Pittsburgh Center for Disability Justice

02/23/2026

Meet our Emcee!

Disability Day of Mourning is March 1st. Every year we come together in vigil, to mourn for our community who have been murdered because of their disabilities. Join us as we hold space together, for the 13th year in Pittsburgh. Our vigil is virtual.

Opal M. (they/them) serves as the Executive Director of PCDJ. They live at many marginalized intersections. Opal works faithfully for a world that is just, equitable, and joyful.

[IMAGE : Black text on a white background reads "Disability Day of Mourning. Meet our emcee: Opal M.” A photo shows Opal, a white person with short hair, smiling at the camera. They are wearing a blue blazer, light blue shirt, and blue flower shaped lapel pin.]

https://autisticpgh.org/ddom-2026/

https://facebook.com/events/s/ddom-2026/1420154426560238/

02/22/2026

Meet our speakers! Please join us at our virtual vigil. Links at the bottom of this post, after the image descriptions.

Disability Day of Mourning is March 1st. Every year we come together in vigil, to mourn for our community who have been murdered because of their disabilities. Join us as we hold space together, for the 13th year in Pittsburgh. Our vigil is virtual.

Dr. Bethany Ziss(she/her) is a disabled person and a doctor, who believes the two are not mutually exclusive.

Alisa Grishman is a Pittsburgh-based disability advocate and professional rabble rouser. When she’s not fighting the good fight, she enjoys knitting and spending time with her cats.

[IMAGE : Black text on a white background reads "Disability Day of Mourning. Meet our speakers. March 1st, 7 pm EST” One photo shows Dr. Bethany Ziss, a white woman with dark hair pulled back and glasses, wearing a pink shirt and smiling at the camera. Another photo shows Alisa, a smiling white woman with curly brown hair sitting in a power chair. She wears a black t-shirt and has tattoos on her arms.]

https://autisticpgh.org/ddom-2026/

https://facebook.com/events/s/ddom-2026/1420154426560238/

02/21/2026

Meet our speakers!

Disability Day of Mourning is March 1st. Every year we come together in vigil, to mourn for our community who have been murdered because of their disabilities. Join us as we hold space together, for the 13th year in Pittsburgh. Our vigil is virtual.

Kayte Rose (they/she) is a disabled activist, artist, troublemaker, and problem solver. They have always been angry.

Aviva Ron (she/her) is a disabled, q***r and Mad person doing the best that she can. Her love of stories leads her towards justice.

[IMAGE : Black text on a white background reads "Disability Day of Mourning. Meet our speakers. March 1st, 7 pm EST” One photo shows Kayte, a fat white person standing in front of a brick wall. They are looking to the side, and not at the camera. They are wearing glasses, their hair is brown and green, and they are holding paintbrushes. There is paint on their hand. A second photo shows Aviva, a person with dark curly hair, a short, dark beard, and glasses, wearing a pink t-shirt and smiling at the camera.]

https://autisticpgh.org/ddom-2026/

https://facebook.com/events/s/ddom-2026/1420154426560238/

02/19/2026

Read this and sign the letter linked! This is critically important. We had folks who were stuck in their homes, totally unable to leave, for nearly three weeks. This is wildly unacceptable, dehumanizing, dangerous -- and this is a practice of modern eugenics.

Removing disabled people from public life is an important piece of the framework that creates systems that allow us to die, or that push us towards that end.

You can help! Sign the letter. Share this post. Share it via email to your book club, in your group chat about cosplay, on your discord servers, your instagrams. Get this message out there, so loud and forcefully that the local governments cannot ignore us.

This is how we keep us safe!

Image Description: an image of a Pittsburgh bus lane covered in ice and snow, next to bold black text reading “Pittsburgh needs a snow removal plan for non-drivers”. This post was written by Alisa Grishman, Founder of Access Mob Pittsburgh, with support from Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Pit...

02/04/2026

Friends, that whacky groundhog saw his shadow, and there is still a lot of snow and ice out there blocking curb cuts and wheelchair access for our community! Some of our residents have literally been unable to leave their block or their home for a week and a half now! Being trapped is dangerous, dehumanizing, and this is egregious.

We could use your help in a few ways! First is financial support. We've had so many people out there helping to clear snow and ice, and we have provided about 600.00 of supplies to help them get it done! We're overwhelmed and grateful for this physical labor.

We are a tiny organization with a tight budget. Nearly all of our funds go directly to supporting disabled residents. We could use your help in covering the cost of supplies for this effort! Click the link at the bottom to help, even 5.00 has an impact for us!

We could still use your help in clearing snow and ice, too! There is especially need for folks to look at the linked spreadsheet, and try to clear some of the areas that have not been gotten to yet.

We know we should not have to do this job, it is the responsibility of the municipalities. But, the municipalities aren't doing their job, and we cant make them (though we are trying!). And the reality is that residents need help NOW, and we CAN, and so we WILL! This is mutual aid, this is community care.

THANK YOU so much for all of our helpers who have been working hard for the last week to get people the access they deserve!

TO DONATE TO HELP US COVER SUPPLIES :

Use the QR code at the bottom of this post, or click here!

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NYPXYBF4JZDUA

PLEASE NOTE : We are only accepting requests for PUBLIC property! We cannot accept requests for private property, for safety reasons.

SHARE SHARE SHARE! Take photos of the work you're doing, and tag us in them!

To REQUEST a PUBLIC area be cleared please use this form :

https://bit.ly/4amCyr5

To HELP CLEAR specific areas that community members have asked for help with, use this spreadsheet :

https://bit.ly/4q63X5i

To indicate that you have ALREADY CLEARED an area that is not in the spreadsheet, submit a request via the request form, then immediately go to the spreadsheet and 'claim' it, and mark it as cleared! That way we know what areas have been cleared that were not requested! All high traffic areas are useful to be cleared!

Need supplies? If you commit to clearing three curb cuts in high traffic areas, we will cover the cost of a shovel, ice melt, gloves, a bucket, and hand warmers! Email us at info@autisticpgh.org!

SHARE SHARE SHARE! THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL THE HELPERS!

[IMAGE : A QR code that leads to a donation link]

02/01/2026

*** WE NEED HELPERS ***

With our recent call to action to clear public right of ways such as curb cuts, municipal walkways, transit stops, and other public access spaces for disabled people who are quite literally stuck in their homes and on their blocks, with snow piled several feet high into curb cuts all over the city -- we need your help in addressing the issue!

We especially need helpers to go to the linked spreadsheet, and help with the specific areas identified and requested by residents!

Are you able to shovel a curb cut? Go to the linked form and claim an area to clear, or get to any high use area and take some photos of your work as you go (tag us when sharing them, for attention to this issue!).

Do you know someone who is able to shovel a curb cut? Ask them directly to help! Tell them why this is so important, disabled people have been trapped for a week, with no end in sight. Unable to get to work, to medical appointments, to social events, even to get basic necessities like food and medication!

We should not have to do this! It is unjust. The city is clearly unwilling or unable to address the issue though, and so if they aren't doing it we can! We CAN! And so we WILL! Together!

PLEASE NOTE : We are only accepting requests for PUBLIC property! We cannot accept requests for private property, for safety reasons.

Share this post! This is how we keep us safe! We are a city of neighbors and helpers, we can do this!

To REQUEST a PUBLIC area be cleared please use this form :

https://bit.ly/4amCyr5

To HELP CLEAR specific areas that community members have asked for help with, use this spreadsheet :

https://bit.ly/4q63X5i

To indicate that you have ALREADY CLEARED an area that is not in the spreadsheet, submit a request via the request form, then immediately go to the spreadsheet and 'claim' it, and mark it as cleared! That way we know what areas have been cleared that were not requested! All high traffic areas are useful to be cleared!

Need supplies? If you commit to clearing three curb cuts in high traffic areas, we will cover the cost of a shovel, ice melt, gloves, a bucket, and hand warmers! Email us at info@autisticpgh.org!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR HELPERS! Share share share!

01/31/2026

Hi friends and neighbors! Have you seen our call to action, to get our curb cuts and municipal walkways and transit stops cleared after our snow event?

We have so many residents who are still trapped in their homes and on their blocks, unable to leave them at all, due to snow being piled several feet high in curb cuts, sidewalks that lack enough cleared area for a wheelchair or mobility device to pass by, and transit stops being so covered in snow that busses cannot lower their ramps.

The municipalities are unable or unwilling to take care of us. It's been nearly a week, and we are in a worse situation than we were several days ago. But you know what?

We don't NEED the municipalities to take care of us. We can do this ourselves! We should not have to. It is unjust. But we CAN! And so we WILL!

With your help! Get the word out. Everyone who is able to shovel -- let's get out there and shovel curb cuts! Take some photos of the cleared area, or yourself as you are clearing them, and post them tagging us and the city/county folks who are not doing their jobs.

Share this post! Share these links! We can keep us safe!

To REQUEST an area be cleared please use this form :

https://bit.ly/4amCyr5

To HELP CLEAR specific areas that community members have asked for help with, use this spreadsheet :

https://bit.ly/4q63X5i

To indicate that you have ALREADY CLEARED an area that is not in the spreadsheet, submit a request, then immediately go to the spreadsheet and 'claim' it, and mark it as cleared! That way we know what areas have been cleared that were not requested! All high traffic areas are useful to be cleared!

Need supplies? If you commit to clearing three curb cuts in high traffic areas, we will cover the cost of a shovel, ice melt, gloves, a bucket, and hand warmers! Email us at info@autisticpgh.org!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR HELPERS! Share share share!

01/30/2026

Are you out there helping the effort to shovel out curb cuts and other areas to provide access to disabled Pittsburghers after the city's abysmal response to snow removal?

If so consider posting a photo of yourself shoveling, or the area you cleared, and tag us! Let's get a lot of attention to this issue!

If you missed it, yesterday we put out a call for folks to help our disabled residents be able to go to work, school, medical appointments, grocery stores -- to live their lives -- by providing the access the city is unwilling or unable to provide. Our folks are trapped in their homes or on their blocks, as curb cuts are piled several feet high with snow, and lanes of travel aren't cleared wide enough for a wheelchair or mobility aid to traverse.

We have had a terrific response! Keep sharing yesterday's post! Let's keep this effort going! And post those photos, and tag us in them! This is how we keep us safe!

To REQUEST a curb cut, municipal walkway, municipal sidewalk, or similar be cleared, please use this form :

https://bit.ly/4amCyr5

To HELP CLEAR the intersections, curb cuts, walkways, and similar that are trapping disabled residents, please use this spreadsheet :

https://bit.ly/4q63X5i

11/25/2025

Giving Tuesday is fast approaching. We hope that you will honor us with your support this year.

Your donations allow us to provide a vast array of services and supports at no cost to our disabled community in the SWPA region.

What kinds of supports and services? Peer support, therapeutic groups, resource coordination, case management, social events, workshops, skill shares, mutual aid facilitation, community connections, in the field support for all sorts of things from attending medical appointments to going shoe shopping to delivering meals, body doubling, volunteer coordination for direct support of disabled adults, advocacy in legislative spaces, direct advocacy, and so much more.

We are a gap-filling organization. If our community needs something, we figure out how to do it! Out work is critical, vital, and necessary. Your donations go such a long way with us!

11/14/2025

Hello all! As we transition into our new name, we would also like to introduce you to our new team! Look for our newsletter to begin coming to your inbox again within the coming weeks, along with new offerings, ways to connect, be involved, and support our vital work!

Meet our new Mutual Aid Coordinator, Adrienne Totino!

Adrienne is a longtime advocate and recent mutual aid organizer. She is most skilled at building relationships, connecting people, writing, and teaching. Her neurodivergence and dynamic disabilities bring lived experience to this work.

From a young age, Adrienne has been passionate about social justice. She immediately felt at home joining DPMA (Disabled Pittsburgh Mutual Aid, a project of PCDJ), and took on a leadership role in the community as soon as she could.

In her spare time, Adrienne’s head is either buried in a book, or she is enjoying the outdoors, in awe of the natural world.

Adrienne will be taking some limited peer support clients in 2026! Look for ways to connect with her directly in our newsletter, coming soon!

[IMAGE: The photo shows a white woman from the shoulders up, with long brown hair and brown eyes. She is wearing a maroon colored tank top. The blue sky is bright behind her.]

11/14/2025

Hello all! As we transition into our new name, we would also like to introduce you to our new team! Look for our newsletter to begin coming to your inbox again within the coming weeks, along with new offerings, ways to connect, be involved, and support our vital work!

Meet our new Director of Operations, Kayte Rose!

Kayte is an autistic, disabled, q***r artist and coordinator. Kayte has been involved in disability advocacy and justice spaces for over 30 years. They spent their formative years in rural eastern Pennsylvania, pushing against rampant racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism. Kayte loves cutting through unnecessary bureaucracy, solving problems, and facilitating others' work - they often call this "getting the boring stuff out of the way so experts can do what matters."

Additionally, Kayte is a self-taught artist and craftsperson. For close to 30 years, Kayte has used paper as a medium to practice origami, focusing on corrugations and abstract ideas, which are then translated into paintings.

Kayte will be offering limited peer support hours for administrative needs in 2026. To connect with Kayte you can email them at kayte@autisticpgh.org!

[IMAGE : A fat white person stands in front of a brick wall. They are looking to the side, and not at the camera. They are wearing glasses, their hair is brown and green, and they are holding paintbrushes. There is paint on their hand]

09/30/2025

The Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy is undergoing some exciting changes!

Our name has changed to Pittsburgh Center for Disability Justice!

We are onboarding new staff!

Our work remains largely the same.

In the coming weeks, our website, email address, and logo will shift. Our in person programming will resume. Look for exciting new events, programs, and opportunities in the coming weeks!