Disability Rights in Space
08/26/21 • 56 min
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In this week's episode, we’ll cover what advocacy looks like in the fields of human rights, disability rights and space law - as well as, how these important topics intersect. We'll also discuss how we can work to make life both on and off this planet more inclusive and accessible for everyone.
My guest on the show, AJ Link, received his JD from The George Washington University Law School. His studies focused extensively on disability law, international human rights, and space law. AJ has been actively involved with disability advocacy in the Washington, D.C. area and nationally within the United States.
While at GW, he chaired the Diversity and Inclusion Assembly for the Student Association and the Student Life Committee. He also founded the Atypical Student Society, a student organization for neurodiverse and disabled law students, and served as its inaugural president. AJ was the president of the GW Space Law Society and co-chaired the Student Affinity Group Enterprise.
AJ was awarded the Michael Dillon Cooley Memorial Award by his graduating class for his compassion and humanity in serving his fellow students. He serves on several advisory boards that focus on disability advocacy and social justice. AJ is openly autistic. He was a 2020 Disability:IN NextGen Leader and was inducted into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.
AJ is currently pursuing an LL.M in Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, while also chairing The Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace and a Senior Editor of the Journal of Space Law. He works as a research director for the Jus Ad Astra project and serves as co-president of the National Disabled Law Students Association, which he co-founded.
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In this week's episode, we’ll cover what advocacy looks like in the fields of human rights, disability rights and space law - as well as, how these important topics intersect. We'll also discuss how we can work to make life both on and off this planet more inclusive and accessible for everyone.
My guest on the show, AJ Link, received his JD from The George Washington University Law School. His studies focused extensively on disability law, international human rights, and space law. AJ has been actively involved with disability advocacy in the Washington, D.C. area and nationally within the United States.
While at GW, he chaired the Diversity and Inclusion Assembly for the Student Association and the Student Life Committee. He also founded the Atypical Student Society, a student organization for neurodiverse and disabled law students, and served as its inaugural president. AJ was the president of the GW Space Law Society and co-chaired the Student Affinity Group Enterprise.
AJ was awarded the Michael Dillon Cooley Memorial Award by his graduating class for his compassion and humanity in serving his fellow students. He serves on several advisory boards that focus on disability advocacy and social justice. AJ is openly autistic. He was a 2020 Disability:IN NextGen Leader and was inducted into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.
AJ is currently pursuing an LL.M in Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, while also chairing The Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace and a Senior Editor of the Journal of Space Law. He works as a research director for the Jus Ad Astra project and serves as co-president of the National Disabled Law Students Association, which he co-founded.
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!
Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen
Previous Episode
Season 2 Trailer: Celestial Citizen Podcast
Celestial Citizen Podcast is back for another season and ready to cover all the social and cultural issues of space that are too often ignored. Season 2 will continue with all the content you love but also add in a much wider variety of topics, so that we can truly start planning humanity’s collective future in space.
I’m your host, Britt Duffy Adkins, founder of Celestial Citizen, a space media company that emerged from a desire to see more urban planning strategy and action applied to the future of space exploration - in the hopes that we could approach the hard topics of society-building off-Earth in a more equitable and inclusive way. Join us as we dive into all that it will take to help humanity scale to a spacefaring species while still remaining grounded in our commitment to saving this planet.
On this season of Celestial Citizen Podcast, we will talk about the search for other habitable worlds, disability rights in space, space law, the importance of space art for capturing people’s imaginations as we test humanity’s technological capabilities to venture out into the unknown, how to support and become a better ally for the LGBTQ+ community in the space industry, space archaeology, as well as sustainable futures on the Moon. There will also be discussion of space entrepreneurship, updates on the Perseverance Rover, and so much more that we can’t wait to surprise you with in the coming weeks!
This season will also see the release of our first-ever narrative project – where we will share the stories of women who know all too well the challenges of trying to pursue a career in STEM and space fields. Keep an ear out for other special episodes throughout the season!
In the words of Mae Jemison...
"Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination."
Let’s imagine a better space future together. We, who are bursting with stardust, can become Celestial Citizens.
www.celestialcitizen.com
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Next Episode
More than a Moonage Daydream
On this week's episode, we’re joined by Justin Cyrus and Dr. Forrest Meyen of Lunar Outpost - an emerging leader in the new Cislunar economy pushing the bounds of robotics in extreme environments, and enabling a sustainable presence on the Moon and Mars. We'll discuss some exciting, recent announcements from Lunar Outpost, what a sustainable lunar presence looks like, and the challenges and rewards of being a space entrepreneur.
One of the guests on the show, Justin Cyrus, is the CEO of Lunar Outpost. Justin attended UC Boulder where he received his undergraduate degree in electrical and electronics engineering, and has a master's degree in space resources and electrical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
I’m also joined by, Dr. Forrest Meyen, Chief Strategy Officer of Lunar Outpost. Previously, Forrest was the founder of Destiny Space Systems which was acquired by Lunar Outpost earlier this year. Forrest is also a member of NASA’s science team for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, better known as MOXIE. Forrest received his undergraduate degree in mechanical and biological engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media!
Instagram: @thecelestialcitizen
Twitter: @celestialcitzn
LinkedIn: Celestial Citizen
YouTube: @thecelestialcitizen
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