Disability Journalism: Rose Eveleth on not writing ableist garbage

Rose Eveleth has become one of my favorite writers on technology. Lately, she's been  focusing specifically on prosthetics. It's an area that technology is rapidly transforming. It's great to have deeply thoughtful journalists reporting on both the science and the social implications.

In this blog post, she reflects on what she's learned on her beat and how not to write "Ableist garbage."

1. No Inspiration Porn. (Here's my intro to that topic and disability journalism). Eveleth writes, in regards to prosthetics: "It can sometimes feel like these stories are not inspiration porn, they don’t fit the mold, but they are all about making able bodied people feel good about the world via the application of technology to a person they assume must be struggling and unhappy."

2. Remember what prosthetics are for. It's not just about cool tech saving the world, but helping people who need them.

3. Talk to amputees. "Often, as science journalists, we get really hung up on a particular kind of expert: the scientist, the doctor, the engineer. These people have expertise, sure, but they only have a certain kind of expertise. The patient has another kind, and a kind that is just as important."

Read the whole post!