Remaking Normal with Alexander Freeman | Long Form Conversations on Norms, Culture, Society

In this episode, I take a deep and urgent look at the real economics of disability in the United States. I move beyond surface-level conversations to break down how income inequality, benefit structures, and health care systems shape the daily financial reality for millions of disabled Americans.

I unpack the key differences between SSI and SSDI, explain the strict asset limits that many people must navigate, and walk through how ABLE accounts work — including how they can help individuals build savings without immediately losing critical benefits. I also offer clear, practical actions you can take to set up an ABLE account and start building financial breathing room.

If you have ever wondered why financial security can be so difficult to achieve while living with a disability — or how the system is designed to work — I break it down clearly and honestly.

Find out about the documentary "My Own Normal" at myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with Alexander on a feature film by visiting outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

Drink SENTIA Spirits
SENTIA Spirits represent a new category of functional drinks developed by neuroscientists.

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In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman takes a deeply personal and urgent turn—examining disability, history, memory, and power through the documentary "Disposable Humanity" a documentary that confronts one of the most overlooked truths of the Holocaust: disabled people were among the first groups targeted by the Nazi regime.

Alexander reflects on how some of the most violent and dehumanizing actions in human history were once framed as reasonable, efficient, even compassionate. Institutionalized cruelty did not arrive suddenly—it was normalized through language, policy, and bureaucracy.

"Disposable Humanity" centers on Aktion T4, the Nazi program that systematically murdered disabled people under the guise of medical care and so-called mercy. What the film makes impossible to ignore is that this violence began not with chaos, but with ideas—with doctors, institutions, and governments reframing human beings as burdens and death as treatment.

Alexander’s own documentary "True Value" narrated by Oscar winner Chris Cooper which explores employment, labor, and the deeper question beneath them all: who gets to decide the value and worth of a human life?
"True Value" is now streaming on Kinema at: kinema.com/films/true-value-wcpqr1

That same question sits at the heart of Disposable Humanity—only at a different moment in history, with devastating consequences. One film examines devaluation in the present. The other shows us where that thinking can lead when it is left unchecked.

Alexander also reflects on the work of director Cameron S. Mitchell, whose film is the result of years of personal, multi-generational research.

This episode is not just about the past. It is about how cruelty is normalized in the present—when disabled lives are discussed in terms of cost, when care is framed as burden, when antisemitism is dismissed as background noise, and when dehumanizing rhetoric is excused as politics.

Learn more about the film and how to watch or support it at disposablehumanity.com.

Host a screening at a school, synagogue, community center, library, disability organization, or workplace.

Follow @disposablehumanitymovie on Instagram and help ensure this history is seen, remembered, and discussed.
Find out about the documentary "My Own Normal" at myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with Alexander on a feature film by visiting outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

Drink SENTIA Spirits
SENTIA Spirits represent a new category of functional drinks developed by neuroscientists.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman tells the story of entrepreneur, disability activist, tedx speaker, influencer, mentor, author, TV personality Collette Divitto of Collettey's Cookies and the movement she is building by creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities. 
@colletteyscookies
Find out about the documentary "My Own Normal" at myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with Alexander on a feature film by visiting outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

Drink SENTIA Spirits
SENTIA Spirits represent a new category of functional drinks developed by neuroscientists.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman sits down with disability activist, actor, producer, modern dancer, writer, journalist, radio show host, and communications strategist Lawrence Carter-Long for a wide-ranging and deeply informed conversation about disability media representation, power structures, voting rights, health care, infrastructure, income, and public benefits.

He is perhaps best known for his leadership as Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), where he helped shape national disability policy conversations and media narratives. He has created, curated, critiqued, and consulted on projects for prominent organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Turner Classic Movies, and the American Film Institute. His contributions to cultural discourse include writing for esteemed outlets like Film Quarterly, PBS, The Atlantic, and USA Today. Lawrence is featured in the award-winning documentary “Code of the Freaks” and appeared as an actor in the NY Times Critic’s Pick “Best Summer Ever.” Lawrence has lectured and curated programs on the history and evolution of disability in media at the Library of Congress, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the United Nations. Lawrence is the Director of Engagement for the ReelAbilities International Film Festival. 

Together, Alexander and Lawrence unpack how media representation influences public opinion and policy outcomes, why disabled people are marginalized in conversations about democracy, and how systemic barriers affect access to voting, healthcare, transportation, income, and benefits. 
@lcarterlong
[email protected]
[email protected]

Find out about the documentary "My Own Normal" at myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with Alexander on a feature film by visiting outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

Drink SENTIA Spirits
SENTIA Spirits represent a new category of functional drinks developed by neuroscientists.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman sits down with disabled filmmaker, educator, and disability-rights activist Stan Clawson to explore how storytelling, branding, and political advocacy intersect through the power of documentary film.

Stan is a bold and incisive voice within the disability community, known for creating branded independent documentary content for companies and organizations that want to tell authentic, socially grounded stories. Through his filmmaking, educational work, and activism, Stan challenges the narratives that too often marginalize disabled people—reframing them through a lens of agency, complexity, and political urgency. His work pushes back on ableist assumptions, elevates disabled leadership, and highlights the systems and policies that shape disabled lives.

A committed advocate, Stan uses filmmaking as both an artistic practice and a political tool: to document inequity, amplify underrepresented voices, and spark deeper conversations about disability rights, social justice, and the broader political forces affecting disabled communities. His projects often blend personal narrative with institutional critique, reminding audiences that disability is not just a personal experience, but a political identity shaped by access, representation, and power.

Together, Alexander and Stan dive into what it means to create media that doesn’t simply portray disability, but actively advances disability rights. They discuss branded storytelling, the responsibilities of representing marginalized communities, and the transformative potential of documentary film in shifting public perception. Stan shares insights from his work partnering with organizations to craft inclusive media, his approach to blending storytelling with advocacy, and his commitment to using film as a catalyst for systemic change.
@stanclawson 
Find out about the documentary "My Own Normal" at myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with Alexander on a feature film by visiting outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

Support the show