Down to the Struts

In this season, host Qudsiya Naqui will be joined by even more wonderful guests to discuss topics like immigration, education, and much more, as they relate to disability. Listen in as Qudsiya and her guests explore intersectional problems to complex issues.

From the pandemic to civil rights protests, it’s no question the story of the past year has been told through breaking news headlines. Many of the stories shaping our world are powerfully told through image, with the help of photojournalists and everyday people with smartphones. But how do we make these very visual stories accessible to visually impaired news consumers? This is the topic of this s...

In the final episode of Season 1, Down to the Struts takes a journey into the arts world, offering an introduction to audio description and how to make the arts accessible to people with disabilities. Qudsiya and her guests also talk about what the pandemic has meant for accessibility and the arts. This episode is so full of important reflections and quotes, we wanted to bring it to you in two par...

In the final episode of Season 1, Down to the Struts takes a journey into the arts world, offering an introduction to audio description and how to make the arts accessible to people with disabilities. Qudsiya and her guests also talk about what the pandemic has meant for accessibility and the arts. This episode is so full of important reflections and quotes, we wanted to bring it to you in two par...

While earlier episodes of Down to the Struts have focused on how to design a more inclusive world at large, this interview looks inward, at how disabled people design and build our own spaces. Justice Shorter, Melissa Lomax, and Conchita Hernandez Legorreta are the founders of WOC World: A Virtual Community for Blind Women of Color. Driven by their values of collective leadership, disability justi...

This episode dives into the world of adaptive sports, and specifically looks at Goalball, a sport designed for blind and visually impaired people. Qudsiya is an athlete herself, and in this episode interviews Karla Gilbride and Justin Chan, the co-founders of the Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA). Their conversation explores the importance of design in making athletics accessi...

In this episode, you’ll get to know more about Down to the Struts host Qudsiya Naqui. Interviewed by her friend, civil rights lawyer and educator Ehsan Zaffar, Qudsiya discusses her experiences with structural inequality as a disabled person, from taking the LSAT to taking the escalator. This interview was first recorded for Ehsan’s podcast “Unfair Nation: A podcast on inequality." Learn more and...

Language is powerful, and the way we talk about our bodies, our experiences, and disability is no exception. In episode 2, Qudsiya interviews Dr. Sara Acevedo, Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at Miami University in Ohio. A scholar activist, she works at the intersection of Disability Studies in Anthropology, Neurodiversity, and spatial politics, specializing in critical disability studie...

Dr. Arielle Silverman, a disabled activist and social scientist, founded Disability Wisdom Consulting to improve public understanding of disability. In this episode, Qudsiya and Arielle discuss the history of the disability rights movement, including the ADA and what this landmark legislation left out; the experience of reconciling multiple minority identities; and the surprising innovations we al...

Introducing "Down to the Struts," a new podcast about disability and design, where we uncover the building blocks for a more inclusive world. Hosted by lawyer and activist Qudsiya Naqui (she/her).