Podcast - Critical Design Lab

Episode 50

Contra* Childhood Joy and Education with Katie Goldfinch

April 16, 2025

This episode, we hear from Katie Goldfinch, a white, nonbinary person and solidarity worker with Touretteshero. Katie gives us insight into the disability arts scene in the UK, how Touretteshero navigates the pandemic, and how they are working hard to share collective joy, education, creativity, and curiosity with kids and teachers remotely.

Episode 49

Crips for eSims

April 9, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at Crips for E-sims for Gaza, an effort by Alice Wong, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha and Jane Shi to encourage disabled people and their allies to donate to get eSims to people in Gaza. Kelsie reflects on the relationship between mutual aid, remote access and the importance of doing something, however small.

Episode 48

Contra* Fashion and Performance with Sky Cubacub

April 2, 2025

This episode, we hear from Sky Cubacub, a Filipinx, non-binary disabled activist, designer and educator, who founded Rebirth Garments. They discuss their journey to gender-affirming fashion, fashion newsletters, and navigating social media. And, they share their current project with kids – at the intersection of education, performance, and interdependence that is rooted in community care and trust.

Episode 47

Olmstead Quality of Life Survey

March 26, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at the Olmstead Quality of Life Survey and reflects on the limits of remote access.

Episode 46

Contra* Remote Access Parties with moira williams

March 19, 2025

On this episode, we hear from moira williams, an Indigenous disabled artist. moira shares their experience with pre-pandemic and pandemic forms of remote access, especially as it pertains to joy, community-building, performance, nightlife and parties, visual protests and more.

Episode 45

Glitch Realm

March 12, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie shares a bit about Glitch Realm, a piece of digital art by Yo-Yo Lin and Kevin Gotkin, developed for one of the Remote Access parties and reflects on joy and access magic.

Episode 44

Contra* Environmental Illness and Remote Life with Susan Molloy

March 5, 2025

On this episode of Contra*, Aimi talks to Susan Molloy, a white disabled woman and environmental illness activist. Susan is a resident of a remote, disability community outside of Snowflake, Arizona. Susan shares how she found her way to remote disability advocacy, the barriers to remote access faced by folks with environmental illnesses, and how she and others in her neighborhood advocate, innovate, and design living spaces that fit their needs.

Episode 43

Communication First

February 26, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at five documents sent to us by Communication First. Communication First works to advance the rights of people who cannot rely on speech. These documents highlight the need for some disabled people to have in person support, including in person support to participate in remote access.

Episode 42

Contra* Audio Descriptions with Thomas Reid

February 19, 2025

This episode, we hear from Thomas Reid, who is a Black disabled and blind man, podcast producer extraordinaire, and host of Reid My Mind Radio. Thomas discusses audio description and access, especially in the film industry, Blackness and disability, accessibility and blindness, and cross-disability community as he has navigated becoming blind as an adult. He also shares his reasons for hope in the audio description and narration industry, and how remote access has transformed his ability to connect with and grow his community.

Episode 41

Alice Wong Takes a Trip to the White House

February 12, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at two articles documenting Alice Wong’s 2015 trip to the White House via a robot. These documents highlight an innovative remote access technology and the importance of remote access before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Episode 40

Contra* Podcasting in Community with Qudsiya Naqui

February 5, 2025

This episode, we hear from Qudsiya Naqui, a blind South Asian lawyer and podcast creator. Qudsiya shares how remote access has transformed her daily work and inspired her to start her own podcast, Down to the Struts, welcoming her into the broader disability community.

Episode 39

UCLA Hybrid Access Strike

January 29, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? In this mini-episode, Kelsie looks at documents associated with the UCLA Hybrid Access Strike and reflects on solidarity.

Episode 38

Contra* Remote Access History with Corbett O’Toole

January 22, 2025

What did remote access look like 20 years ago? 30 years ago? How has the disability community been innovating with phones, emails and the internet since these were emerging technologies? This episode features a conversation with Corbett O’Toole, a white, queer, disabled elder, artist and author, who discusses the significance of remote access technologies over the past few decades – from her role in the polio community to the early disability rights movement to disability justice today.

Episode 37

The Toomey Gazette

January 15, 2025

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. This season we’re sharing some of those conversations. We’re also taking a closer look at some of the documents in the remote access archive in mini-episodes, like the one you're listening to today!

Episode 36

Contra* Remote Access with Hector Ramirez

January 8, 2025

What has been the role of remote access before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for the disability community? Aimi’s conversation with Hector Ramirez, a disabled, queer and Two-Spirit, and biracial disability rights advocate focuses on how remote access has transformed during the pandemic, and the implications of the pandemic on their disability community and culture.

Episode 35

Season 4 Trailer

January 1, 2025

Welcome to Season 4 of Contra*! On this season of Contra*, we’re sharing oral history interviews from the Remote Access Archives. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with a number of scholars and activists about mutual aid and pandemic times. This season, we'll be sharing some of these conversations.

Episode 34

Contra* History (2) with Elizabeth Guffey and Bess Williamson

November 14, 2024

What is the history of disability-accessible design? And how does this history get written? In this episode of Contra*, I talk to historians Elizabeth Guffey and Bess Williamson about their books on this topic.

Episode 33

Solidarity Chat 10: Embry Wood Owen

October 30, 2024

Aimi speaks to Embry Wood Owen about disabled mutual aid organizing and the politics of public space during COVID-19.

Episode 32

Solidarity Chat 9: Max Liboiron

October 30, 2024

Aimi speaks to Dr. Max Liboiron about administrative activism and the legacies of disabled and Indigenous mutual aid.

Episode 31

Contra* Accessibility's History with Elizabeth Guffey and Bess Williamson

October 30, 2024

What is the history of disability-accessible design? And how does this history get written? In this episode of Contra*, I talk to historians Elizabeth Guffey and Bess Williamson about their books on this topic.