Disability Studies and Action Collaborative

Disability Culture, Scholarship, and Community

Category: Disability Studies Institute

5th Annual UnConference kicks off with a public keynote on October 17

We at the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies are excited for now our 5th Annual Disability Studies & Action Collaborative UnConference happening the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, 2025, during Disability Action Month at WWU. While registration for the event has closed, we will be kicking off the event with a Pre-UnConference Keynote presentation on Friday, October 17 that will be free and open to all. This event is titled, Disability in Place: Unmaking as Practice presented by Dr. Kathleen Brian, and is hosted by the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies, WWU Disability Outreach Center, and Disability Access Center.

Join us at 11:00 am on Friday, October 17 in-person in Academic Instructional West (AW) room 302 of the WWU Bellingham Campus or virtually on Zoom. After the presentation at 12:00 pm, there will be a light lunch reception sponsored by the WWU Disability Outreach Center.

Disability in Place: Unmaking as Practice

From 2021 to early 2025, the National Parks Service and the National Council on Public History fostered the creation of an interdisciplinary anthology of place-based disability history.

Then, on the verge of its completion, the politics of our moment unmade it.

Join editor Dr. Kathleen Brian to discuss the life and lives of Disability and Place, the first accessibly written, peer reviewed work to address historical intersections of disability and place, forthcoming from the University of Illinois Press.

Event Details

  • Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
  • Location: AW 302 (Academic Instructional West, room 302) & Zoom
  • Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm for presentation.
    • Lunch reception follows, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm


Help us get a better head count for this event:


Want more free public events that center disability? Please consider donating to support future ICDS Events.

ICDS Co-Directors 2024 Year-End Message

Thank you to everyone who has supported our work up to now. We only exist because of this network of students, faculty, staff, and community members who continue to work alongside us as part of a disability studies and action collaborative. The Institute for Critical Disability Studies has formed to represent a group of disabled and nondisabled people, working together to advance disability studies scholarship, personal advocacy, and a pro-disability community.
 
We want to share a few updates as the year comes to an end. But before we do, we’d like to take a moment to note that you can always support the ICDS by donating to our WWU Foundation Fund. Contributions help fund our student scholarships and programming throughout the year. 
 
 
Let’s celebrate some of our accomplishments in 2024:
 

The Critical Disability Studies Program Continues to Expand

  • Since January 2024, 18 more students have declared the CDS minor

  • We offered 9 DISA courses and enrolled more than 200 students in those courses in 2024 alone 

  • We submitted a curriculum proposal for a brand new DISA 201 GUR course titled, Stories of Disability in the World, and we expect for the full approval to be completed in early 2025 for offering in the coming academic year. 

  • We welcomed Kyann Flint to Western as a new faculty member teaching DISA courses with us, starting in Fall 2024

  • 6 faculty throughout Western taught DISA courses and cross-lists in a variety of modalities, from face-to-face to online, to increase access to disability-centering coursework:

    • Daman Wandke (Educational Leadership and Inclusive Teaching)
    • Kristen Chmieleski (Health and Human Development)
    • Pam Kuntz (Dance)
    • Andrew Lucchesi (English)
    • Lindsey Foreman-Murry (Special Education)
    • Kyann Flint (Critical Disability Studies)
 

We Supported Students and Community Members through scholarships, fellowships, and employment

  • Scholarships awarded:

    • The Mark West Scholarship, made possible by a generous donation by WWU Trustee Maureen West

      • Cori Foster (MA program in Rehabilitation Counseling)

      • Kimberly Miller (Human Services, CDS minor)

    • The Critical Disability Studies Minor Scholarship, Made possible by your individual donations to the ICDS Scholarship Fund in previous years’ Give Days

      • Remi Rogoff (Urban Planning and Sustainable Development, CDS minor)

  • We also awarded three 2024 ICDS Fellowships, each one supporting a community project to be launched in 2025: 

    • Chapi Alfaro— Project: Mental Health and Community Support for Latinx community in Tri Cities, Jan 22nd, 2025

    • Alexander Jones—Project: Disability and Accessibility Hackathon, Feb 15th – 16th, 2025

    • Steve Hickenbottom—Project: Accessibility Aid School Pantry, Jan-Feb 2025

  • We worked with 5 amazing graduate students (read about our graduate students, staff, and collaborators here)  

    • Spike Osadchuk (Anthropology)
    • Eden Chapman (Education)
    • Lorraine Floyd (Rehabilitation Counseling)
    • Fred Engelfried (Urban Design)

    • Sarah Lucas-Page (Music)

  • We employed more than a dozen undergraduate students for short-term UnConference support, ICDS Student Advisory Council leadership, Summer Assistantships, and Programming and Workshop Development
 

ICDS hosted a wide range of programming and events over the past year

  • We hosted our 4th Annual UnConference on October 19th-20th, 2024. The UnConference is our annual event where we bring together students, faculty, staff, and community members to discuss disability issues in our community. It includes two days of programming. On day 1, participants engage in expert-led workshops, and on day 2 everyone gives a presentation on their specific disability interests. 

    • This year we had exceptionally high levels of interest, and we expanded the attendance up around 40%. This is a big achievement for us, since it represents an increase in the scope of our work in the community. The UnConference is becoming a well-known fixture of the disability studies and advocacy community in the region, and our attendance numbers show this. We were able to support this increased size with the excellent support of our student staff. 

    • We pride ourselves on the UnConference being for and by disabled people. This year, according to our surveys, over 80% of attendees identified as disabled some or all of the time. This is a huge achievement for our event in that it actually represents the interests and needs of our disabled community. We truly work toward the disability-empowerment principle “Nothing About Us Without Us!“

  • We welcomed two invited Keynote speakers, who presented at Western both in-person and virtually.  You can find recordings of their presentations published on our webpage, linked below:

  • In Spring, 2024, we launched our first Scholars Week Student Showcase, a symposium featuring the work of 9 amazing student presenters engaging in scholarly and creative work around disability and access at Western.

  • We also held teaching workshops on two disability-related pedagogy topics.  These virtual workshops were each attended by more than 50 people; follow-up resources and workshop recordings will be available on our website for those who would like to revisit the material.

    • In Winter 2024, we held Ethical and Effective Attendance Policies 

    • In Fall 2024, we held Supporting Neurodivergent Students in the Classroom (resource page coming soon)

  • We hosted nearly 3 dozen support and discussion group meetings since January 2024.  These drop-in meetings are held virtually, and are free and open to the community.

    • The Disability Pedagogy Group focuses on disabled teachers and supporting disabled students

    • The Disability Justice Collaborative focuses on community support and local issues
 
 
This is just a partial list of our work in 2024. Thanks again to those who worked with us and contributed to these successes. 
 
 

Crossing into 2025

We have many things to get excited about for the future. 

  • One is to spread the word about the ICDS Student Advisory Council. This amazing student group does important work building disability community for students. They also hold a place of authority within the Institute itself as an advisory body that helps us better support student needs throughout our work. The Winter ICDS SAC meetings will be on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, at 4:30 pm, starting January 15. Visit their webpage or follow on social media for meetings and how to get involved.

  • We are also excited for our partnership with the Western Gallery for their upcoming exhibit, Embodiment, opening January 7th. ICDS will be hosting a speaker event connected to the Gallery exhibit on February 6th, 2025. 

  • Finally, mark your calendar for the January 12th screening of Crutch, hosted by Kuntz and Co. and co-sponsored by the ICDS. Faculty, Staff, and Community members can use the discount code DISA to purchase reduced-price tickets.  WWU Students can use the discount code VIKINGS to purchase their tickets for free!
 
Thank you for being part of our work this year. We are excited to support disability community at Western and beyond in 2025. 
 

Sincerely,

Andrew and GIM

lucchea@wwu.edu and mcgrewg2@wwu.edu at icds@wwu.edu

ICDS Graduate Teaching Assistantship positions

The Institute for Critical Disability Studies is hiring for two to three graduate teaching assistant (GTA) positions in Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, and/or the full 2023-24 academic year! Full-time (20 hr/wk) salaried, half-time (10 hr/wk) salaried, and hourly (5-9 hr/wk) nonsalaried positions available.

Learn more and review the GTA position information and application instructions here.

Institute for Critical Disability Studies Logo, with an abstract graphic on the left side in blue, dark blue, and green, implying letters I, C, D, and S. The Western Washington University logo is on the right side.
Institute for Critical Disability Studies logo

First DISA course available for Spring 2023!

Posted Feb 2023

The Institute for Critical Disability Studies is excited to announce a brand new offering in Critical Disability Studies for Spring 2023… and celebrate our first official DISA prefix course! Special thanks to the DS Minor Task Force, ICDS Curriculum Committee, staff, and students who provided feedback during the development process.

About DISA 397A: Critical Disability Studies

DISA 397A: Critical Disability Studies is a 5-credit course being offered by the Institute for Critical Disability Studies this Spring at the WWU Bellingham campus. This course presents an interdisciplinary exploration of the field of Critical Disability Studies, and is appropriate for students of all majors and concentrations. Stay tuned for future offerings of this course with the permanent course number DISA 330 in AY 2023-4, with plans to offer multiple sections in face-to-face and remote/hybrid modalities.

We hope that you will share this course information with students widely. A summary of the class details and a promotional graphic to share is included below.

Course Summary

  • DISA 397A – Critical Disability Studies (5 Credits) – Spring 2023
    • CRN: 24011 (cap: 32)
    • Meeting: TR 10-11:50am, face-to-face, B’ham campus
    • Instructor: Kristen Chmielewski
    • Prerequisites: ENG 101

Catalog Description

This course provides an exploration of the field of critical disability studies. Students will learn about several central topics, including disability rights and disability justice movements, cultural criticism of literature and popular media, and the principles of universal design in physical and digital spaces. Students will explore disability as an identity category that intersects with other identity categories such as race, gender, and sexuality. This is an interdisciplinary course designed for students from any major.

Click to download the DISA 397A promo graphic shown below (opens in a new tab).

Promotional graphic advertising the Institute for Critical Disability Studies' new Spring 2023 course, DISA 397A, Critical Disability Studies: an interdisciplinary exploration of the field of Critical Disability Studies for students of all majors and concentrations! Key topics include disability rights and disability justice movements, universal design, disability as intersectional identity, and cultural criticism of literature and media. Professor Chmielewski, Tuesday and Thursdays from 10 am to 11:50 am, 5 credits. Course CRN number 24011.

Suggested alt text: Promotional graphic advertising the Institute for Critical Disability Studies’ new Spring 2023 course, DISA 397A, Critical Disability Studies: an interdisciplinary exploration of the field of Critical Disability Studies for students of all majors and concentrations! Key topics include disability rights and disability justice movements, universal design, disability as intersectional identity, and cultural criticism of literature and media. Professor Chmielewski, Tuesday and Thursdays from 10 am to 11:50 am, 5 credits. Course CRN number 24011.

-Posted by GIM, ICDS co-director

Student Advisory Council Listening Session

The Institute for Critical Disability Studies (ICDS) invites you to join us for a Listening Session on Monday, February 6 at 4:00 at CV 103 or through this Zoom link to inaugurate the Student Advisory Council (SAC). The SAC is a student-run organization composed of undergraduate and graduate students that dedicates itself to ensure that the disabled student voice is heard within the ICDS as it develops as an institute. The main responsibilities of the SAC is to represent the needs and priorities of the disabled student community through recommendations for the ICDS on several topics.

We will be brainstorming the priorities of the community and making those future council meeting topics. Some projects that the ICDS is working on that the SAC can discuss and give recommendations on include: curriculum development, student climate, and community building. Any questions about SAC will be answered during this session.

The ICDS wants to ensure that student concerns and priorities are not being left behind, and that there is a safe place for students to voice their concerns and be heard. We encourage you and your friends to come participate in our council.

A letter from the ICDS co-directors

December 30, 2022

To the Disability Studies & Action Collaborative Community:

As 2022 draws to a close, we wanted to first take a moment to thank you for your part in our community: whether as student, alumni, UnConference participant, affiliated faculty, WWU staff, professional or corporate affiliate, community member near and far, and including those of us who have needed to step away from Western and/or ICDS work for various reasons.  You have our deep appreciation and hope for a safe, warm, and restorative holiday season.

The remainder of this message is intended to summarize things to remember and celebrate, as well as things to look forward to as we get 2023 rolling.

2022 Milestones and Celebrations

Several of our exciting milestones and highlights from this year:

  • Official launch of the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies
    • No longer just a pipe dream from the very first UnConference in 2019, the Disability Studies Steering Committee continued work in earnest on events and programming, course development, and importantly, proposing the Institute through multiple rounds of listening sessions, pre-proposal, and finally proposal.  The ICDS was officially launched in the Spring Quarter of 2022 as an Institute housed under Academic Affairs.  With the co-director searches concluding in Fall 2022, Andrew and GIM (previously interim co-directors) will begin their official appointments in Winter Quarter 2023.
  • Official launch of the academic program in Disability Studies
  • Proposals for a new minor and new core courses in Critical Disability Studies submitted Dec 2022!
    • An extra thank you to the faculty and students contributing to the DS Minor Task Force in the final push to prepare materials for the minor and help us get everything submitted before the quarter’s end!
    • Learn more about the new minor here.
  • Successful return of the DSAC UnConference
    • After a couple years of hiatus, we transitioned the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative Fall 2022 UnConference from a one-day and fully in-person event to a hybrid in-person and remote event covering two days of workshops, panels, and talks.  Participants were primarily local to the Pacific Northwest, but we had involvement from across the U.S. and Canada.
  • Students recognized through a new ICDS scholarship
    • The inaugural Mark West Scholarship was established this year and awarded to our first two recipients: Graduate student Pheonix Booth and undergraduate student Hillary Banks.
  • Students supported and employed through the ICDS
    • We are incredibly grateful to our first Graduate TAs (GTAs), who have been involved at the ICDS in many projects including: UnConference organizing and student staff mentorship, Student Advisory Council creation, and feedback in committees and ad-hoc task forces.
    • We are also thankful for the work of 11 additional student employees who staffed and moderated events at the Fall 2022 UnConference and helped the technical logistics of our hybrid conference to run smoothly.

2023 Upcoming Winter Quarter Highlights

Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates coming out at the beginning of this year:

  • Winter 2023: News on DS Minor and new courses proposed in Fall 2022
    • We are looking forward to sharing the status of our new courses and new Minor in Critical Disability Studies later this quarter.
  • January 2023: ICDS Fellows will begin their year-long Fellowship

Note – Action item for Faculty & Staff ICDS Affiliates:

Early in January, we’ll be sending out an email with meeting agenda and scheduling for our next quarterly Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (Disability Studies Steering Committee) general meeting, so we’ll get to catch up with you more at that time! 

We hope you have a good remainder of your Winter intersession and a Happy New Year!

With gratitude,

-ICDS co-directors
GIM (he/they) & Andrew (he/him)
icds@wwu.edu

P.S. You can make a year-end tax-deductible donation to the WWU ICDS here.

Subscribe or unsubscribe from the WWU ICDS mailing list using this google form

Two Year-End Announcements from the Institute For Critical Disability Studies

The ICDS is announcing two exciting programs to wrap up 2022. 

First, visit this page to get a preview of the Critical Disability Studies minor, which is set to begin in Fall 2023. Check out a video about the program and give us some feedback. 

Second, visit this page to find out about our first annual ICDS Fellows program. We are seeking applications from faculty, staff, and community members until January 2nd, 2023.

As always, reach out to Andrew Lucchesi and G McGrew, the ICDS co-directors, at icds@wwu.edu

Join the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative mailing list for newsletters and events!

 

New ICDS Fellows Program launching!

The WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies is excited to announce the launch of a new Fellows Program to support faculty, staff, and community members with one-year fellowships to develop programs and carry out projects related to disability scholarship and advocacy.

A cohort of at least five Fellows will meet with peer Fellows and Program Mentors throughout the calendar year and learn from each other’s skills and interests. The fellowship award is $3,000 for the one-year duration of the program.

The application deadline for the 2023-4 Fellows cohort is 11:59 pm on Monday, January 02, 2023.

Learn more about the ICDS Fellows Program Here

‘Documenting Grace’ dance film festival kick-off and films sponsored by ICDS

Invitation to Dance on November 13th

Join us for a kick-off event for Kuntz & Co’s new film festival series, “Documenting Grace”. On Sunday, November 13th, ICDS will be sponsoring their screening of Invitation to Dance, a documentary film by Simi Linton, and a 20-min pre-screening discussion. Proceeds from the screening will go toward Dance for All Bodies.

The film will be shown with open captions and audio description to provide access for low vision/blind audience members. Questions or for disability accommodations contact Pam at 360-510-4711 or kuntzpam@gmail.com

Tickets to “Invitation to Dance” – Nov 13, 6:00 pm

More events to come!

Stay tuned for information on our next ICDS event accompanying Pam’s “Documenting Grace” series, co-sponsored with Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 4:00 pm.

Tickets to “Capturing Grace” – April 16, 4:00 pm

2022 UnConference student staff jobs posted

The Institute for Critical Disability Studies (ICDS) is now accepting applications for paid student staffing positions to support the 2022 Disability Studies and Action Collaborative UnConference, happening Saturday & Sunday, October 22 & 23 at the Western Washington University Bellingham campus.

Please check out the job descriptions linked below, and share widely!

These positions are available for current WWU undergraduate students. Application deadline for all UnConference staffing positions is Friday, September 30, 2022. Learn more about student employment opportunities with the ICDS here or contact icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com with questions.