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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · 10d

The Trump Administration wants to add a work requirement for "able-bodied" Medicaid recipients. But medical professionals don't use that term. @juliametraux.bsky.social explains the history of a political term

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The deceptive phrase behind Trump's Medicaid purge

How the idea of “able-bodied” is abused

www.motherjones.com

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · 26d

U.S. Department of Justice sues Uber for driving past would-be customers in wheelchairs or with service animals

www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...

Justice Department Sues Uber for Denying Rides to Passengers with Service Dogs, Wheelchairs

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc. for discriminating against passengers with disabilities, including those who use service animals and mobility devices such as stow...

www.justice.gov

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · 27d

NPR wants to write about what makes travel difficult for people who use wheelchairs--with hotels. Tell us your stories. www.npr.org/2025/09/11/g...

Are hotel rooms accessible for people who use wheelchairs? NPR wants to hear from you

Hotels have accessible rooms for wheelchair users. If you or someone you know has experienced problems with those rooms, we'd like to hear about it.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Joe Shapiro

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 22

On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout.

On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.

This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.

Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵

Photo of DOGE staffer Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old white man in a blue pullover, carrying a black backpack.

Photo of 53-year-old Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi. He is sitting, wearing white pants and shirt with a brown vest.

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Aug 12

Susan Stamberg helped build NPR, paved a path for women journalists, writes radio copy that sounds like poetry, has one of the best voices in broadcast.. and is a warm, supportive and treasured colleague. Retirement? Hard to imagine NPR without her.
www.npr.org/sections/npr...

Susan Stamberg Retirement News

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Aug 8

The Biden Administration expanded benefits to many of the poorest disabled on SSI. Now Trump Administration proposes a reversal.
www.cbpp.org/research/soc...

Trump Administration Poised to Cut SSI Benefits for Nearly 400,000 Low-Income Disabled and Older People | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The average annual savings from these benefit cuts would barely pay for a single day of the massive tax cuts for the wealthy that are part of the Republican megabill enacted in July.

www.cbpp.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Aug 7

From my colleague @tomdreisbach.bsky.social

NPR @npr.org · Aug 7

Exclusive: The Department of Justice hired a former Jan. 6 defendant who was caught on tape urging rioters to "kill" police. The department calls him a "valued member" of the administration.

Video shows Department of Justice official urging Jan. 6 rioters to 'kill' cops

The Department of Justice hired a former Jan. 6 defendant who was caught on tape urging rioters to "kill" police. The department calls him a "valued member" of the administration.

n.pr

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jul 18

Disabled people say they love riding trains. Does Amtrak love them back? (My NPR story on a new federal report.)
www.npr.org/2025/07/17/n...

A federal report looks at Amtrak's efforts to improve for passengers with disabilities

For years, disabled passengers have complained about Amtrak and its poor service -- that it's too hard for them to ride the train. A new federal report looks at its efforts to get better.

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jul 14

Shackled for days, weeks--DOJ report finds abuse of restraints in federal prisons. (My story from NPR)

www.npr.org/2025/07/14/n...

Shackled for weeks: Federal report finds abuse of restraints in prisons

The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General found widespread abuse of shackles in federal prisons. One prisoner was held in restraints so tight that he had to have a limb amputated.

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jul 10

"We didn’t necessarily see ourselves as the kind of journalists NPR would want, but NPR not only wanted us, they wanted to support us, help us grow and nurture our perspectives."
www.poynter.org/commentary/2...

After leaving the military, NPR’s public service mission gave us a new opportunity to serve - Poynter

After serving in the Coast Guard and Army, we received internships at NPR. The roles launched our careers and let us keep serving the public.

www.poynter.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jul 2

"I'm only 19. I've got a lot of life to live." Alexis Ratcliff spent six years inside a North Carolina hospital. Now she's finally moved to her own home. Trump Administration wants to end program that got her out. My radio and print stories for NPR:
www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...

The disabled teen stuck in a hospital for six years finally gets her own home

When a disabled young woman moved out of a hospital to her own apartment, the Trump administration celebrated — even though it's ending the federal program that made it possible.

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jun 10

When Stanley Nelson investigated unsolved KKK killings, some of his best sources were the spouses and children of the Klansmen. The men who would torture and kill were often abusive to their family at home--and those spouses and kids talked. My expanded story for npr.org. www.npr.org/2025/06/07/n...

Louisiana journalist Stanley Nelson exposed secrets of the civil rights era

Stanley Nelson, the editor of a small-town weekly newspaper in Louisiana, exposed secrets about unsolved murders by the Ku Klux Klan. Nelson died this week at the age of 69.

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jun 8

Stanley Nelson, editor of a small town newspaper in Louisiana, reported, obsessively, about unsolved murders by the Ku Klux Klan. I wrote about Stanley, who died unexpectedly after surgery. www.npr.org/2025/06/07/n...

A man with gray beard and hair, wearing a blue sport coat, points to a blown up photo posted on a wall. In the photo, someone holds a worn silver dollar.

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Apr 29

There are barriers to Deaf people trying to make careers as scientists and teachers. The federal government helped--until the Trump Administration said "no more"
www.npr.org/2025/04/28/n...

Deaf students had a path to science careers -- until their federal grants ended

For years, the U.S. government tried to encourage deaf people to study science. But the programs were just ended by the Trump Administration, leaving deaf students unsure about their future.

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Apr 23

Why are nonprofit groups so worried? DOGE went into federal agencies--cut programs and staff. New target: Nonprofits that get federal grants, especially for immigration, environmental and criminal justice work
www.npr.org/2025/04/20/n...

Nonprofits discuss how to handle potential backlash from the Trump administration

A number of nonprofit leaders have met to discuss how to handle potential backlash from the Trump administration.

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Mar 21

An interview to get a sense of the man who always asked: "How does policy dignify?" mn.gov/mnddc/rud-tu...

Rud Turnbull: The Convergence of Disability Law and Policy

In all of his research on United State Supreme Court decisions and federal laws, Rud Turnbull finds one ethical principle that is interwoven throughout those decisions and statutes – the notion of dignity.

mn.gov

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Mar 21

"I was an accidental activist," Rud Turnbull said. The accident was the birth of his disabled son, Jay. He called him "our best professor." Because via Jay, he learned about the failures of how we care for people with developmental disabilities. Rud, who died this week, was a leader in the field.

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Mar 18

Something I did last week on the pending lawsuit over a major disability civil rights law. What the red state AGs say they're suing about is not exactly what the lawsuit says. one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5321...

🔊 Listen Now: Lawsuit targets Section 504 disability protections

on NPR One | 4:45

one.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jan 31

No, the FAA did not recruit people with intellectual disabilities to work as air traffic controllers. Despite what the President said about anti-discrimination programs. My story @npr.org www.npr.org/2025/01/30/n...

People with intellectual disabilities do lots of jobs–but they don't direct air traffic

After the fatal crash over the Potomac River, the President says diversity hiring has made the skies unsafe, but that's not how disability hiring works

www.npr.org

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Jan 9

Do you know the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history? The Peshtigo Fire of 1871. At least 1,200 dead in northeastern Wisconsin.

NPR @npr.org · Jan 9

There's a forgotten history that should serve as a warning — wildfire isn’t unique to the West. Now the warming climate is increasing the risk of major wildfires across America. And more people are moving to fire-prone areas without realizing the danger.

Climate Change Is Raising Wildfire Risk Across The U.S.

There's a forgotten history that should serve as a warning — wildfire isn’t unique to the West. Now the warming climate is increasing the risk of major wildfires across America. And more people are mo...

apps.npr.org

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Reposted by Joe Shapiro

David Carr @davidcarr4.bsky.social · Jan 8

On the resurgence of #disability slurs. An unsettling read.

The R-Word's Comeback Is a Grim Sign of Our Political Moment

The R-slur has made a comeback thanks to the MAGA movement and Elon Musk, who use it to dehumanize their political opponents.

www.rollingstone.com

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Reposted by Joe Shapiro

BW @besswww.bsky.social · Dec 26

Gross. Billionaire Rob Hale gave $1k to each graduate of UMass Dartmouth at their graduation. But those who couldn't attend graduation do not get the $.

At an outdoor ceremony where it was pouring rain, who missed out? Disabled people.
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/y...

A Billionaire Gave $1,000 to UMass Dartmouth Graduates. Some Missed Out.

A billionaire gave $1,000 to University of Massachusetts Dartmouth graduates in May. The catch? You had to be there.

www.nytimes.com

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Dec 16

A great one. Privileged to be there.

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Joe Shapiro @nprjoeshapiro.bsky.social · Dec 16

Master drummer, tabla player Zakir Hussain has died. He played across musical genres. Wonderfully here with Indian jazz fusion group Shakti. m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx8A...

Shakti: Tiny Desk Concert

YouTube video by NPR Music

m.youtube.com

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Reposted by Joe Shapiro

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · Dec 12

Trump's presidency includes a number of grifters, most notably many who have promoted misinformation about autism. I wrote about how Trump's presidency represents the apotheosis of toxic theories about autism.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

The toxic autism politics of Trump’s second administration

From Elon Musk to RFK, the right has developed an obsession with pushing two seemingly contradictory — but equally damaging — theories on autism, writes Eric Garcia. And this obsession is bleeding int...

www.independent.co.uk

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