Baboon Adjacent Crazy Train

The Roll Up

Author

Sarah Elliott
July 22, 2025

In partnership with

Please note that the news of Ozzy Osbourne’s passing was just announced after this newsletter was written, just prior to publication. Pour one out for the Prince of Darkness, may he rest in peace.

Well hey there folks,

Duh-nu. Duh-nu. Duh-nu, Duh-nu, Duh- nu ... Shark week approacheth. The kind of sharks that you actually want to see coming. Maybe. Definitely better than loan sharks. Unlike the past two weeks where we have the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, the not-so-likely mysterious Epstein files existing or not existing (the X-stein files if you will, and I will), and also sadly, the dismantling of Federal support for public broadcasting. I doubt I need to go into the repercussions and implications of all of those, but sheesh. We have a slap in the face toward justice for Breonna Taylor thanks to a U.S. Department of Justice that is trying so hard to pivot to literally anything but what they should be looking into. The UK is lowering its voting age to 16. CBS canceled Colbert (or really, their Paramount daddy did). Substack came out of the gate swinging and YouTube is rewarding original content over AI. But let us rejoice in cankles, and Coldplay jumbotron outings. See? It's not that hard to disassociate.

In completely unrelated, but equally important primate news, we have Ozzy Osbourne on a farewell tour, and he is donating proceeds from his chimpanzee collaborative artwork (yeah, I didn’t know either) to help the chimps. While this doesn't benefit baboons outright, we are all apes, and chimps are baboon adjacent.

Let us disassoci… pivot. July 26 is National Disability Independence Day. This historically significant day commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and it this year marks the 35th anniversary of the ADA’s enactment in 1990. While the original goal was part of landmark civil rights legislation to ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities there is still a long way to go, in our humble opinion. As stated in prior newsletters, it bears repeating that the disability community is one of resiliency and community at its core. What this community has built together (oft by necessity) is something to be celebrated and heralded, while bringing to light the fact that the mainstream is still severely lacking (dark alley entry ways anyone?) and uninformed. Enter Roll Mobility. We (you) are part of that community, and hope to remain so for years to come. We all want things more accessible, because accessibility benefits everyone. The thing that makes it all so cool is that all of this is community driven. I know it feels like I harp on that a lot, but I will die on this hill and if I have to scream 70 million more times, I will. Banding together and creating and expanding upon current resources and driving change, like we hope our app is doing, is something we hope will make the world a little better, together.

As always, thank you for the support.

~Sarah

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Updates on the App

Quickie Quiz Time: Name the tune or writer/singer (answer below). “Crazy, but that’s how it goes. Millions of people, living as foes. Maybe, it’s not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.”

Hey! While you think about those lyrics, let me give you an update. 

Roll is going to have a blog soon. Cue fireworks. Do you want to be featured? Just so happens I met someone out in the wild (Yes, I left my house. Yes, it was hard. Yes, it was necessary. If you put on a baseball hat no one can tell you have only washed your hair by way of pool and lake water repeatedly over the past few days… right?… RIGHT?) and she has her own blog — Julia, if you are reading this, you down? But, in all seriousness, we are going to be adding a blog and if this is something you have dreamed of collaborating on, or something you are dying to try, reach out and let us know!

Answer: If you were thinking folk music poetry ballad or 60’s protest song, you’d be crazy to think it. It’s actually written by the Oz man himself, Ozzy Osbourne, in his debut single (and personal favorite of this Trolls movie franchise-loving household) Crazy Train.

We’d love to hear from you! Did we miss the mark, or do you have an idea to make it better? Reach out at [email protected].

👩‍🦽 Crip News You Can Use 👨‍🦼 

Accessi-stories From Around the World

Cyborg News You Can Use: Tech For Good

Researchers from MIT have developed a new bionic knee that integrates directly into the tissue for above-the-knee amputees. This prosthesis is then controlled directly by the nervous system, making it much more intuitive and like your actual leg. This particular procedure is known as agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI). The implications being better and more intuitive control of the limb. In addition to gait and mobility testing post implantation, the researchers also asked questions regarding the participant’s sense of embodiment aiming toward feelings of agency, ownership of the device, and body representation. This will need larger trials before adopted formally and approved by the FDA (well, assuming anything will be) and the hope is that this will become the gold standard for above the knee amputations, much like AMI has become routine for below the knee amputations. Am I (see what I did there?) the only one who thinks this is the way forward? 

Retail Therapy News (it’s a leap, stay with me…) Jeans. Genes. ANYWAY

There is hope for “curing” a specific type of congenital deafness. This specific type of deafness affects the OTOF gene with mutations in the protein that delivers auditory signals from the inner ear to the brain. As we’ve discussed before, in gene therapy, if you locate the specific gene where the mutation occurs, you are able to edit the sequence to include a healthy gene (delivered via a virus), thereby changing the expression and cutting out the mutation. In this type of deafness (typically), the surrounding structure of the ear is healthy and by altering this gene expression the person will, theoretically, be able to hear normally since the “hardware” structure is intact. After the trials, the younger population recovered hearing more quickly, but teenaged and adult subjects' hearing improved to over 60% (physiologically) and to almost 80% (behaviorally, reported). The exciting part also being that no adverse events were noted.  Read the whole story here.

😄 Wheel-y Good News 😁 

Good Folks Doin’ Good Thangs

Just in time for summer! Some of you probably know that Roll was dreamt up and founded in Colorado, so we are pretty tuned into the happenings, but this was exciting news to read. On June 7, Outdoor Buddies Family Day at Colorado Youth Outdoors had the first participants cast their lines into Bluegill pond from an accessible dock. The brainchild of Louis Swift, the creation of this accessible partially submerged fishing dock outside of Fort Collins, CO has opened for those who are ready to catch the big one. Mr. Swift was a long-time lover and believer in all things outdoors, and while building stocked ponds on his property, he started to dream and plan his accessible dock, knowing that everyone should be able to participate in outdoor activities, like fishing. First of its kind, it's designed to be partially submerged, sitting just above the water, thanks to its dynamic construction that allows for change in water levels. Mr. Swift passed in 2003, before his vision could be realized—but thanks in part to Colorado Youth Outdoors taking over Swift Ponds, along with purchasing additional acreage— this land and these ponds will continue on as a place for outdoor recreation for all. Snaps for all these organizations involved for making this happen.

Photo courtesy of Colorado Youth Outdoors

Now this is what equity looks AND sounds like. TheGoodNewsletter (no secret – one of my personal faves!) highlighted a great piece about Black American Sign Language (BASL) as it relates to the release of the popular horror movie, “Sinners” on HBO Max. HBO Max has a few movies that now feature a person embedded onto the screen signing (versus close captioning etc.) throughout the movie in American Sign Language (ASL), however, this marks the first time that BASL was used, and well, that’s great news. Admittedly, I did not know that BASL was a dialect of ASL, and I was excited to see those advocating for continued and future use. Please check out this video of Nakia Smith, who was handpicked to be the signer for “Sinners” and is deaf, explain the differences.

Do you have a story you want to share? We want to know about it. Seriously. Send your story to [email protected]

⚖️ Policy & Prejudice 🤫 

Keeping the ol’ checks & balances in check

Australia just made some moves in the digital accessibility world by formally adopting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 Level AA standards—the latest global benchmark for making websites usable for people with disabilities. (What are the standards? (Check them out here) This specific update means improved navigation, clearer focus indicators, and better support for users with cognitive disabilities. It’s all part of the country’s broader Accessible Australia initiative, which aims to build a more inclusive digital and physical environment. Meanwhile, the rest of us (looking at you, U.S.) might want to take notes—because equal access shouldn’t be optional, or lagging two versions behind.

In order to take action (at least in the U.S.), you have to be registered to vote, and then take action TO vote. Our friends over at Feel Good Action take out all the guesswork and make it super easy for you. Check them out here! https://feelgoodaction.org

🔥 Roll Mobility WeFunder 🔥

We are so grateful for the support of our ever-growing community. And while it’s a big “ask”, if you want and are able to do so, you have the opportunity to invest in our own community. WeFunder allows individuals to gain equity in small startups for as little as $100.00 USD. So, what are you waiting for? Invest today or share this opportunity with your own community.

The Legal Bit – We are 'testing the waters' to gauge investor interest in an offering under Regulation Crowdfunding. No money or other consideration is being solicited. If sent, it will not be accepted. No offer to buy securities will be accepted. No part of the purchase price will be received until a Form C is filed and only through Wefunder’s platform. Any indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.

📣 Say What? 📢 

Thank you for the review Potato lord Blake. We hope more folks in secondary markets and rural areas keep using the app too so that we can continue on our mission to accessi-map the world. Also, it is an honor to meet you Potato lord. I didn’t know you existed, but I am so glad that you do — love your potatoes.

📘 The Book Club Around The Corner:

Did you check out our recommended reading for Disability Pride Month on our Insta post? Judging by the comments and likes, it seems like there was some definite interest! Have you read any of ‘em? We were thinking of maybe doing a monthly recommendation with a comment board. Have one to recommend? Shoot us a line at [email protected]

ICYMI - here are the books that we suggested:

This is Body Grief by Jayne Mattingly

Sitty Pretty by Rebekah Taussig

Being Heumann by Judith Huemann

Disability Visibility by Alice Wong

Would you like to tell your story? Want to be YouTube famous? Well we’d love to feature you on our channel. And we will walk you through it. Please email [email protected]

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