@jordynbzim.bsky.social gave an incredible keynote here at NASDDDS Federal Policy Symposium. If you don't know her story, it's worth discovering how she is influencing both perceptions and policy around people with disabilities.

“When educators understand that nonspeaking students are often underestimated as a result of how the system is set up, it pushes them to rethink the yardstick we use to measure knowledge & the changes they can make in their class.” @jordynbzim.bsky.social: revolutionary.19thnews.org/profile/jord...

Revolutionary — The 19th

As the country marks 250 years, The 19th is centering the women and LGBTQ+ people whose lives and work have challenged this nation to make good on promises it has yet to extend to all.

revolutionary.19thnews.org

Please welcome Jordyn Zimmerman to Metamorphosis Literary Agency! Jordyn is a disability advocate whose delayed access to communication has shaped her work. She’s been highlighted on CBS Mornings, published in The New York Times, & named to the 2025 Forbes Accessibility 100 List.

At an Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services listening session, the plea of attendees was clear: don’t weaken oversight of equity in #SpecialEd. Learn ways to advocate & how OSERS has supported students like our Board Chair Jordyn Zimmerman. lnk.to/jzosers @jordynbzim.bsky.social 1/2

Cameras in some classrooms won’t actually save students with disabilities. Other kids will. Just another reason why inclusion and community matter so much.

Welp, we have a new IACC (Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee), the US government’s advisory panel for autism issues. It is entirely planted with worst case pseudosciencers who will “Fight Against Autism”—and ignore autistic rights and needs. Just awful news. www.hhs.gov/press-room/h...

For the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, I spoke with advocates about how this law is crucial–and the ways in which disability education can be made better as its under attack from the Trump administration at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

This disability education law turned 50 today. Disability advocates want more.

"Our civil rights are not up for negotiations," Rep. Lateefah Simon said.

motherjones.com

@jordynbzim.bsky.social, a nonspeaking autistic person, didn't have access to an iPad which helped her communicate until she was 18. “So that really highlights, both the flaws, but also the power in when the spirit is fulfilled with intentionality.”

Just in time for your holiday shopping: Jordyn’s shirt is back! At this link only until 12/4: lnk.to/shpc. Give a gift that supports communication #advocacy. #SpeechDoesNotMakeSomeoneMoreHuman @jordynbzim.bsky.social [Image: Jordyn Zimmerman sits smiling on a rooftop bench, wearing a… (1/2)

Apple’s second limited-edition iPhone accessory in a month is all about accessibility

Apple’s second limited-edition iPhone accessory in a month is all about accessibility

Following the introduction of iPhone Pocket, Apple announced today the Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand, celebrating the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple. Here are the details. more…

9to5mac.com

Our Board Chair Jordyn Zimmerman advocates that people who need & use AAC must be leaders & co-designers of AAC technologies. She writes about this in Impact, a journal from the Institute on Community Integration. She's featured in its 40 Big Ideas issue! lnk.to/bigidea @jordynbzim.bsky.social 1/2

Before you share the “new cause” of #autism tomorrow, what are you doing to actually help the autistic community today?

Research Reshare: Autistic Communication Communication is the practice of using & making sense of language. It involves more than using speech especially for Autistic people Use non-speaking/minimally speaking, recognise language as multimodal & multidimensional journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Jordyn Zimmerman calls for “a more user-centered design approach across the board—where AAC users are not merely participants, but leaders…” Free at doi.org/10.1080/0743... @communicationfirst.bsky.social @ussaac.bsky.social @isaacinternational.bsky.social

Non-speakers deserve a full education: "We have "a critical need for research into (1) why people are often denied access to AAC, (2) the systemic effects of this denial, & (3) how we can ensure access to AAC from infancy and onward." By @jordynbzim.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Beyond access: the intersecting role of AAC, literacy, and technology

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, access to communication, literacy, and technology have become essential for citizenship, community inclusion, and social and emotional well-being. This...

tandfonline.com

Check out my paper in the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Journal, Beyond access: the intersecting role of AAC, literacy, and technology. doi.org/10.1080/0743...

Beyond access: the intersecting role of AAC, literacy, and technology

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, access to communication, literacy, and technology have become essential for citizenship, community inclusion, and social and emotional well-being. This...

doi.org

Multiple Little Lobbyists families traveled to Washington, D.C., from across the country (Maggie and David traveled all the way from Alaska!) to deliver a simple message to their U.S. Senators: DO NOT CUT A SINGLE DIME OFF #Medicaid! Story via @nytimes.com #ProtectMedicaid

‘Little Lobbyists’ Urge Senators to Oppose Trump’s Bill Cutting Medicaid

nytimes.com

I am thrilled to be included in the first-ever #ForbesAccessibility100 list that honors myself and others (many I admire so, so much) as the biggest innovators and impact-makers in Accessibility. Read more: www.forbes.com/lists/access... @forbes.com

Register now for the next CommunicationFIRST webinar on June 26: Policy Advocacy 101 for #AAC Users and Allies - featuring @jordynbzim.bsky.social, Bob Williams, Angelica Vega, Dean Strauss, Toby Latham, and Samuel Habib! us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #DisabilityRights

Good design is accessible design. Good design is accessible design. Good design is accessible design.

“We’ve all been sold a con: that progress is a zero-sum game. That when women rise, men must fall. That when someone new gets a seat at the table, yours disappears … If we’re too busy blaming each other, we’ll never imagine what we could build together.” time.com/7286184/worr...

I Founded Girls Who Code. Now I’m Worried About Boys

Boys and men are less likely to turn to their communities for social connection and support.

time.com

Quick reminder that accessibility features can be leveraged for everyone! One favorite is using Live Listen on iPhone or iPad while watching TV, increasing the volume for those that want it and also reducing sounds for people who might not (like me 🙋🏻‍♀️). #GAAD

Day one of the 25th International Early Childhood Inclusion Institute has been amazing! Thank you to keynote speaker Jordyn Zimmerman for an incredible presentation. Let us know what your favorite part of the first day of the Inclusion Institute has been in the comments. #FPGInclusionInstitute

Over the past couple weeks, autism has been part of many conversations on here and in the news. Read my latest letter to the editor of @nytimes.com, available online and in print. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/o...

Great news for disabled college + grad students who want to pursue media, communications, or entertainment careers – the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship application is open! Apply by May 30 at 5pm ET. www.aapd.com/nbcuniversal...

NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship - AAPD

Thanks to a generous contribution from NBCUniversal, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is proud to announce the recipients for the 2023 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholar...

aapd.com

I'm looking for ideas for me as a journalist to do for a solutions story at @motherjones.com on how aging people (60+) are staying connected to each other through a cool activity (think slightly quirky). If you have any examples, please get in touch at jmetraux@motherjones.com

“Autism destroys families.” No. No, it doesn’t. A lack of resources does that. Cutting programs and services does that. Spreading false information does that.

New editorial in @journalautism.bsky.social with @yesthattoo.bsky.social @jordynbzim.bsky.social and @bettyyu.bsky.social where we argue that "nonverbal" and "minimally verbal" are not useful constructs for grouping or describing autistic people. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Conceptualizing and describing autistic language: Moving on from ‘verbal’, ‘minimally verbal’ and ‘nonverbal’ - Kristen Bottema-Beutel, Alyssa Hillary Zisk, Jordyn Zimmerman, Betty Yu, 2025

journals.sagepub.com

Many of the greatest innovations in the future will continue to come from the accessibility efforts and discussions happening now. Learn about a few of those in this podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Inside Apple: Sonic Accessibility

Podcast Episode · Twenty Thousand Hertz · 04/02/2025 · 32m

podcasts.apple.com

"Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act" premieres on @pbs.org tonight, March 25th. @jimlebrecht.bsky.social directed the film, which shows the "decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990."

Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act | American Experience | PBS

The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to pass the legislation tha...

pbs.org