Disability Awareness Month Programming Brings Focus to Key Issues

October is Disability Awareness Month, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion has partnered with the Disability Cultural Center and the Center for Disability Resources to offer programs that highlight key issues impacting the disability community.

The virtual programming, which requires registration, includes the following:

• Disability History in America with Kate Corbett Pollack, Disability Cultural Center coordinator, Oct. 20, 3-4:30 p.m. ET
• Rethinking the Disability Paradigm: The University Community Working Together with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Disability Resources, Oct. 22, 1-4 p.m. ET
• Abolition and Disability Justice with attorney, writer, activist, consultant, sex worker and artist Katie Tastrom, MSW. Esq., Oct. 27, 6-7:30 p.m. ET

“Disability is an identity that is celebrated in our community; we fully embrace our disabilities and want others to do the same,” says Pollack. “In order for this to occur, people need an understanding of the issues that the disability community faces.”

The topics in the Disability Awareness Month programming not only cover core issues related to disability but also give participants tools for thinking about disabilities in new ways.

Issues impacting campus community members with a disability and accessibility are key areas of focus for the University. Recently, the Diversity, Access, and Inclusion Council was established to finalize recommendations that seek to remove all barriers for disabled people on campus.

“Ensuring that everyone has access to the full campus experience is essential and aligns with the principles of equity that our office promotes,” says Eboni Britt, executive director of strategic communications and initiatives for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “Disability Awareness Month, and the programming we are offering, will make participants think differently about disabilities and access, and that’s exactly what we want, a difference.”

Registration for the programming is required and can be accessed by visiting the University Calendar. Communication Access Real-Time Translation, American Sign Language and captioning will be available during each of the sessions.