Disability Studies and Action Collaborative

Disability Culture, Scholarship, and Community

Disability Studies Steering Committee

Disability Studies Steering Committee

The Disability Studies Steering Committee (DSSC) is made up of faculty, students, staff, and administrators from Western Washington University committed to making Disability Studies a hallmark of Western’s curriculum and reputation.

Our Goals

Disability Studies Institute – We seek to establish a cross-campus institute that could serve as the hub for hosting public events, advising students about Disability Studies courses, and forging partnerships with other institutions and local stakeholders.

Disability Studies Minor – We seek to establish an interdisciplinary minor in Disability Studies that would include new core courses and electives drawn from existing courses around the university.

Public Events – We seek to develop and host disability-related events including conferences, public lectures, community workshops.

Campus and Public Partnerships – We seek to develop partnerships with other local and regional groups dedicated to issues of disability justice, advocacy, and resources.

Our Motivations

As we have set our goals for the DSSC, we are working from a few key premises:

  • Increasing the presence of Disability Studies would support Western’s public commitments “build a diverse, inclusive and equitable community and culture: in terms of access and success, curriculum, learning, shared experiences, embedded values and beliefs, and engagement opportunities to create enduring change” (Strategic Plan 2018-2025)
  • Western is ideally situated to serve as a regional hub for Disability Studies scholarship and public events, joining institutions such as Eastern Washington, University of Washington, and University of British Columbia, which already have established Disability Studies programs
  • Western has a substantial and growing body of faculty from across the disciplines who research and teach about topics related to Disability Studies
  • Western has a substantial and growing body of students from across the disciplines who wish to take more courses and degree programs that explore topics related to disability, access, and universal design

Getting Involved

The DSSC is organized into three working subcommittees and an Interim Advisory Council. We invite you to attend a meeting, or use the contact information below to learn more about the groups that align with your passions:

Curriculum Subcommittee – formed to imagine and create an interdisciplinary minor in Critical Disability Studies (CDST), which will be housed in the ICDS. The work will include collaboratively developing the minor’s core courses, creating a rubric for the minor, and mentoring those developing CDST-related coursework at Western. 

Development & Outreach Subcommittee – formed to create, cultivate, and sustain relationships with units and groups internal to WWU, as well as with local, national, and global partners. Part of this work will be to identify and seek new sources of funding. 

Interim Advisory Council – formed to serve in a supervisory capacity to the current leadership team, as well as to elaborate a vision for a permanent Advisory Council that will work with the directors of the ICDS. 

Programs Subcommittee – formed to develop and implement accessible, CDST-related programming for university and local communities. This will mean imagining and planning events such as workshops, lectures, and (un-)conferences, as well as spearheading the Institute’s mentoring program(s) and working groups. 

Inquiries may be directed to members of the DSSC’s leadership team: