EBB 217 - Disability Justice in Birth and Parenting with Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu about disability justice in birth and parenting. Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu, (they/she) is a white, queer, and non-binary disabled, neuro-divergent, a survivor of sexual violence in the psychiatric system. They show up for their communities as a disability justice educator and organizer, parent, somatic and non-clinical healer, writer, transformative justice practitioner, and, as the founding director of Project LETS, which you can check out their website at projectlets.com.

Stefanie's work specializes in building non-carceral peer-led mental health care systems that exist outside of the state and re-imagining everything we've come to learn about madness. Stefanie is the editor of Abolition Must Include Psychiatry and the author of We Don't Need Cops to Become Social Workers. Stefanie is an experienced facilitator, mediator, curriculum, developer, and strategist for Anti-ableist Leadership, Mental Health and Disability Policy, and Access Centered Practices. They're located on unceded Narragansett in Wampanoag land in so-called Providence, Rhode Island. 

We talk about Stefanie’s personal experience with trauma and ableism, along with their work as a disability justice educator. We also talk about what is disability justice and its importance in birth work. 

Content warning: We mention self-injury, disability, neuro-divergent, eugenics, reproductive trauma, ableism, epilepsy, seizures, trauma, sexual violence, medical violence, and history of sterilization.

Learn more about Stefanie Lyn Kaufman here. Follow Stefanie on Facebook and Instagram.

Learn more about Becoming Disabled Again for BADT.

Learn more about Birth and Disability Course with Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings.

Learn more about Crisis Response for Birthworkers. 

Learn more about Disability in the Family: A Course for Parents + Caregivers here.

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