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UnConference 2024
Our Annual Fall UnConference is Saturday & Sunday, October 19 – 20, 2024
Applications have closed, but you can join us for our Friday, October 18 Reception and Keynote in AW 204, which is free and open to all. 4:30 reception, 5:30 keynote.
Disability Studies & Action Collaborative UnConference
Saturday October 19 – Sunday October 20, 2024
Tentative time: 10:00 – 5:00 pm
Academic Instructional Center West
Western Washington University, Bellingham Campus
About the UnConference
The Western Washington University Institute for Critical Disability Studies is excited to to be hosting our fourth annual Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (DSAC) UnConference in October 2024.
The event will span two days, and it will provide a venue for scholars, students, nonprofit workers, advocates, activists, artists, and community members to 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.
Who is the UnConference For?
Everyone is welcome at the UnConference. All that is required is that you have a personal interest in disability issues. We are not asking anyone to be a “disability expert,” but we believe a wide range of people can contribute to our conversations at the UnConference, regardless of whether you work with disability issues professionally, you study critical disability studies as a student or academic, or you have lived experiences of disability. Everyone has something to contribute.
This event is for everyone, regardless of your access needs. You are welcome to attend the UnConference in person on our Bellingham campus, or you may attend fully on Zoom. We will provide access supports to all attendees, including ASL interpretation, downloadable materials, and other accommodations participants request in the application form.
What happens at the UnConference?
Our UnConference is broken down into two days. Everyone is expected to attend both days of the event.
Day 1: The Workshops
Our first day focuses on a series of workshops. You work in a small group of people from different backgrounds to focus on a specific problem or opportunity related to disability. You have conversations about that topic, then identify an idea for solving the problem or seizing the opportunity. Every workshop group is different. You will be led by a facilitator who will guide the group through the process of deciding on an important topic and discovering a way to address it.
Past workshop topics include creating an online network for and by BIPOC trauma survivors, developing a research study about disabled students’ personal narratives, and designing templates for identifying access problems on school campuses.
Day 2: The Presentation Sessions
Our second day focuses on presentation sessions. Every UnConference participant will give a presentation of some kind. Some people might speak for five minutes as part of a roundtable on a topic of their choosing. Some may give longer, more formal presentations ranging from ten to fifteen minutes. The philosophy here is that everyone has a certain kind of expertise to share, whether that’s scholarly research or lived experience. Coaching will be available for those who want some support in developing their presentation.
What are the themes of the UnConference?
The UnConference is user-driven, so we will focus on whatever aspects of disability culture and access that you are interested in. Here are some example themes that we have explored in the past:
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
2024 UnConference Application
The following information will be updated to reflect 2024 information soon:
- UnConference 2024 Program
- 2024 UnConference Program (public)
- 2024 UnConference Program for attendees (private page, password required)
- Browse Recent UnConference Programs:
- Local Information and Guides
- This page includes parking information, maps of the building and campus, and links to public transit information
- Participant-only links – Participants will be able to access these links by using the password sent in your application acceptance 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.
- Final Registration Form (password required) – This follow-up Participant Information Form will be used to save your final registration information for UnConference participants. Participants who have been Accepted to the Unconference should complete the Final Registration Form by Friday August 09 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!
Visit the Call for Participation and Application page to find out more information about the conference or contact the organizers by emailing icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com and icds@wwu.edu.