Will Fertman
@willfertman.com
Father and author of The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual, coming April 2026 from Bloomsbury Academic.
https://willfertman.com - https://buttondown.com/will_fertman
All opinions are my own. Links are not endorsements.
https://willfertman.com - https://buttondown.com/will_fertman
All opinions are my own. Links are not endorsements.
Pinned
Will Fertman
@willfertman.com
· Nov 17
resources for parents – William Fertman, author
willfertman.com
For hearing parents out there with #deafkids —and I can't believe I'm the first one to use that hashtag here—here's some resources that appear in my upcoming book.
Good baby books to sign, #ASL media for kids, Deaf-made apparel, helpful orgs and docs for IEPs, etc. willfertman.com/resources-fo...
Good baby books to sign, #ASL media for kids, Deaf-made apparel, helpful orgs and docs for IEPs, etc. willfertman.com/resources-fo...
Raining today and the younger kid doesn’t want it to end, so he says, “I hope the rain STOPS and we go out in the playground for recess. It’s irony luck.”
November 13, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Raining today and the younger kid doesn’t want it to end, so he says, “I hope the rain STOPS and we go out in the playground for recess. It’s irony luck.”
Reposted by Will Fertman
#eugenics is pervasive in the sciences, but it’s not science. So glad researchers are doing this work.
In 2024, my coauthors & I published a paper arguing that research attribute racial inequality to evolved genetic racial differences was methodologically flawed, used by damaging far-right political projects, & the APA should apply rigorous scientific and ethical standards to reduce this research 2/
November 12, 2025 at 4:39 PM
#eugenics is pervasive in the sciences, but it’s not science. So glad researchers are doing this work.
It's RRRREEAAADDDYYYY! The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual is now available for pre-order.
It's a modern parenting guide for hearing families with deaf or hard of hearing children. Makes a great gift for parents, family members and educators, and a useful weapon for throwing at an LEA or admin,
It's a modern parenting guide for hearing families with deaf or hard of hearing children. Makes a great gift for parents, family members and educators, and a useful weapon for throwing at an LEA or admin,
The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual
A direct and approachable guide for parents of deaf or hard of hearing children.About 90% of all deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) children are born to parents with…
www.bloomsbury.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:56 PM
It's RRRREEAAADDDYYYY! The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual is now available for pre-order.
It's a modern parenting guide for hearing families with deaf or hard of hearing children. Makes a great gift for parents, family members and educators, and a useful weapon for throwing at an LEA or admin,
It's a modern parenting guide for hearing families with deaf or hard of hearing children. Makes a great gift for parents, family members and educators, and a useful weapon for throwing at an LEA or admin,
Working the outreach table at my son’s school. Giving the ol’ ASL a workout.
November 11, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Working the outreach table at my son’s school. Giving the ol’ ASL a workout.
Reposted by Will Fertman
Happy 56th anniversary to “Sesame Street,” which made its broadcast debut #OnThisDay in 1969.
November 10, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Happy 56th anniversary to “Sesame Street,” which made its broadcast debut #OnThisDay in 1969.
Reposted by Will Fertman
Okay but owning a dog when you’re a deaf parent with a newborn baby is absolutely busted. Every time he cries, my dogs notify me. Like yeah, I have devices to help but holy heck this is way more efficient 🥹
Bonus pic of the two dogs in question ♥️
Bonus pic of the two dogs in question ♥️
November 8, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Okay but owning a dog when you’re a deaf parent with a newborn baby is absolutely busted. Every time he cries, my dogs notify me. Like yeah, I have devices to help but holy heck this is way more efficient 🥹
Bonus pic of the two dogs in question ♥️
Bonus pic of the two dogs in question ♥️
Have I mentioned my love of Jon Klassen lately? I think he's Edward Gorey's natural successor and one of the best children's book authors of our time. But what I LOVE about reading his books to #deafkids is how they cultivate theory of mind...
November 7, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Have I mentioned my love of Jon Klassen lately? I think he's Edward Gorey's natural successor and one of the best children's book authors of our time. But what I LOVE about reading his books to #deafkids is how they cultivate theory of mind...
Reposted by Will Fertman
The older kid was in art class today when the teacher said, “I’m tired.”
He apparently answered, “In the grand scheme of things, we are all tired.”
He apparently answered, “In the grand scheme of things, we are all tired.”
November 7, 2025 at 4:07 AM
The older kid was in art class today when the teacher said, “I’m tired.”
He apparently answered, “In the grand scheme of things, we are all tired.”
He apparently answered, “In the grand scheme of things, we are all tired.”
Reposted by Will Fertman
Gave my 9-year-old nephew The Cartoonists Club by @scottmccloud.bsky.social and @goraina.bsky.social last night and he has already finished it and is excitedly describing it to his parents. 🙂
November 6, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Gave my 9-year-old nephew The Cartoonists Club by @scottmccloud.bsky.social and @goraina.bsky.social last night and he has already finished it and is excitedly describing it to his parents. 🙂
Anna Wintour and Roger Lynch are union-busting and fascist-appeasing here. Notice that WIRED's White House reporter is one of the fired union leaders.
Breaking News: Late last night Conde Nast illegally fired 4 union organizers who asked company execs to explain the downsizing of Teen Vogue and continued layoffs. We’ve filed a grievance.
November 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Anna Wintour and Roger Lynch are union-busting and fascist-appeasing here. Notice that WIRED's White House reporter is one of the fired union leaders.
Need a way to search Bluesky for "deaf" that excludes "tone deaf" because, well...
November 5, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Need a way to search Bluesky for "deaf" that excludes "tone deaf" because, well...
Reposted by Will Fertman
A big win for the disability community today as US District Judge Amir Ali orders the White House to restore ASL interpretation to press briefings.
They ruled that ending the accessibility measure illegally excluded deaf Americans from government updates.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
They ruled that ending the accessibility measure illegally excluded deaf Americans from government updates.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Judge orders White House to restore sign language interpreters at briefings by Trump, Leavitt
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali said the White House’s decision to end ASL interpretation illegally excluded deaf Americans from crucial updates from the government.
www.politico.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:06 AM
A big win for the disability community today as US District Judge Amir Ali orders the White House to restore ASL interpretation to press briefings.
They ruled that ending the accessibility measure illegally excluded deaf Americans from government updates.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
They ruled that ending the accessibility measure illegally excluded deaf Americans from government updates.
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
People of BlueSky! Let's get to know each other better! What is your all-time favorite TV show?
November 4, 2025 at 10:29 PM
People of BlueSky! Let's get to know each other better! What is your all-time favorite TV show?
Really important reporting on the DeafBlind program funding issue.
Our little magazine, @the-word.news, has a new article out today! Check it out!
the-word.news/2025/1104/de...
the-word.news/2025/1104/de...
Deafblind activists discuss educational funding cuts - The Word
When news broke that the Dept. of Ed was halting grants, deafblind voices were left out of the conversation
the-word.news
November 4, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Really important reporting on the DeafBlind program funding issue.
Reposted by Will Fertman
Today, someone who has been surfing the AI hype wave to boost his career, got upset by our position paper.
He gave no substantive couinterargument. Just called it “activism”. As if that is an insult.
In a world where techno-fascism hollows out our institutions, I’m a proud scientific activist.
He gave no substantive couinterargument. Just called it “activism”. As if that is an insult.
In a world where techno-fascism hollows out our institutions, I’m a proud scientific activist.
Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia
Under the banner of progress, products have been uncritically adopted or even imposed on users — in past centuries with tobacco and combustion engines, and in the 21st with social media. For these col...
zenodo.org
October 30, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Today, someone who has been surfing the AI hype wave to boost his career, got upset by our position paper.
He gave no substantive couinterargument. Just called it “activism”. As if that is an insult.
In a world where techno-fascism hollows out our institutions, I’m a proud scientific activist.
He gave no substantive couinterargument. Just called it “activism”. As if that is an insult.
In a world where techno-fascism hollows out our institutions, I’m a proud scientific activist.
Reposted by Will Fertman
If you read an amazing article from Teen Vogue about politics in the last several years, chances are that Lex McMenamin wrote it. Any publication that is serious about meeting this moment would be lucky to have them.
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
If you read an amazing article from Teen Vogue about politics in the last several years, chances are that Lex McMenamin wrote it. Any publication that is serious about meeting this moment would be lucky to have them.
Reposted by Will Fertman
ON THE LITERAL EVE OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYOR BEING ELECTED, ANNA WINTOUR KILLS PROGRESSIVE AND PROFITABLE TEEN VOGUE POLITICS DESK WHICH HAD JUST INTERVIEWED HIM
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
November 3, 2025 at 8:16 PM
ON THE LITERAL EVE OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYOR BEING ELECTED, ANNA WINTOUR KILLS PROGRESSIVE AND PROFITABLE TEEN VOGUE POLITICS DESK WHICH HAD JUST INTERVIEWED HIM
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
*That’s* the headline.
(Unfortunately there’s hardly any news outlet left to run it 😭)
Reposted by Will Fertman
Teen Vogue took young people seriously. It's impossible to overstate how important, how rare, and how profoundly needed that is.
November 3, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Teen Vogue took young people seriously. It's impossible to overstate how important, how rare, and how profoundly needed that is.
I can’t believe it’s cancelled. They had the best flavor and the worst texture of any gum on the market—delicious fruit flavors dissolving into barely-coherent paste in a matter of moments.
Fruit Stripe Gum (circa 1961-2023): A line of fruit-flavored chewing gum, famous for the colorful, zebra-stripe pattern on each stick, and notorious for its expeditious loss of flavor
November 3, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I can’t believe it’s cancelled. They had the best flavor and the worst texture of any gum on the market—delicious fruit flavors dissolving into barely-coherent paste in a matter of moments.
Reposted by Will Fertman
really wish you used alt text on your cool posts so all cool people could appreciate your cool posts 🥲
November 1, 2025 at 1:29 PM
really wish you used alt text on your cool posts so all cool people could appreciate your cool posts 🥲
Happy Halloween to all who celebrate (me.)
November 1, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Happy Halloween to all who celebrate (me.)
Hell of a Parthian shot on the back of Nikki Giovanni’s last book.
October 31, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Hell of a Parthian shot on the back of Nikki Giovanni’s last book.
Reposted by Will Fertman
A culture of institutional disability discrimination within the Metropolitan police is exposed today by the former head of its disabled staff association.
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/former-detec...
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/former-detec...
Former detective exposes culture of disability discrimination within ‘institutionally disablist’ Met
A culture of institutional disability discrimination within the Metropolitan police is exposed today by the former head of its disabled staff association. Dave Campbell, who retired this year after…
www.disabilitynewsservice.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:30 AM
A culture of institutional disability discrimination within the Metropolitan police is exposed today by the former head of its disabled staff association.
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/former-detec...
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/former-detec...