Campus Community Invited to Join in Disability Pride Week Events April 18-23

Syracuse University’s inaugural Disability Pride Week will be April 18-23, 2022. The week includes a host of events and activities to celebrate and learn from people with disabilities and their lived experiences. Disability Pride Week is a campuswide initiative and is sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Disability Cultural Center, Center for Disability Resources and Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach (OIPO) in the Burton Blatt Institute. Students, staff and faculty members participated in its development.

“Disability Pride Week celebrates disability as an identity and its rich culture,” states Eboni Britt, executive director of strategic communications and initiatives in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “The week includes events and activities that not only showcase disability pride but also emphasize the wealth of resources that are available to our students, faculty and staff with disabilities.”

The week begins on April 18 with the opening of the Disability Pride Space, which showcases disability culture and history. The Disability Pride Space provides visitors with the opportunity to share what disability pride means to them and learn about the disability community. The Disability Pride Space is located at Bird Library, Room 114, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“Disability pride celebrates people embracing their full identities, including disabilities, and can mean something different to everyone” says Disability Pride Week planning committee member Rachael Zubal-Ruggieri, administrative assistant in the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach.

One of the week’s signature events is a conversation with human rights lawyer Haben Girma. Girma is Harvard’s first Deafblind graduate whose conversation will take the audience through her work to advance disability justice as a Black disabled woman and a daughter of refugees. This event occurs on April 21, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Visit the full Disability Pride Week calendar for all events scheduled and additional information.