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Disability Research and Action Collaborative Unconference
Saturday, October 19th 2019
Submission deadline: September 1
What happens at the UnConference?
The Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (DSAC) inaugural UnConference is part traditional academic conference and part collaborative, exploratory workshop. Our aim is to gather in one place, learn from one another’s skills and experiences, and identify avenues where we can productively collaborate across the borders of academia and the community.
This day-long event is designed to bring together people from Bellingham and the surrounding region. We welcome participants with personal or professional interests in such topics as:
Critical Disability Studies
- Disability Studies scholarship from a variety of critical approaches and academic fields
- Curriculum, program building, museum studies, and pedagogy informed by disability studies
Access and Equity
- Access and equity in educational settings
- Practices for barrier-free teaching and facilitation in higher education or other settings
- Universal design in physical or digital settings
Activism and Advocacy
- Fair access to local community resources, networks, and spaces
- Advocacy models from local community organizations
- Current projects and unmet needs in disability activism
Community Building
- Perspectives on local disability culture, community building, and solidarity work
- Approaches to fighting disability stigma and fostering disability pride
Arts and Culture
- Disability and various creative arts, including dance, film, music, or visual arts
- Disability and artistic practice
The day will be comprised of two types of sessions:
- Working sessions: Participants will work together to discuss a compelling problem, challenge, or opportunity that relates to their disability-related scholarship or professional work. Led by a facilitator, each group will identify a project or idea which the group will work on together throughout the day. Groups will then present to the full collaborative in the closing session.
- Seminar Sessions: Scholar or those with professional or personal expertise can present their work in talks ranging from five to thirty minutes, either as part of a panel, roundtable, or as an individual. Not every UnConference participant is expected to present at a Seminar Session, and the number of Seminar Sessions offered will depend on the number of proposals.
Who can participate in the UnConference?
Everyone with an interest in disability is welcome to join the event. This may include, but is not limited to, faculty, students, university staff, disability service providers, librarians, nonprofit or public services professionals, activists, artists, performers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and interested community members. We expect those selected to participate as fully as they are able across the course of the day.
Because space is limited the Working Sessions and Seminar Sessions are only open to attendees who have been accepted to the UnConference. Preference will be given to those who identify as having a disability or other marginalized population traditionally excluded from professional or academic spaces. For those who would like to attend but who would need financial assistance to do so, please reach out to us at disabilitystudies.wwu@gmail.com.
Applying to Attend the DSAC UnConference
Every person who wishes to participate in the UnConference will complete an online application and submit a brief biographical statement, an overview of your disability-related work, an interesting problem or challenge you would like to explore at the UnConference, and a list of skills and interests you are interested in contributing in the Working Sessions. To facilitate community building, participants will be invited to read one another’s materials before the start of the UnConference.