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​Hi, Reader -

How are you holding up? The transition back from winter break is pretty rough for a lot of us (raising my hand.) My family all took turns getting sick over break. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, but even when I manage to avoid scrolling through other people's vacations...my awareness spirals about how soon we'll be planning differently as our kid launches into the world.

Meanwhile, he really needed some time off this break... and due to my slightly over-ambitious planning, and all of us getting sick, he didn't really get it. So I'm gently thinking about how to do less next time.

Some of the pressure to do it all with the family is likely also related to my approaching half century birthday this year. My mother died at 51. She had a language-based disability, and also had navigational challenges that affected her career, autonomy and independence. A few years ago, I wrote about how much a smart phone would have changed her life. While we may curse the darn things, they are also incredible tools for accessibility.
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​Here's what I'm watching and reading as we start 2025

Our world lost a fierce advocate this week. My brother-in-law, Herb Levine. He was married to my husband's sister Karen and was a tireless fighter for disability justice for decades. Herb is featured briefly in the documentary Crip Camp.

Do you know any students with an IEP or 504? This film will remind you that there are adults you may know who were prevented from going to school because of their disability. The film follows young activists who met at camp as teenagers and later organized, took over buildings, went to DC, and demanded an end to "Separate but Equal." The documentary fills in a history that is less well-known than it should be. We can't take the ADA or any disability rights legislation for granted, and this film makes the stakes very clear...and is also just a really compelling and well-crafted film. There are some frank conversations about sexuality so prepare yourself for that if you plan to watch with your elementary schooler.

Pew Center for Internet and American Life just published a new report on what apps teens and tweens are actually using. This time, what was especially notable was that YouTube and TikTok are still very popular with kids, there are small declines in teens reporting their use of TikTok and SnapChat, a big decline in Twitter/X and an increase in their use of...What's App. Which may or may not be "social media" but...is that the right question? Reddit and Youtube remain strong. Given the potential for kids to get misinformation in these spaces or go down rabbit holes, it is always good to refresh the conversation about media literacy and paying attention to sources.

I also just devoured Little Panic: Dispatches from an Anxious Life a memoir by YA author, Amanda Stern. She grew up in New York City around the same time I was growing up in the 'burbs, so I admit that her Greenwich Village childhood held all kinds of fascination for me. But her compelling narrative about the ways undiagnosed anxiety dramatically shaped her school experience, friendships and then her romantic life offered insight and empathy. If you know someone with anxiety, read this book.

Unable to resist the hype, we also saw Wicked as a family in the past month. Watching this film offers an excellent chance to engage with our kids on dynamics like popularity, conformity and the ways history can be told by the victors. I had never seen the musical and went in somewhat skeptical, but I'm now humming "Loathing" and other great tunes on the regular.

Both for professional and personal reasons, I follow the news about higher education pretty closely. How much do I love these honest and revealing bios by Teen Vogue staffers about how they paid for college? One staffer describes dreams fueled by a favorite TV show and then--reality. If you have a stressed out high school student, you can also send them a link to this article about how the decreasing number of applicants in coming years will make it easier to get into college.

Later this month, I'm heading to Dallas, TX and Radnor, PA to speak with parents and educators. I'm also working closely with a school district in Illinois to better understand the culture of technology at home and at school. Right before break I got to do a full day of focus groups with students.

The insights that young people share are so crucial. To borrow from the disability-rights activists featured in Crip Camp, the mantra "Nothing About Us--Without Us" is worth thinking about when we make policies for kids.
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Big thanks,

Devorah
​Website​

PS: If my recent piece about the problems with simply banning under 16s from social media (as Australia has just done) resonated with you, please feel free to share it on LinkedIn or your favorite platform.
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