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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

cjds2012.bsky.social @cjds2012.bsky.social · Aug 6

The philosopher D. R. Parton said:
Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
And yawn and stretch and try to come to life
Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin'
Out on the street, the traffic starts jumpin'
With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5.

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Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 12d

I've thought about this moment a lot over the last few years but never thought I would be submitting while in a paediatrics assessment waiting room, waiting for my 9-year-old to be examined for suspected appendicitis... but then nothing about this PhD has been done in easy mode 🤷‍♀️

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Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · 12d

It's done!

After four years (end of my minimum period), I have just submitted my PhD thesis on disabled people's encounters in accessible parking spaces 🥳♿🅿️
#DisabilitySky #DisabilityStudies #BlueBadge #PhD #PhDlife

Thesis cover page with University of Birmingham Crest: "THE POLITICS OF PARKING: DISABLED PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES OF EVERYDAY OPPRESSION THROUGH ENCOUNTERS WITH STRANGERS IN ACCESSIBLE PARKING SPACES
by VERA ISABELLA KUBENZ
A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Social Policy, Sociology, and Criminology
School of Social Policy and Society
College of Social Sciences
University of Birmingham
September 2025

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 17d

Speaking from Gaza, Manar Al Houbi told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show she was informed just days before her evacuation from Gaza that her family would not be allowed to come with her – despite the Labour Government allowing other students' families to enter the UK.

Gaza student hoping for Glasgow PhD in urgent plea as family blocked from entering UK

A student from Gaza hoping to study in Scotland has issued a plea to the UK Government urging them not to "make her choose" between her…

www.thenational.scot

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Unite UCU @uniteucu.bsky.social · 19d

With another 9 @ucu.org.uk branches now calling on UCU to do the right thing we wonder if @drjogrady.bsky.social is listening to her members.

We call on Jo Grady and UCU SMT to:
• Enter negotiations with Unite UCU without preconditions.
• Stop the threat of punitive deductions for ASOS - this breaches UCU and TUC policy and only serves to undermine all of us, not least those UCU members currently involved in legal test cases against punitive deductions after taking lawful industrial action.

Signed, 25, no, 37, no, now 46 UCU branch committees (and still counting)

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Catherine Hale @catherinehale.bsky.social · 21d

Great to hear a robust challenge to DWPs misleading stats on out of work benefits. Thank you as ever @benbgeiger.bsky.social

ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health @kingscsmh.bsky.social · 21d

Are out of work benefits at a record high? Prof. Ben Geiger (@benbgeiger.bsky.social) from the ESRC Centre for Society & Mental Health explains that the official statistics are wildly misleading on BBC radio 4’s More or Less this morning. Have a listen! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

More or Less - Is it true that out-of-work benefits have almost doubled? - BBC Sounds

Out-of-work benefits, French pensioners, surprising salmon and the truth about senses.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Matt Baume 🏳️‍🌈 @mattbaume.bsky.social · Sep 2

When we talk about how "Magneto was right," this is why -- here he is, correctly predicting how this is going to go. It starts with dehumanizing; then that leads to tracking; tracking leads to arrests; arrests lead to camps; camps lead to genocide.

Matt Baume 🏳️‍🌈 @mattbaume.bsky.social · Sep 2

In researching my latest video, I found a clip of dialogue cut from the first X-Men film: Magneto makes it much clearer why the Mutant Registration Act will lead to something worse than the act's "intention." I think it should've been kept in!
(My full video's available now -- youtu.be/ZhtkT0IeavA)

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

MAREcus 👻/ 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · Aug 21

Oh nothing gets racists more puce than having a better car than them. I have STORIES

Alistair Davidson @moh-kohn.bsky.social · Aug 21

Long time ago, local figure started complaining about asylum seekers and their Porsches. We were confused - there weren't any asylum seekers and they wouldn't have nice cars. Turns out it was locally-born middle class children of Chinese immigrants moving into the new builds.

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Nicola Spurr @nicolaspurr.bsky.social · Aug 10

Just today Anas tweeted this:

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Nicola Spurr @nicolaspurr.bsky.social · Aug 10

The #IDF has just murdered #AnasAlSharif & several #AlJazeera colleagues in a targeted strike on their tent. After weeks of harassment.

What consequences?

@peninternational.bsky.social @indexoncensorship.org @ifjglobal.bsky.social @cpjunion.bsky.social @nujofficial.bsky.social

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Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · Jul 11

I do, will send you an email to the reading group email address

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Fiona Robertson @fionaswriting.bsky.social · Jul 11

As a disabled activitist grieving for the deaths to come because of Wednesday's vote, who's had to see the front page media headlines saying we *still* are getting too much, this is the true face of Britain. They want us dead. We're inconvenient and unprofitable. Glad JM has joined us.

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · Jul 11

I could never have imagined, before I started doing this work, that I would come to believe what I now do: in the sheer ugliness, venality and dishonesty, of Britain's media and institutions and politicians. They literally do not give a fuck. Sorry to those who know I should have got here sooner.

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Prof. Virginia Braun (she/her they/them) @ginnybraun.bsky.social · Jul 11

Read the thread and don’t be an asshole! #SupportTransKids (& adults)

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · Jul 11

Incontrovertible evidence, now, of *police* investigating families supporting their kids with gender affirming healthcare in the UK. For trying to do the best for your child, following best practice in most of the world, here you get a visit from the police.

Thank you, Wes Streeting.

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

MAREcus 👻/ 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · Jul 11

Men deserve safety too you absolute ghoul

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · Jul 11

Caroline Flint: "They're mostly men"

Adil Ray: "Well of course, men will think, I'm not going to risk my mother, or my sister, or my daughters coming on the boat, I'm going to go there first. My father came here & then brought his family over" #GMB

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · Jul 11

Incontrovertible evidence, now, of *police* investigating families supporting their kids with gender affirming healthcare in the UK. For trying to do the best for your child, following best practice in most of the world, here you get a visit from the police.

Thank you, Wes Streeting.

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

John Pring, DNS @johnpring.bsky.social · Jul 4

Four disabled Labour MPs stood up to their government’s attempts to reduce vital disability benefits, despite ministers’ chaotic last-ditch concessions to rebels that removed a significant chunk of their cuts bill.
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/four-disable...

Four disabled Labour MPs stand up to government over cuts to disability benefits

Four disabled Labour MPs stood up to their government’s attempts to reduce vital disability benefits, despite ministers’ chaotic last-ditch concessions to rebels that removed a significant chunk of…

www.disabilitynewsservice.com

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Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · Jul 3

My new paper in @urbanstudiesjournal.com
highlights how having their legitimacy challenged in accessible parking space can actively stop disabled people from using these spaces, meaning there is no such thing as an 'accessible' space.

Full paper is open access below ⤵️
#DisabilitySky

Urban Studies Journal @urbanstudiesjournal.com · Jul 3

"‘There’s nothing wrong with you’: The making of disability through encounters in accessible parking spaces"

✍️ verakub.bsky.social highlights how the policing of accessible parking bays by strangers can actively exclude disabled people from using these spaces.

buff.ly/4IZGxoE

#parking #BlueBadge

‘There’s nothing wrong with you’: The making of disability through encounters in accessible parking spaces

buff.ly

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Urban Studies Journal @urbanstudiesjournal.com · Jul 3

🏙️ NEW article in our Special Issue on "Infrastructural encounters: Disability in urban lives"

Take a look 👇🧵

#UrbanStudies

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

MAREcus 👻/ 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · Jul 2

Funny how they went for the Black and Irish bands isn’t it (white Irish people: welcome back!)

Dewie @judgedewie.bsky.social · Jul 2

The media coverage led me to believe that Kneecap and Bob Vylan are the two acts who spoke out about Israel. Reports I've watched from people who were at Glastonbury so far confirm FORTY TWO separate acts condemned Israel's actions and stated "Free Palestine".

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · Jun 28

A 2nd paper from my PhD on #BlueBadge parking encounters is now published in @urbanstudiesjournal.com
This one focuses on 'faking' encounters and how no space is truly accessible while disabled people are under constant surveillance
Available open access here:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

‘There’s nothing wrong with you’: The making of disability through encounters in accessible parking spaces - Vera Isabella Kubenz, 2025

This paper explores what constitutes an ‘accessible’ space by examining encounters in accessible parking spaces during which disabled people are accused of ‘fak...

journals.sagepub.com

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Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · Jun 28

My first paper, published just three weeks ago, focused on affect and emotion management in accessible parking spaces
bsky.app/profile/vera...

Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · Jun 9

Very excited to have published my first paper from my PhD research on #BlueBadge accessible parking encounters, looking at how disabled people have to manage their own and other's emotions during these encounters.
Please read and share, the article is open access:
www.frontiersin.org/journals/soc...

Frontiers | Walking on eggshells: disabled people's management of emotions during everyday encounters in accessible parking spaces

This paper explores how disabled people manage their own and other's emotions during encounters with strangers in accessible parking spaces in a UK context. ...

www.frontiersin.org

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Vera Kubenz she/they @verakub.bsky.social · Jun 28

A 2nd paper from my PhD on #BlueBadge parking encounters is now published in @urbanstudiesjournal.com
This one focuses on 'faking' encounters and how no space is truly accessible while disabled people are under constant surveillance
Available open access here:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

‘There’s nothing wrong with you’: The making of disability through encounters in accessible parking spaces - Vera Isabella Kubenz, 2025

This paper explores what constitutes an ‘accessible’ space by examining encounters in accessible parking spaces during which disabled people are accused of ‘fak...

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · Jun 27

Stephen Kinnock is lying. People don't lose PIP when they get a job, its not an out of work benefit & plenty of people on PIP work

Kinnock knows this. What he's doing is part of a wider govt strategy to paint disabled people as shirkers & scroungers stealing from working people

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Rick B @rickburgess.bsky.social · Jun 26

It's not MP's Starmer needs to talk to it's disabled people and our orgs, the fact his entire discussion with MP's of his own party shows he has learnt nothing. He is playing politics with our lives and does not even respect us enough to involve us.
Kill The Bill.

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Reposted by Vera Kubenz she/they

Campaign for Disability Justice @campaignfdj.bsky.social · Jun 26

[email protected]’s resignation is a stark warning. An MP with a decent knowledge of the welfare system & employment struggles of Disabled people sees the truly devastating impact of the proposed cuts – and acted on it.

@johnpring.bsky.social #TakingThePIP

John Pring, DNS @johnpring.bsky.social · Jun 26

Disabled MP who quit government over benefit cuts tells DNS: ‘The consequences will be devastating’
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/disabled-mp-...

Disabled MP who quit government over benefit cuts tells DNS: ‘The consequences will be devastating’

Disabled Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has described how she was left with “no choice” but to resign as a whip over government plans to cut billions of pounds a year from disability benefits. In her fir…

www.disabilitynewsservice.com

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