Calvin University will be hosting a workshop on Ableism in the Academy October 3-4, 2024. Jay Dolmage’s book Academic Ableism (University of Michigan Press, 2017) is a worthwhile exploration of the ableist rhetoric of universities and how various structures exclude and devalue disabled bodies and minds. The physical inaccessibility that once characterized so many university campuses, and in many places still does, is always linked, Dolmage argues, with “mental, intellectual, social, and other forms of inaccessibility” (9).
The primary purpose of this workshop is to bring together a number of scholars and staff to explore how universities continue, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to disadvantage disabled students, staff, and faculty. The goal is not just to critique, but to equip participants to recognize and fight ableism in the academy across a range of domains: physical environments, pedagogy, curriculum, policies, social dynamics, etc….
The draft schedule for the workshop is as follows (subject to minor changes):
Thursday, 3 October
1:00- 1:25 Kevin Timpe (Calvin), “Moving Beyond Lipservice and Working to Undermine Structural Ableism”
1:30-2:30 Jay Dolmage (Waterloo), “Academic Ableism and Its Alternatives”
2:45-3:45 Toni Saia (SDSU), “Moving from Awareness to Action: Embracing Disability Culture in Higher Education”
4:00-5:00 Carlyle King (Boise State), “Cultural Barriers to Disability in Higher Education”
5:10-6:10 Joseph Stramondo (SDSU), “The Ethics of Disability Passing and Uncovering in the University Classroom”
Friday, 4 October
11:30-12:45 whole workshop lunch (included)
1:00-2:00 Kathleen Muldoon (Midwestern), “Disability and Diversity: Normalization and Avoidance in Medical Education”
2:15-3:15 Michelle Panchuk (Murray State), “Who Cares that We’re Mad? What Mad Pride and Care Ethics can Teach us about Trauma in the Classroom”
3:30-4:30 Johnathan Flowers (Cal State Northridge), “Academic Ableism and the Ideology of Smartness”
4:45-5:45 Roundtable with all workshop presenters
Registration:
The workshop is open to the general public. Registration can be found here, with a registration fee of $50. Calvin faculty, staff, and students should email Kevin Timpe before registering to get a code for free registration. Registration will close 30 August, 2024.
Anyone with access or accommodation concerns should email me at kevin.timpe@calvin.edu.
The workshop is sponsored by the Jellema Chair and the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship.