Minor in Critical Disability Studies

Yes! You can self-enroll in the Canvas course here: https://wwu.instructure.com/enroll/KMXJ6T

The ICDS Student Hub Canvas course page is made for students interested in the Minor and in getting involved with ICDS & disability communities in other ways. There is posted information such as how to join the minor, upcoming ICDS events, and resources such as ICDS jobs, scholarships, and fellowships.

The minor in Critical Disability Studies requires 3 electives, separate from the core courses of DISA 330, 350, and 450. Taking DISA 350 for a second time ­– and many other courses ­– already count for elective credit! Check out a short list of pre-approved courses here.

There are also many courses that could count for elective credit that are not on that list, but we do need to approve them first. To have your prior coursework reviewed to be approved for Minor elective credit, please email the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu and tell us about the course. Important information to include are basic course details, such as the title, course number, and where and when the course was conducted, as well as course instructor. We also request that you include the official syllabus for that particular offering of the course, as well as any other relevant course information you have, such as the official description in the course catalogue.

The more information about your course in your message, the more effectively ICDS can properly evaluate the offering as an elective that could be used toward the Minor.

Developing new curriculum and coursework is a gradual process.  Over the next several years, expect a number of new courses to be added to a growing list of classes in critical disability studies.  Many new classes begin as experimental courses (numbered X97 in the course catalogue), which are eventually transitioned to formally numbered DISA courses and elective courses under other designations as our program in Critical Disability Studies grows.

Students: If you would like certain classes to be developed, reach out to the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu and start a conversation!

Faculty: If you are interested in teaching or developing a course in disability studies either exclusively as a DISA course or crosslisted with a course that you teach in your home department, please contact the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu.

While our Minor counts any of the American Sign Language and Culture sequence ASLC 101, 102, or 103 as Electives in the Critical Disability Studies Minor, only one of these course may count as an elective for the Minor at one time.

That means if you took ASLC 101 and it counted for an elective, and then took 102, it would not increase the number of electives you have completed for our Minor.

Please email us at icds@wwu.edu if you think we’ve missed a class that should be counted as an elective for the Critical Disability Studies Minor. It’s possible we don’t know about it, since Western is a large institution, and there are many classes around Western constantly being developed by new and established faculty alike.

Not all courses focusing on disability will be accepted for the Minor, however. Some coursework that addresses disability may be more clinical or therapeutic in nature, and might not meet the aims for elective courses in our program. The Critical Disability Studies academic program is focused more on the academic study of disability as a social and cultural construct and lived experience, as well as intersectional social justice issues centered around disability.

Yes, several of the courses in the CDS minor are available in online, hybrid, and face-to-face modalities. In particular, DISA 330 Critical Disability Studies and DISA 350 Topics in Critical Disability Studies are all routinely offered in mixed modalities. Several elective courses are also available in online and hybrid modalities. Check our course list for a full accounting of the courses and modalities being offered each quarter.