders and included in his speech. "Because here in Massachusetts, we stand for what is right. We stand with trans people because trans rights are human rights."
October 19, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Senator Ed Markey said Trans rights are human rights while literally wearing the trans pride flag. 🏳️⚧️
High Schoolers don’t necessarily need to read classics, but if we are going to assign Edith Wharton, it should be The Age of Innocence and not Ethan Frome. Age of Innocence has insightful social commentary about the gilded age and it takes place in New York City. Just so much to work with!
Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat
October 15, 2025 at 7:16 PM
High Schoolers don’t necessarily need to read classics, but if we are going to assign Edith Wharton, it should be The Age of Innocence and not Ethan Frome. Age of Innocence has insightful social commentary about the gilded age and it takes place in New York City. Just so much to work with!
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the precursor to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). It’s important to separate the two in this context. It was passed a full 15 years before the ADA, + remains the bedrock of equal right to Education for children with disabilities. 1/
The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says
The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
bit.ly
October 11, 2025 at 10:37 PM
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the precursor to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). It’s important to separate the two in this context. It was passed a full 15 years before the ADA, + remains the bedrock of equal right to Education for children with disabilities. 1/
Dems in Congress are out here trying to wordsmith the perfect gotcha post in response to the vice president of the United States calling for their party to be violently overthrown. At least show the video that proves he’s lying. You have paid digital teams! *WAKE UP*
You’re lying, JD Vance. Stop using tragedy to stoke divisions between Americans so you can grab more power.
Vance: "While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far-Left."
September 15, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Dems in Congress are out here trying to wordsmith the perfect gotcha post in response to the vice president of the United States calling for their party to be violently overthrown. At least show the video that proves he’s lying. You have paid digital teams! *WAKE UP*
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
JD Vance: “Charlie Kirk never said Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously. He never uttered those words.”
Charlie Kirk: “Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Ketanji Brown Jackson — you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken seriously.”
Charlie Kirk: “Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Ketanji Brown Jackson — you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken seriously.”
September 15, 2025 at 7:50 PM
JD Vance: “Charlie Kirk never said Black women do not have brain processing power to be taken seriously. He never uttered those words.”
Charlie Kirk: “Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Ketanji Brown Jackson — you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken seriously.”
Charlie Kirk: “Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Ketanji Brown Jackson — you do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken seriously.”
Idk who needs to hear this but judging by my timeline, quite a few people. Strokes are the leading cause of disability worldwide. Sometimes your body just stops working the same way it did before. Jokes about strokes are ableist and we can do better thx for listening!
September 11, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Idk who needs to hear this but judging by my timeline, quite a few people. Strokes are the leading cause of disability worldwide. Sometimes your body just stops working the same way it did before. Jokes about strokes are ableist and we can do better thx for listening!
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
In the European Middle Ages, literally at the dawn of the university, rich families would pay teachers directly for each subject taught and create their own custom curriculum.
Between homeschool provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill and Trump’s attempts to gut the Department of Education, teaching kids looks different now. Silicon Valley’s answer? Microschools.
How Microschools Became the Latest Tech Mogul Obsession
Between homeschool provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill and Trump’s attempts to gut the Department of Education, teaching kids looks different now. Silicon Valley’s answer? Microschools.
wrd.cm
August 18, 2025 at 10:19 AM
In the European Middle Ages, literally at the dawn of the university, rich families would pay teachers directly for each subject taught and create their own custom curriculum.
Proud of my (comparatively) small town’s mural in recognition of ADA35 / Disability Pride month. Everyone walking by has a chance to learn something about disability. And there’s a visual description QR code!
July 18, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Proud of my (comparatively) small town’s mural in recognition of ADA35 / Disability Pride month. Everyone walking by has a chance to learn something about disability. And there’s a visual description QR code!
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
Many states -- Massachusetts among them -- rebrand Medicaid with another name, like Masshealth. So many recipients who will lose health insurance under Trump's budget bill may not know what's coming: bit.ly/404rw4k
Some states rebrand Medicaid to reduce stigma. That's confusing recipients
Many states rebranded their Medicaid programs years ago to reduce stigma — MassHealth in Massachusetts, for instance — but some research shows that the name changes have confused recipients.
bit.ly
July 7, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Many states -- Massachusetts among them -- rebrand Medicaid with another name, like Masshealth. So many recipients who will lose health insurance under Trump's budget bill may not know what's coming: bit.ly/404rw4k
Why is MIGA so funny to me should I log off?
June 22, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Why is MIGA so funny to me should I log off?
Some of the best anti-war songwriting came out of the early 2000s, even though that time isn’t remembered as well as the folk movement of the 1960s. Rilo Kiley’s ‘More Adventurous’ album and Bright Eyes’ ‘I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’ of course there was Green Day’s ‘American Idiot,’ but
June 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Some of the best anti-war songwriting came out of the early 2000s, even though that time isn’t remembered as well as the folk movement of the 1960s. Rilo Kiley’s ‘More Adventurous’ album and Bright Eyes’ ‘I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’ of course there was Green Day’s ‘American Idiot,’ but
A “legal path to transition.” That’s the whole ballgame.
No, New York Times. That's not what trans people are saying.
June 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
A “legal path to transition.” That’s the whole ballgame.
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
I want to emphasize Max's point bc the law is outrageous
It explicitly grants or withholds medical treatment based on sex
It expressly aims to force trans kids to conform to their sex assigned at birth
It's a frontal assault on trans kids and the Constitution
ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/skrme...
It explicitly grants or withholds medical treatment based on sex
It expressly aims to force trans kids to conform to their sex assigned at birth
It's a frontal assault on trans kids and the Constitution
ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/skrme...
June 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I want to emphasize Max's point bc the law is outrageous
It explicitly grants or withholds medical treatment based on sex
It expressly aims to force trans kids to conform to their sex assigned at birth
It's a frontal assault on trans kids and the Constitution
ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/skrme...
It explicitly grants or withholds medical treatment based on sex
It expressly aims to force trans kids to conform to their sex assigned at birth
It's a frontal assault on trans kids and the Constitution
ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/skrme...
Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a novel whose protagonist is named Gen Ai (Genly Ai) but we’re not ready to talk about that are we?
June 16, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a novel whose protagonist is named Gen Ai (Genly Ai) but we’re not ready to talk about that are we?
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
Whatever your personal beliefs on Assisted Dying, we should all be able to agree on 2 fundamentals:
No means no. If a patient doesn’t want it, end of discussion.
It should never be offered in lieu of care or social supports.
If it is, it’s not compassion.
It’s eugenics 🧵
No means no. If a patient doesn’t want it, end of discussion.
It should never be offered in lieu of care or social supports.
If it is, it’s not compassion.
It’s eugenics 🧵
June 12, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Whatever your personal beliefs on Assisted Dying, we should all be able to agree on 2 fundamentals:
No means no. If a patient doesn’t want it, end of discussion.
It should never be offered in lieu of care or social supports.
If it is, it’s not compassion.
It’s eugenics 🧵
No means no. If a patient doesn’t want it, end of discussion.
It should never be offered in lieu of care or social supports.
If it is, it’s not compassion.
It’s eugenics 🧵
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
We should celebrate trans lives, in their splendour and variety, as evidence of what human life can be, containing multitudes.
I came to understand this so late and so slowly, perhaps because my own life as a cis, straight husband and father is so conventional. And I'm still learning it now.
I came to understand this so late and so slowly, perhaps because my own life as a cis, straight husband and father is so conventional. And I'm still learning it now.
June 6, 2025 at 5:34 PM
We should celebrate trans lives, in their splendour and variety, as evidence of what human life can be, containing multitudes.
I came to understand this so late and so slowly, perhaps because my own life as a cis, straight husband and father is so conventional. And I'm still learning it now.
I came to understand this so late and so slowly, perhaps because my own life as a cis, straight husband and father is so conventional. And I'm still learning it now.
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
June 1, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Oh hell yeah. Assisted dying bills are NOT progressive and disability rights organizations overwhelmingly oppose them.
The assisted dying lobby isn’t being honest with you –
Disabled people are at risk from this bill.
Brilliant piece in the @theguardian.com from @lucywebster.bsky.social.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Disabled people are at risk from this bill.
Brilliant piece in the @theguardian.com from @lucywebster.bsky.social.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
May 14, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Oh hell yeah. Assisted dying bills are NOT progressive and disability rights organizations overwhelmingly oppose them.
Delighted by the pope brothers storyline - happy to take the mic, play wordle w the pope, loved Conclave, appear to have busy lives and get a kick out of the fact that their nerdy little bro is making something of himself.
May 9, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Delighted by the pope brothers storyline - happy to take the mic, play wordle w the pope, loved Conclave, appear to have busy lives and get a kick out of the fact that their nerdy little bro is making something of himself.
So the new Pope changes their name entirely and we all *checks notes* applaud their personal and spiritual growth and respect their new name?
May 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
So the new Pope changes their name entirely and we all *checks notes* applaud their personal and spiritual growth and respect their new name?
Boston Disability Allies! Tomorrow, Disabled Stories Collective is having our inaugural Storytelling event at the Rooted Café at the Somerville Armory. It’s free, no ticket required. Come on out! 7:00PM
April 28, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Boston Disability Allies! Tomorrow, Disabled Stories Collective is having our inaugural Storytelling event at the Rooted Café at the Somerville Armory. It’s free, no ticket required. Come on out! 7:00PM
Reposted by Erin Ryan Hey ♿️
People who think disabled people are new to protesting/"newly activated" need to get several grips and then learn some very basic history.
April 28, 2025 at 2:01 PM
People who think disabled people are new to protesting/"newly activated" need to get several grips and then learn some very basic history.