Disability Studies and Action Collaborative

Disability Culture, Scholarship, and Community

Posts tagged with: Events

5th Annual UnConference kicks off with a public keynote on October 17

We at the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies are excited for now our 5th Annual Disability Studies & Action Collaborative UnConference happening the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, 2025, during Disability Action Month at WWU. While registration for the event has closed, we will be kicking off the event with a Pre-UnConference Keynote presentation on Friday, October 17 that will be free and open to all. This event is titled, Disability in Place: Unmaking as Practice presented by Dr. Kathleen Brian, and is hosted by the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies, WWU Disability Outreach Center, and Disability Access Center.

Join us at 11:00 am on Friday, October 17 in-person in Academic Instructional West (AW) room 302 of the WWU Bellingham Campus or virtually on Zoom. After the presentation at 12:00 pm, there will be a light lunch reception sponsored by the WWU Disability Outreach Center.

Disability in Place: Unmaking as Practice

From 2021 to early 2025, the National Parks Service and the National Council on Public History fostered the creation of an interdisciplinary anthology of place-based disability history.

Then, on the verge of its completion, the politics of our moment unmade it.

Join editor Dr. Kathleen Brian to discuss the life and lives of Disability and Place, the first accessibly written, peer reviewed work to address historical intersections of disability and place, forthcoming from the University of Illinois Press.

Event Details

  • Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
  • Location: AW 302 (Academic Instructional West, room 302) & Zoom
  • Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm for presentation.
    • Lunch reception follows, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm


Help us get a better head count for this event:


Want more free public events that center disability? Please consider donating to support future ICDS Events.

Fall UnConference happening Oct 21-22!

On October 21nd and 22rd, 2023, we are hosting our third annual Disability Studies and Action Collaborative UnConference! Similar to last year, this will be a two-day event hosted at Western Washington University, and it will be offered in a hybrid modality (both face-to-face and virtual participation options). Please visit our DSAC UnConference webpage to access the full event description and application form.

About the UnConference

Everyone who participates in the event will take part in two days of programming. On the first day, people will be put into working groups to discuss important issues related to disability, access, and action. This day will include workshops and discussions in small and large groups. On the second day, participants will give long or short presentations and have dialogs about scholarly, professional, and personal projects and experiences. Coaching will be available for those who want some extra support in preparing and giving their presentations. 

All are welcome to apply for the UnConference, including college students, faculty, and staff; members of the nonprofit, private, and public sectors; educators; artists; and activists. We are particularly interested in welcoming participants who are disabled or members of other marginalized populations, including BIPOC, queer, or gender nonconforming people. The UnConference has a participation fee on a sliding scale from $0 to $250. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com and icds@wwu.edu. We would also like to encourage you to send us the names of any organizations or individuals we should send this invitation to. 

Applications are due August 04, 2023. Learn more and apply to join the 2023 UnConference here.

Disability Studies and Action Collaborative UnConference 2023 promotional flyer. Event is Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22, 2023. It is a hybrid and in person event at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. The application deadline is Friday, August 4, 2023. Join us for Activism and advocacy, community building, critical disability studies scholarship, access and equity, arts, and culture. The QR code links to https://wp.wwu.edu/disabilitycollaborative/events/unconference/

Fall UnConference happening Oct 22-23!

On October 22nd and 23rd, 2022, we hosted the second-annual Disability Studies and Action Collaborative UnConference. This was a two-day event hosted at Western Washington University, and it was offered in a hybrid modality (bot face-to-face and remote digital participation). Please visit our DSAC UnConference webpage to access the full event description and application form.

About the UnConference

Everyone who participates in the event will take part in two days of programming. On the first day, people will be put into working groups to discuss important issues related to disability, access, and action. This day will include workshops and discussions in small and large groups. On the second day, participants will give long or short presentations and have dialogs about scholarly, professional, and personal projects and experiences. Coaching will be available for those who want some extra support in preparing and giving their presentations. 

All are welcome to apply for the UnConference, including college students, faculty, and staff; members of the nonprofit, private, and public sectors; educators; artists; and activists. We are particularly interested in welcoming participants who are disabled or members of other marginalized populations, including BIPOC, queer, or gender nonconforming people. The UnConference has a participation fee on a sliding scale from $0 to $250. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at icds.unconference@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com. We would also like to encourage you to send us the names of any organizations or individuals we should send this invitation to. 

Applications were due August 12, 2022.

Support Critical Disability Studies this WWU Give Day

WWU Give Day is coming up!  This is the new Institute for Critical Disability Studies’ (ICDS’) very first public fundraising opportunity as of our Spring 2022 launch and official institute status!  We could not have made it this far without your collective contributions in organization and planning, feedback, and encouragement: THANK YOU!
 
Are you imagining all the awesome things the Institute could be doing in the coming years, such as putting on our next UnConference, funding new DISA course development, hiring staff, scheduling workshops, bringing in speakers, and funding student internships and scholarships?
 
Help ICDS grow our resources to confidently support students, faculty, and staff.  Encourage your connections to give, and give as you are able: even the smallest donations will make a difference!
 
  • How you can help ICDS fundraise for Give Day:
    • Become a Give Day Ambassador – sign up now to help recruit donors and share on social media in advance of Give Day with the tags #WWUGiveDay and #WWUICDS.
    • Spread the word by sharing our Give Day page with friends, family, and potential donors, and let them know why Critical Disability Studies, accessibility, and the DSAC community matter to you!
    • Give early!  Early Give Day is Wednesday May 18th for only 24 hours: Get a head start on giving and build momentum for the Institute.
    • Give on Give Day!  Give Day is Thursday May 26th.
 
Help give this little ICDS seedling a strong start this spring!
A tiny green seedling with two green leaflets sprouts from soil. The seedling represents the new Institute which has just officially sprouted this Spring.

Image of a green seedling sprouting from the soil
“Seedling” by _sjg_ is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

 

Upcoming Event: Faculty Roundtable on May 12, 2022

On May 12th at 3:30pm, we’ll be hosting a Roundtable on Teaching Disability in the Disciplines. This fully online event will bring faculty from across the university together to talk about how disability-related content fits into their teaching. The aim is to show how disability studies can find a home in a range of fields, which will provide models for other faculty interested in teaching about disability. 

Learn more and register to attend by clicking the link below: 

Faculty Roundtable: Teaching Disability in the Disciplines

Join us for the DSI’s first event of the academic year!

 

The Disability Intersections Roundtable. 

This virtual roundtable — to be held from 1:30-3:00 p.m. PST on Saturday, October 16 — marks the Western Washington University Institute for Critical Disability Studies’ first event of the academic year, and we will be joined by Dr. Nirmala Erevelles, Dr. Margaret Price, Dr. Ellen Samuels, and Dr. Rana Yaghmaian, who will offer brief 7–10-minute presentations about their research related to disability and intersectionality. This will be followed by an open-ended conversation in which presenters and members of the audience will be invited to participate. We aim to create a space for difficult conversations, particularly about the ways that disability, race, and health status interact.

This event is sponsored by the Chuckanut Health Foundation and the WWU Institute for Critical Disability Studies.

Use this Zoom link to join the webinar: https://wwu-edu.zoom.us/j/94952448140?pwd=K0tpcjlJWGpmczVkVXNGTnhwUG1OZz09

Attendees on campus wishing to view the roundtable can do so in CV 207. All in-person attendees must be in compliance with WWU’s COVID-19 policy and remain masked and socially distanced during the event.

DSSC Schedule for 2021-22

Members of the Disability Studies Steering Committee (DSSC) are looking forward to an exciting academic year. We hope you will make room in your schedule for one, several, or all of the following:  

 

  • The schedule for the DSSC, its working subcommittees, and the Interim Advisory Council is now available on the Events page. The calendar offers several options for adding events to a personal calendar, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall.

 

 

  • Do you know of an event that should be featured on the DSSC’s calendar? Email Kathleen Brian (briank@wwu.edu) to share the news. 

2021 Listening Sessions – Disability Studies Institute Formation

Disability Studies Institute at Western: Listening Sessions

From February 23 to March 4th, the Disability Studies Steering Committee is holding virtual “listening sessions” with Western Community Members. These sessions are sponsored by students, faculty, and staff working on issues related to disability and access at Western, and now we are currently forming an Institute on Disability Studies.

Read more on our process here: https://wp.wwu.edu/disabilitycollaborative/proposing-the-disability-studies-institute/

 

Topics for discussion will include:

  • Establishing a new cross-department institute in Disability Studies
    • Feedback on the pre-proposal document that was approved by the Provost’s Office
    • Mission and focus of an institute
    • Leadership structure
  • Additional topics for discussion can also include:
    • Building a new interdisciplinary minor in Disability Studies
    • Creating new courses across the majors that address issues of disability culture, access, and ableism
    • Addressing issues of ableism and unfair treatment of students and faculty with disabilities
    • Building networks between Western and the surrounding community on issues of disability

 

We are holding listening sessions for both students and faculty at these:

 

If you cannot make these listening sessions, or if you would like to also provide feedback in another way, you are invited to respond to this survey, which will be open during the months of February and March 2021:
https://wwu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_09xQCMZl8PNK50O?Source=wppost

 

Image gives the impression of a colorful board game path made steps in how the Disability Studies Institute is forming. We started with discussions and brainstorming years ago, followed by the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative organizing an UnConference in Fall of 2019. Shortly thereafter, the Disability Studies Steering Committee was formed, and began listening sessions in Winter Quarter of 2020 to gather ideas and concerns from WWU community members to draft a Disability Studies Institute pre-proposal document. In Summer 2020, the pre-proposal was submitted to the Provost's office, and was reviewed favorably, inviting us to submit a full institute proposal. We are here! Now, in Winter quarter 2021, we'll begin a second set of Listening Sessions and collecting surveys to solicit feedback from the WWU communty. Our goal is to refine the ideas, valus, and priorities that matter to us as a community. In the future, we plan to draft the full proposal from our listening sessions, survey feedback, and steering committee members, solicit additional community feedback, and finally submit the revised full proposal in Summer of 2021.

We are here! En route to the formation of a Disability Studies Institute at Western, we are soliciting feedback from the Western community via a second round of Listening Sessions and a survey. There are still more steps ahead of us, but we are excited to share this journey with you!

For more information, please contact disabilitystudies.wwu@gmail.com

 

Future Events Pending

We are in the process of scheduling events for the 2020/21 academic year. However, the COVID pandemic has but a hold on many of our activities. To get updates on future events, please contact us at wwu.disabilitystudies@gmail.com

Photograph of a strip of smooth and well-packed down gravel in strong focus. Everything else is out of focus, and might be a sunset.

Image focuses on a strip of pebbles on the ground during a sunset

Listening Sessions – Disability Studies and Action Collaborative

Disability at Western Listening Sessions

From February 14th to March 3rd, the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative is holding “listening sessions” with faculty and students from around campus. These sessions are sponsored by students, faculty, and staff who are working on issues related to disability and access at Western.

Advertising poster for listening sessions. All text on poster is included

Click here to enlarge and download poster

Topics for discussion will include:

  • Building a new interdisciplinary minor in Disability Studies
  • Creating new courses across the majors that address issues of disability culture, access, and ableism
  • Establishing a new cross-department institute in Disability Studies
  • Discussing campus accessibility issues
  • Addressing issues of ableism and unfair treatment of students and faculty with disabilities
  • Building networks between Western and the surrounding community on issues of disability

We are holding listening sessions for both students and faculty:

Listening Sessions for Students

  • Tue, Feb 18, 2pm in VU 552
  • Thu, Feb 27, 12pm in SL 150
  • Mon, Mar 2, 3pm in HH 153

Listening Sessions for Faculty

  • Fri, Feb 14, 4pm in CV 103
  • Fri, Feb 21, 1pm in HU 107
  • Thu, Feb 27, 5pm in CV 103
  • Tue, Mar 3, 3pm in CV 104

For more information, please contact disabilitystudies.wwu@gmail.com