The Institute for Critical Disability Studies is hiring for two to three graduate teaching assistant (GTA) positions in Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, and/or the full 2023-24 academic year! Full-time (20 hr/wk) salaried, half-time (10 hr/wk) salaried, and hourly (5-9 hr/wk) nonsalaried positions available.
Learn more and review the GTA position information and application instructions here.
This page was originally created in Fall 2022 to introduce our new Minor in Critical Disability Studies to the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative and newly-formed Institute for Critical Disability Studies community. People interested in learning more about the program could read or watch the video and provide feedback to the co-directors in advance of the Minor going live.
The long-awaited Minor was approved soon thereafter, and the codes to declare were activated in April 2023, so we were finally set to formally open the program for the Fall 2023 academic year. We found that many students were quite excited to be able to declare the Minor, so much so that we actually had four students declare the minor early, in Spring and Summer 2023. By the end of Fall 2024, 25 students had declared, from First-year to Senior.
The following contents for the page are an archived description of the Minor as we were planning it in 2022. Our program has expanded significantly since then. If you’d like to read our most up-to-date description and information on the minor, please visit our current Minors page here.
The Institute for Critical Disability Studies proposed a new minor to launch in Fall 2023. We created this video so that you could learn more about it before it was launched.
After visitors finished the video, they were invited to give ICDS feedback using the form at the bottom of the page.
Download the PowerPoint slides of this presentation, which includes the script, through this link.
If you want to find out more about the minor or the Institute for Critical Disability Studies, contact icds@wwu.edu
The ICDS is currently headed by two half-time co-directors. Andrew (English), and GIM (College of Science and Engineering) are faculty at WWU. You can contact them at ICDS@wwu.edu.
Andrew Lucchesi
he/they
Associate Professor, English
GIM (G McGrew)
he/they
Senior Instructor, College of Science & Engineering
Find office hours for Co-directors, Graduate Assistants, and Faculty teaching DISA courses here
The diverse faculty, staff, students, and community members who contribute to the critical disability studies program represent colleges and departments across Western Washington University as well as collaborators outside of Western.
Elizabeth Boland
Professor, Health and Community Studies
Kathleen Brian
Senior Instructor, Global Humanities and Religions
Kristen Chmielewski
she/her
Faculty, Recreation Management & Leadership
Teaches: DISA 330 Critical Disability Studies, a Core course for the CDS Minor
Kat DeNicola
she/her
Access Manager, Disability Access Center
Yasmine Elglaly
Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Teaches: Critical Disability Studies Minor elective: Accessible Computing
David Engebretson
he/him
Digital Technologies Accessibility Coordinator
Kyann Flint
Instructor, Critical Disability Studies
Teaches: DISA 330 Critical Disability Studies, a Core course for the CDS Minor
Lindsay Foreman-Murray
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Inclusive Teaching
Teaches: Cross-listed DISA 350 Topics in Critical Disability Studies
Allison Giffen
she/her
Faculty, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Teaches: Electives for Critical Disability Studies Minor
I am a professor in the English department and specialize in 19th-century American literature and culture with an emphasis in disability studies and critical childhood studies. My current research in explores the intersections of race, disability, and childhood in late 19th-century literature.
Note: Allison was our Interim Co-director in Spring 2023
Pam Kuntz
she/her
Dance Program Advisor / Senior Instructor
Teaches: DISA 350, a core Topics course in the Critical Disability Studies Minor
Ceci Lopez
Assistant Professor of Law, Fairhaven
Scot Nichols
Fairhaven College
Tara Perry
she/her
Professor, Department of Communication Studies, faculty affiliate to Institute for Critical Disability Studies and Women Gender and Sexuality Studies
Candice Styer
Instructor of Special Education, Woodring
Anika Tilland-Stafford, PhD
they/them
Senior Instructor, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies & Honors College
Office: Miller Hall 415D
Adrian J. Villicana
Assistant Professor, Social Psychology, Fairhaven
Daman Wandke
Instructor, Educational Leadership and Inclusive Teaching
Teaches: DISA 330 Critical Disability Studies and DISA 350 Topics in Critical Disability Studies, Core courses for the CDS Minor; Electives for the CDS Minor
Contact: wandked@wwu.edu
Pau Abustan
||All Pronouns||
Formerly Visiting Assistant Professor, Women Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Graduate TAs assist the operations of the Institute in many invaluable ways, including event logistics and planning, course and curriculum feedback, office hours, and student mentorship and leadership organizing.
Lorraine Floyd
Graduate Student, Rehabilitation Counseling
ICDS GTA Fall 2023 – present
Fred Engelfried
Graduate Student, Environmental Studies / Urban Planning
ICDS GTA Fall 2024 – present
Sarah Lucas-Page
she/her
Graduate Student, Music and Performing Arts
ICDS GTA Fall 2024 – present
Sarah Lucas-Page is an award-winning composer and clarinetist who has dedicated her life to the art of music and activism by continually pushing the boundaries of her creative expression. She has been creating and performing new clarinet music to help fight injustice and bring awareness to issues within the LGBTQIA+ community, Fat Body Politics, Women, and Neurodivergent people. Lucas-Page is pursuing her master’s degree in music composition at Western Washington University, studying with Dr. Charles Halka, Dr. Robert Hamilton, and Dr. Rachel Yoder. She is a Graduate Assistant for the Institute for Critical Disability Studies department and the music department.
The ICDS is grateful for the work that our Graduate Assistants have done to help the Institute meet our growing and changing needs, from helping to plan and manage events, to TAing course in our Minor. We would like to acknowledge them here:
Eden Chapman
Graduate Student, Masters in Teaching
ICDS GTA Fall 2023 – Summer 2024
Spike Osadchuk
Graduate Student, Anthropology
ICDS GTA Fall 2022 – Winter 2024
Hidemi Mitani Shen
she/her
Graduate Student, Computer Science
ICDS GTA Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
Find office hours for Co-directors, Graduate Assistants, and Faculty teaching DISA courses here
For questions about joining Institute for Critical Disability Studies standing committees, ad-hoc committees, and task forces, please email icds@wwu.edu.
* = this committee is looking for additional members
The Institute for Critical Disability Studies (ICDS) is hiring graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) for the 2024-2025 academic year to support the Institute and its mission to promote disability studies coursework, host events that bridge he academic-community divide, and to support disability culture, awareness, and advocacy at Western Washington University.
We expect to hire two to three graduate students to serve in full-time salaried, half-time salaried, and/or hourly nonsalaried graduate teaching assistant (GTA) positions for individual Fall, Winter, and/or Spring quarters of 2024/25, and/or for the full 2024-2025 academic year (Fall, Winter, and Spring quarter).
The full details and application forms for this position can also be downloaded as a word document.
Application deadline for all 2024-25 ICDS GTA positions: 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 25, 2024.
Hiring decisions will be announced on or before Monday September 02, 2024. Fall positions start on Monday, September 16, 2024.
ICDS GTAs have many responsibilities. They will directly support ICDS students, critical disability studies minors, and the ICDS student community by holding regular office hours and by supporting the activities of the ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC).
Specific additional responsibilities will be decided upon mutual discussion and agreement between individual GTAs and Institute Co-Directors in the areas of academic support, program support, and Institute support (see What are the GTA job responsibilities? section below). Example additional GTA responsibilities may include assisting with organizing events, web and social media work, and otherwise assisting with academic programming in Critical Disability Studies, including moderating discussions on disability-related topics and/or grading coursework within the Critical Disability Studies minor.
ICDS GTAs have many responsibilities. They will directly support ICDS students, critical disability studies minors, and the ICDS student community by holding regular office hours and by supporting the activities of the ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC).
GTA Responsibilities will also include a subset of the following in these three areas of support need, which will be determined with each GTA individually upon mutual discussion and agreement between GTA and Institute Co-Directors:
This position is open to all WWU graduate students regardless of disability status or field of study. We are particularly interested in welcoming applicants with diverse and intersecting identities, particularly disabled, neurodiverse, chronically ill, BIPOC, queer, and gender non-conforming individuals.
Please note: If your graduate program is not state-supported (i.e. is offered through OCE, office of continuing education), you cannot received salaried GTA support and must apply for an hourly nonsalaried position.
The GTA position is available as full-time salaried, half-time salaried, and hourly nonsalaried. The position requires approximately 20 hours per week for full-time appointments, 10 hours per week for half-time, and between 5-9 hours per week for hourly positions.
Salaried GTAs will receive the standard pay and health insurance benefits of an academic graduate teaching assistant. Full-time and half-time salaried positions include full graduate tuition waivers. Compensation for hourly nonsalaried GTA positions will be consistent with the current wage schedule for graduate assistants.
GTAs will report directly to the ICDS Co-Directors and administrative manager. Hourly GTA positions require timely reporting of hours through electronic time sheets maintained by the GTA and approved by the ICDS.
To apply, submit your Resume/CV and the ICDS Graduate Assistant Application attached to the end of the Job Description word document; it includes basic applicant info, interest survey, and space for an approx. 1 page cover letter. Send documents to icds@wwu.edu and cc both mcgrewg2@wwu.edu and lucchea@wwu.edu “ICDS Graduate Assistant Application” and your last name.
The application and cover letter should explain the following information:
Applications are due 11:59 pm Sunday, August 25th.
Applications have closed
Frequently asked questions about the ICDS Graduate Teaching Assistant positions
These appointments differ in salary, benefits, minimum enrollment to apply, and whether other campus jobs can be accepted simultaneously. Paychecks are disbursed biweekly (every 2 weeks).
No, the tuition waiver does not cover student fees: a full table of costs for 2023-2024 is linked here
For salaried (full-time and half-time) positions, you must be enrolled full-time, or 8 credits per quarter minimum, for each quarter you will be employed as a salaried grad assistant.
For non-salaried (hourly part-time) positions, you do not have to be enrolled full-time, but you do need to be enrolled at least half-time, or 4 credits per quarter minimum, for each quarter you will be employed as a grad assistant.
Previous years’ calls for GTAs.
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
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.
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.
Our UnConference is broken down into two days. Everyone is expected to attend both days of the event.
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.
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.
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:
The following information will be updated to reflect 2024 information soon:
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.
The WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies supports faculty, staff, and community members with fellowships to develop programs and carry out projects related to disability scholarship and advocacy. Each year, we build a cohort of Fellows from differing professional and advocacy backgrounds. These fellows meet periodically throughout the calendar year to work together on their projects and learn from each other’s skills and interests.
Fellows are awarded $3,000 annually as part of their Fellowship. Fellows also have the opportunity to consult with one or more paid Project Mentors during their time in the Program.
The goal of the WWU ICDS Fellows Program is to create a venue where faculty, staff, and local community members can develop collaborative programs and initiatives related to disability scholarship and advocacy.
Some possible projects could include, but are not limited to:
While we would like you to have some ideas and general direction for what you’d like to do as a Fellow, you do not have to have a firm plan finalized in order to be accepted into the ICDS Fellows Program. Much of our early work in the Fellows Program can include planning and project development in consultation with Program Mentors and with the collective support of your peers in the Program.
The participation of Fellows in the Program is structured as follows:
This is a process-driven program, rather than a product-driven program. What this means is that you will be working toward a goal, but it is not vital that you finish the project within the year of the fellowship. Some projects may turn out to be too big and ambitious to finish in just one year. The Fellows Program is here to help you along the journey.
There are three main outcomes for the fellows program:
Applications for the 2024 Fellows Cohort will open on Friday, March 01, 2024 and will be due at 11:59 pm on Monday, April 01, 2024. Finalists will be contacted for interviews in the first half of April.
Fellows partner with ICDS Fellows Mentors, who are faculty, staff, or community member mentors with expertise or experience in disability scholarship and/or advocacy. Mentors meet with Fellows to discuss their projects and offer support. Project Mentors are compensated for each mentorship session.
If you are interested in serving as part of our Mentor team, please contact icds@wwu.edu so that the ICDS co-directors can follow-up with your questions and set up a phone call or Zoom meeting.
Chapi / Sharon Alfaro
she/her/ella
Hello, my name is Sharon Alfaro but I go by Chapi. My pronouns are she/her/ella. I have worked in the mental health industry for four years up to very recently and it is my biggest passion of all. This is why I decided to make my project mental health and illness related. I currently work as a phlebotomist at labcorp and am a full time mom to three fur babies. I am more than excited for this fellowship and hope I can wow everyone. My goal is not just to wow everyone, but also educate my community and fellow Latinx members
Steve Hickenbottom
he/him
I’m an educator from Seattle, Washington, working in transition skills for students with disabilities at Edmonds College. I grew up in the Ballard area of Seattle and received my bachelor’s degree in history from Western Washington University in 2008. After college I started working as a Special Education paraprofessional in the Seattle School district. Eventually I went back to school and received a Washington State Teaching Certificate in Special Education and taught in the Seattle and Shoreline School districts before moving to Edmonds College in 2023. In my role at Edmonds College I work to support students developing self advocacy and workplace readiness skills as they transition from high school to college/work. I love working with my students and seeing them discover their strengths and passions!
In my free time I enjoy spending time outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, particularly the North Cascades. I love exploring new places and meeting new people along the way. In the ICDS Fellowship I’m excited to explore ways to expand disability services to historically underserved populations through outreach and education. Access to services should not depend on an individual’s income or circumstances and I’m passionate about finding ways to expand access to local and state resources for people with disabilities.
Alexander Jones
he/him
Alexander Jones, the Accessibility Specialist at Woodland Park Zoo focuses on all aspects of accessibility as it intersects with the guest, staff, and volunteer experience. He implemented The Guest Inclusion Program, a grant funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services focused on creating inclusive informal programming across the zoo based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Working in the field of accessibility for over 9 years he brings a diverse perspective with both lived experience identifying as an individual with disabilities, a background in ADA compliance, Web Accessibility, a human design-centered approach, and adaptive therapeutic recreation. Alexander currently serves on the Seattle Cultural Accessibility Consortium as a steering committee member. While much of his work has been in the space of accessibility he is excited to dig deeper into disability justice in the fellowship at Western Washington University. He hopes this work will help create a deeper impact amplifying more disabled voices.
Erica Bigelow
I’m a philosophy PhD student at the University of Washington, and am working toward a graduate certificate in science, technology, and society studies. I hold a bachelor’s degree from Stonehill College in North Easton, MA, and a master’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. I’m also a steward & organizer with UAW4121, and a philosopher-in-residence at Rainier Beach High school in Seattle.
My academic interests are quite wide-reaching; they mostly lie at the crossroads of structural injustice, disability, social epistemology, feminist philosophies, affect, and applied ethics. Some of my current projects include an evaluation of the hermeneutical and phenomenological good that diagnosis can serve as, an examination of the ways that anger gets recapitulated as Madness and the unique harms that its bearer thus becomes subjected to, and, more recently, a paper exploring the harm perpetuated by characterizing the COVID-19 pandemic through militaristic metaphors.
Kat DeNicola
she/her
I received my Master’s degree in Counseling Education with a Rehabilitation specialty in 2014 from Portland State University. I have experience working in the vocational rehabilitation field, teaching assistive technology, and working with disabled college students which is what I currently do as an Access Manager at the WWU Disability Access Center.
One of the strongest messages disabled people receive from society is that we are broken. We are often viewed as less-than, as burdens. These judgments result in assumptions of what we can and cannot do, and thus what we are allowed and not allowed to do. As a totally blind woman, I believe the disabled body is something to be celebrated. We find ways to dance, to nurture, to create, to play sports, to make love, … And in our current climate where physical attacks on members of minority groups are increasing, we have the right to find ways to defend ourselves. The goal of my project is to provide general awareness and training to local self defense instructors on adapting their teaching techniques so that any disabled person can access training specific to their needs in an inclusive and accessible environment.
Erin Howard
they/them
Erin is a genderqueer and neuroqueer disabled scientist working for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory at the University of Washington. They graduated from Western Washington University in June 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and math/computer science, with minors in astronomy and statistics. Their time at Western was spent advocating for disabled students and working with the College of Science and Engineering through the Student Ambassadors Program to help make classrooms more accommodating to everyone. In their free time, Erin works with the University of Washington’s Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) program as a panelist talking about the life of a disabled student and worker.
Jzy ||All Pronouns|| (Jazmine Joy De Leon Balila/Yeeles)
Z devised their concentration in Declaration of Interdependence: Reclamation, Remediation, and Creation, minoring in Chemistry. They exist and operate in scalars–broadening perspectives and inviting specifications into moments and cases. She is of the ocean, space, and the elements. He devotes himself to timelessness and presence.
Melina Juárez Pérez
she/they
Melina Juárez Pérez is an Assistant Professor in Political Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They were born and raised in the Central Valley, California in a Mexican immigrant farmworker community. Their work focuses on the lives, health, and happiness of Latinx and BIPoC communities, particularly that of fat, disabled, queer, and women folk. Her time as a CDS Fellow will be spent on examining the ways disability functions within Latinidad and how it shapes relationships among Latinxs.
To reach the ICDS Fellows Program team with questions, please address emails to both of the following email addresses: icds@wwu.edu and icds.fellows.program@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com.
The Mark West Scholarship has been established to support WWU students who are engaging in scholarship related to disability studies and accessibility. The award is also open to those who are contributing to disability culture at Western in non-academic ways, such as through arts, activism or advocacy work. This award is made possible by the generous donation of Maureen West, WWU trustee and Disability Studies advocate.
Award distribution: Academic Year, beginning Fall
Award amount: $1,000
Number of awards: 1 – 2
Applications open: March 01, 2025
Application deadline: 11:59 pm, Thursday, May 01, 2025
Letter of recommendation deadline: 11:59 pm, Thursday, May 01, 2025.
Contact: icds@wwu.edu
Note: The Mark West Scholarship Application Form will open again in 2025
Applicants are judged on three main criteria:
This year, we are please to announce two awardees, one undergraduate and one graduate student.
Cori Foster
they/them
Cori is a WWU Alumni, who received their BA in Recreation Management and Leadership with a Minor in History, and is a former Disability Outreach Center student employee. During Cori’s time at WWU, they have promoted ADEI, consulted offices on accessibility improvements, and run Disabled community and educational events. They are pursuing their MA in Rehabilitation Counseling, following their dream of working in social services, primarily serving Disabled and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Cori’s passion for working with Disabled individuals comes from their own experience as a Disabled person. They are familiar with the challenges of navigating an inaccessible world and hope to be a relatable Vocational Counselor. In their free time, Cori spends their time analyzing intersectional materials, gardening, crocheting, and spending time with their spouse and their ESA, Pickles.
Kim Miller
We are pleased to announce the awardees for the Mark West Scholarship! Two undergraduate students are receiving the award for the 2023-2024 academic year:
Jordan Van Haften
they/them
Jordan is a CSD major and honors student pursuing a minor in the new critical disability studies program. They come from Murrieta, California and have the intersectional identity of being autistic, genderqueer, aromantic, and asexual. Their future goals moving forward is to study audiology and use what they learn in critical disability courses to help to provide accommodations for disabled individuals along with bringing information on disabled history, culture, and issues to the medical sector- which is historically dominated by the medical model of disability. Beyond this, they want to work to help amplify voices of marginalized groups and inform the public of both past and prevalent social issues so that these problems can be acknowledged, understood, and work to be fixed.
Sebastian Mayotte
I am a passionate student and proud advocate for social justice, and while originally from Michigan I decided to return to higher education in the PNW back in 2020. Since then, I have been pursuing a rather ambitious Triple-Major/Triple-Minor program meant to provide me with both multi- and interdisciplinary approaches to the various social & economic injustices that we continue to face today.
I am incredibly optimistic for our future and the good work that this next generation of activists will certainly bring. For my part in this mission, I have the long goal of taking what Western has taught me to Law School in order to specialize in human and civil rights law, and to fight for legal protections to the various communities who are far too often left unprotected, marginalized and oppressed.
I am a firm believer of a natural and overall goodness found in human beings, and that the work we invest today will be what decides if we can ever one day live together within a positive peace with equal security for one another regardless of our cognitive or physical makeups, ethnic or religious backgrounds, or identities of race, sexuality or gender. While It may seem utopian, the more time I spend at western immersed in my studies, actively engaged in campus clubs, and volunteering with the various grassroots community organization that proliferate Bellingham, the more certain I am that achieving this human destiny is only a matter of “when” and not “if” for ourselves.
We are pleased to announce the awardees for the Mark West Scholarship! We had a large number of deserving applicants, including many excellent applications from undergraduates and graduate students alike. We have chosen one undergraduate and one graduate to receive the award for the 2022-2023 academic year:
Phoenix Booth
they/them/theirs
I have an intersectional identity that includes being crip, queer, non-binary, white and I am a first-generation college student from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. I hold a BFA in metalsmithing, a master’s in Critical Craft Studies, and am a master’s candidate in the history program at WWU. My research passion is the topic of therapeutic craft, and I am currently exploring it from a cultural history perspective. My inquiry considers how craft was used in American medical institutions from 1888 to 1917. I am placing my inquiry at the intersections of disability history, craft history, and occupational therapy/medical history to tease out associations and implications commonly overlooked. A deep understanding of the socially constructed nature of disability lies at the heart of my inquiry and will inform my analysis of primary source materials regarding historical therapeutic craft practices.
Hillary Banks
she/they
Hillary Banks is a Fairhaven major and WGSS minor. They have taken WGSS 450 on disability studies, helping her find her voice. They are a queer, non-binary and pan-sexual, disabled, multi-racial, and Black identifying student. Having done activist organizing in the past, they continue to fight for intersectional justice and liberation of minorities and the environment. Helping organize a local Bellingham chapter for Black Lives Matter, they are interested in furthering education and research into topics of disability and liberation to better inform future efforts.
We are excited to be able to support students in their academic work through scholarships, internships, and student employment opportunities, including jobs in graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs), educational work study, undergraduate peer learning assistantships (PLAs) and faculty assistantships (FAs), and short-term event-based student staff positions that support ICDS events.
Check back as we add more opportunities below, or subscribe to announcements at the bottom of this page to stay in the loop!
Thanks to our generous donors from Give Day, ICDS is pleased to announce the addition of two new scholarships, available to declared Minors in Critical Disability Studies.
P.S. Want to support students directly? Anyone can contribute to this ICDS General Scholarship Fund today using this link.
Post last updated; Jan 2025
Post last updated: Jan 2025
Post last updated: September 2024
Post last updated: Jan 2025
The ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC) employs a number of paid leadership positions to support the student-run committee’s mission to create a safe and supportive space for disabled student and allies to foster a growing community of inclusion, accessibility, and disability culture, and to ensure that disabled students are represented and included at all levels of the Institute’s operations.
ICDS is currently able to nominally compensate the ICDS SAC Leadership Team on an hourly basis for attended meetings and Advisory Council leadership work. We encourage those who are interested in future leadership openings to get involved as regular attending members: job openings for leadership positions will prioritize students who have a history of engagement with SAC.
Openings will be updated on an as-needed basis.
Post last updated: Jan 2025
We are not yet accepting applications for 2025 UnConference Student Employees
Post last updated: Jan 2025
We are not yet accepting applications for 2025 UnConference Student Employees
Fall 2024 UnConference Student Co-Facilitator and Support Staff positions are now open for staffing the 4th Annual UnConference. Applicants must be able to work both Saturday and Sunday, October 19 & 20, 2024.
Post last updated July 2024.
Daman Wandke is an Instructor who teaches Disability Studies courses and is looking for a teaching assistant (TA) to join his TA team. Learn more about job #68654 here (requires WWU login).
Please contact Daman Wandke wandked@wwu.edu with questions on current job availability.
Coming soon!
Questions about ICDS scholarships and internships? Contact icds.scholarships@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com
Questions about ICDS graduate and undergraduate student employment? Contact icds@wwu.edu
Post last updated: September 2024
Post last updated: September 2024
The ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC) employs a number of paid leadership positions to support the student-run committee’s mission to create a safe and supportive space for disabled student and allies to foster a growing community of inclusion, accessibility, and disability culture, and to ensure that disabled students are represented and included at all levels of the Institute’s operations.
Post last updated Fall 2023.
Daman Wandke is an Instructor who teaches Disability Studies courses and is looking for a teaching assistant (TA) to join his TA team. Learn more about job #66743 here (requires WWU login).
Please contact Daman Wandke wandked@wwu.edu with questions on current job availability.
The Mark West Scholarship will begin accepting applications for the 2024-25 Academic Year on March 01, 2024. The deadline for all materials will be 11:59 pm on May 01, 2024.
Award distribution: Fall
Award amount: $1,000
Deadline to submit the 2024 application: 11:59 pm, May 01, 2024
Deadline for letters of recommendation: 11:59 pm, May 01, 2024
Contact: icds@wwu.edu with questions
The Mark West Scholarship has been established to support students who are engaging in scholarship related to disability studies and accessibility. The award is also open to those who are contributing to disability culture at Western in non-academic ways, such as through arts, activism or advocacy work. This award is made possible by the generous donation of Maureen West, WWU trustee and Disability Studies advocate. Awards will be selected by the co-directors of the Institute for Critical Disability Studies.
To apply, submit an application consisting of the following:
Applicants will be judged on three main criteria
Application essays should focus on these three elements, if possible. However, applicants may be successful if they only demonstrate one of these elements.
Recommendations should be around 300 words, and they should address the applicant’s academic potential or potential to contribute to campus culture. If possible, recommendations should also attest to the student’s potential for contributing in terms of disability-related academic work or advocacy.
Letters should be emailed by the recommender directly to icds.scholarship@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com.
The WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies (ICDS) represents a group of students, faculty, and staff committed to engaging with disability through an interdisciplinary, intersectional, and collaborative approach.
Our mission is to promote the academic field of critical disability studies, to foster discourse around accessible teaching and scholarship, and to engage with the campus and local community around issues of disability, accessibility, and culture. The Institute’s core components include:
Read more about the Critical Disability Studies minor, coursework, and academic program here.
Save tuned! Our Fourth Annual Fall UnConference will be happening in October, 2024! Learn more about this last yea’s 2023 UnConference here.
Read all news and announcements…