This is an archived page for the UnConference that occurred on Saturday & Sunday, October 21 & 22, 2023.
Our Annual Fall UnConference is Saturday & Sunday, October 21 – 22, 2023
The application to register for the 2023 UnConference is now closed.
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UnConference 2023
Disability Studies & Action Collaborative UnConferece
Saturday October 21 – Sunday October 22, 2023
10:00 – 5:00 pm
Academic Instructional Center West
Western Washington University, Bellingham Campus
- UnConference 2023 Final Program –
- Download the 2023 Presentation Program
- Check out last year’s UnConference 2022 Program, which includes descriptions for presentation sessions.
- Download the 2023 Presentation Program
- Local Information and Guides
- This page includes parking information, maps of the building and campus, and links to public transit information
- Participant-only links – please use the password sent in your confirmation email
- Tentative Participants List (password required) – A list of Participants and their profiles
- Preliminary Program and Presentation Groupings (password required) – A tentative draft program of the UnConference and participant workshop, panel, and presentation groupings.
- Registration Part 2 (password required) – The follow-up Participant Information Form for confirmed UnConference participants. Participants: Please complete Part 2 Registration by Friday August 25 so that we can complete the event program.
Not attending this year, but still interested in helping us conduct the UnConference this and future years? Donate to our Special Events fund!
About the UnConference
The Western Washington University Institute for Critical Disability Studies is excited to to be hosting our third annual Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (DSAC) UnConference in October 2023.
The event will span two days, and it will provide a venue for scholars, students, nonprofit workers, advocates, activists, artists, and other community members can gather to discuss issues of disability, access, and equity. Our main focus will be local to the needs, concerns, and opportunities of Bellingham, WA and the surrounding Pacific Northwest region.
This event is planned in the ethos of Universal Design. All materials and activities will be designed to accommodate all participants through audio interpreters, downloadable documents, and other accommodations participants request in the application form.
What is an UnConference?
An UnConference is a collaborative event where “experts” of various kinds (broadly defined) get together to learn from one another and solve problems. So, while traditional conferences usually involve experts on a stage giving pre-written presentations, UnConferences focus more on workshops and problem-solving sessions, where participants work together to understand complex problems and devise new solutions.
How is the DSAC UnConference structured?
The DSAC UnConference has aspects of both traditional conferences and UnConferences. Everyone who participates in the event will be assigned to a working group based on their interests and skills. Participants in these working groups will identify a particular disability-related question, problem, project, or idea, and they will work together throughout the first day of the UnConference to find a way to solve that problem or push that idea forward.
The second day of the event follows a more traditional conference format. Every participant will give a presentation ranging from 5 to 30 minutes on topics related to disability studies, disability arts, public advocacy, or other subjects relevant to issues of disability, access, and equity.
Visit the Call for Participation and Application page to find out more information about the conference or contact the organizers at icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com.