Application Deadline: 11:59 pm, Friday August 04, 2023
Note: Applications received by Friday, July 21, 2023 will receive priority consideration and first choice in presentation time.
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How to apply:
- Complete the UnConference Application online here (google forms)
or - Download the Word version of the application document, fill in, and email to icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com and icds@wwu.edu
About the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (DSAC) UnConference
Event details
- Event dates: Saturday and Sunday, October 21 & 22, 2023, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Event location: Academic West Building, Western Washington University
- hybrid remote options available
- Application deadline: 11:59 pm, Friday August 04, 2023
- Participation Fee: Sliding scale from $0 to $250
What happens at the UnConference?
The annual Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (DSAC) UnConference is one part traditional academic conference and one 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 two-day-long event is designed to bring together people from Whatcom county and the surrounding Pacific Northwest region. We welcome participants with personal or professional interests in such topics as:
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
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
Arts and Culture
- Disability and various creative arts, including dance, film, music, or visual arts
- Disability and artistic practice
Activities at the UnConference and beyond
The UnConference will be broken into two days. All participants will be expected to contribute to each day. Continued participation in follow-up activities after the two-day event is welcomed.
- Saturday, October 21, 2023: The Workshop Day. Participants will be assigned into working groups based on their skills and interests. They will meet in several working sessions to address a problem or topic that everyone has an interest in. The goal is to come up with a collaborative project to address this problem or idea, which will be shared at the end of the day.
- Sunday, October 22, 2023: The Presentation Day. Participants will be grouped into topics and present in panels with other speakers. Presentations will range from 5 to 30 minutes in a format of their choosing, including rapid roundtable discussions, pre-recorded videos, and formal talks.
- After the UnConference Concludes: UnConference Follow-up Activities. Participants are invited to join in periodic meetings and events organized by the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies
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 both days. Both virtual (Zoom) and in-person hybrid participation modes will be available.
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 icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com.
How to Apply to Attend the DSAC UnConference
Every person who wishes to participate in the UnConference will complete an online application and submit a brief personal 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.
Applications received by Friday, July 21 2023 will receive priority consideration and first choice in presentation time. Final applications are due 11:59 pm, Friday August 04, 2023.