2016 Pacific and Western Disability Studies Symposium
Making Disability Public: Art, Scholarship, and Activism
**PDF of the Symposium program can be found at the bottom of this page.**
The Call for Proposals for workshop papers, posters, and art is now CLOSED. Attendees are still welcome to register in advance for the community events on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Lunch registration is closed.
Free public events May 12-14, 2016, hosted by the Disability Studies Program, University of Washington. Join us!
Events will take place on the campuses of UW Seattle and UW Bothell.
Featured speakers include Chicago-based artist Riva Lehrer and Seattle's own novelist Nicola Griffith!
Website: http://tinyurl.com/PWDS2016UW
We request that you RSVP for all Symposium events you wish to attend, using this form by April 29th: https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/hdevans/294811
Note: Lunch will be provided on Saturday, May 14, to those who RSVP.
Updated information will be provided about accessibility, directions, and parking. Please go to this page: https://depts.washington.edu/disstud/accessibility-locations-parking-symposium
Please be scent-free, for the health and safety of our community members with chemical sensitivity.
Wireless access during the Symposium: UW NetID: event0722 / Password: UU24_VW37_QC84
Important Dates
- April 29: Registration deadline
- May 1: Workshop participants submit final papers to assigned groups
- May 12, 1:00-2:30pm, ARC 2nd floor, UW Bothell: Riva Lehrer talk, "Jarred: Self Portrait in Formaldehyde"
- JUST ADDED May 13, 12:00-1:30, MGH 024 (D Center): Meet & greet our invited speakers, RIVA LEHRER, Ryan Parrey and Kelly Munger-Parrey.
- May 13, 4:30-7:00pm, ODE 220: Disability Arts & Culture, with Riva Lehrer & Nicola Griffith & posters/art
- May 14, 10am-5pm, HUB 250: Critical Collaborations: Disability Studies in Teaching, Service, and Advocacy, symposium panels & posters/art & workshops
- May 14, 7-9pm, HUB 332: hosted by the D Center, "Un(dis)sing Our Abilities Film Screening" (FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1709951619221226/)
About The Symposium:
The Pacific and Western Disability Studies Symposium 2016: Making Disability Public: Art, Scholarship, and Activism, involves several events that are free and open to the public at the University of Washington Seattle and Bothell campuses, May 12-14, 2016. This year, the symposium will feature events that showcase talented artists, highlight advocacy being done on our campuses and in our communities, and provide space for scholars to share work in the field of Disability Studies. Emerging scholars and activists are especially encouraged to submit their manuscripts, posters, and art pieces, and all are invited to attend the full symposium in which we engage with ways of making disability public through arts, scholarship, and activism.
Symposium schedule:
Thursday, May 12, 1:00-2:30pm
Riva Lehrer talk, “Jarred: Self Portrait in Formaldehyde”
University of Washington, Bothell, ARC, 2nd floor
What does it mean to encounter oneself as an exhibit in a medical museum? Riva Lehrer talks about her experience of staring, both as the subject of viewers’ curiosity, and as a portrait artist who considers how to be ethical as she depicts other non-normative bodies.
Event co-sponsored by Disability Studies Program, Social Justice Organizers, UWB & CC, School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, School of Nursing & Health Studies
We are pleased to welcome Chicago-based artist Riva Lehrer, an award-winning painter, writer, and speaker whose work explores issues of identity and cultural depictions of disability. Her visual art and writing have been featured in several documentary films and publications. Among her best-known projects is “Circle Stories,” a series of portraits of disabled people with careers in the arts, academia, and activism (website: http://www.rivalehrerart.com).
FB event for May 12: https://www.facebook.com/events/704518686356931/
Friday, May 13, 12:00-1:30pm
“Meet & Greet, with artist Riva Lehrer and DS scholars Ryan Parrey and Kelly Munger-Parrey"
University of Washington, Seattle, MGH 024 (the D Center)
Come for snacks and casual conversation about studying in our field, finding a job, being an activist. Ryan & Kelly are our confirmed guests so far, stay tuned for more updates. Both of them hold PhDs in Disability Studies from UIC. Ryan is now the acting director of the DS Certificate Program at Eastern Washington University, His research interests include gender studies and phenomenology, and he’s been an active member of the disability community in Chicago. Kelly’s work is in social psychology and stigma, and she’s a rehab counselor with a DS lens. Please shoot us a note if you might come, and help spread the word! uwdisabilitystudies@gmail.com
Campus map of Mary Gates Hall (URL http://www.washington.edu/maps/#!/mgh)
The D Center is a scent-free space. It's wheelchair accessible. Room 024 is on the ground floor. https://www.facebook.com/UW.D.Center/
Friday, May 13, 4:30-7:00pm
“Disability Arts & Culture, with Riva Lehrer & Nicola Griffith”
University of Washington, Seattle, ODE 220
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4:30-5:00 Poster and Art Display
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5:15 Reading by Nicola Griffith
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6:00 Presentation by Riva Lehrer
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6:30 Q & A
We're honored to host a reading & discussion with Nicola Griffith, whose science fiction and historical fiction novels include Ammonite, Slow River, and Hild. Griffith will talk about disability in her work and participate in Q & A with Riva Lehrer about the making of her portrait "Nicola Griffith / Snow Leopard" that's featured on the advertising for this event. Griffith is a native of Yorkshire, England, now a dual US/UK citizen living in Seattle with her wife, fellow writer Kelley Eskridge. Her six novels, including Hild (2013), have won the Washington State Book Award, the Tiptree, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards, the Premio Italia, and the Lambda Literary Award. Her shorter work appears in a variety of journals such as Nature, New Scientist, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She was diagnosed with MS 23 years ago—the same month her first novel was published. Find her @nicolaz and https://nicolagriffith.com.
We welcome Chicago-based artist Riva Lehrer, an award-winning painter, writer, and speaker whose work explores issues of identity and cultural depictions of disability. She is considered one of the foremost artists and curators in the field of Disability Culture. Lehrer is best known for representations of people with impairments and those whose sexuality or gender identity have long been stigmatized. Her visual art and writing have been featured in several documentary films and publications. Among her best-known projects is “Circle Stories,” a series of portraits of disabled people with careers in the arts, academia, and activism. Lehrer writes about her latest project, "The Risk Pictures": "For twenty years, I have been using the language of portraiture to explore what it means to live in a stigmatized body. My portrait collaborators have often been made to feel ashamed of their physical selves, as a result of being targeted by judgmental, aggressive gazes leveled in their direction. Reasons for stigma might be due to disability, sexuality, gender affiliation or racial identity; all can lead to difficulty in living in one’s actual body." See her work at: http://www.rivalehrerart.com.
Attendees on Friday will also be invited to the poster session of student disability studies research, art, and social justice engagement.
Sponsored by the Disability Studies Program, ASUW Student Disability Commission, College of Education, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, Department of English, Q Center, D Center, and other UW units [full list below]
Campus map and directions to Odegaard Library (ODE), Room 220 (URL http://www.washington.edu/maps/#!/oug)
FB event for May 13: https://www.facebook.com/events/607068906114933/
Saturday, May 14, 10:00am-5:00pm
“Critical Collaborations: Disability Studies in Teaching, Service, and Advocacy”
University of Washington, Seattle, HUB 250 and CMU 204
Full-day symposium with keynote panels, poster and art session, and manuscript workshops, sponsored by the Disability Studies Program, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, ASUW Student Disability Commission, Simpson Center for the Humanities, School of Social Work, Bioethics & Humanities Department, and other campus units [full list below].
- 9:30-10:00am Registration & coffee
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10:00-12:00 Keynote panel: Incorporating Disability Studies and Supporting Students
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Venue is HUB 250.
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Panelists: Maud Steyaert, Director of Disability Services, North Seattle College; Ryan Parrey, Lecturer, Acting Director of Disability Studies Certificate Program, Eastern Washington University.
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Presentations and discussion will address best practices for integrating disability studies into the curriculum, especially for pre-service professionals; making courses meaningfully accessible; and recognizing and countering forms of academic ableism, audism, and neurotypicality in the classroom and on campus.
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12:00-1:30 Lunch & Poster session
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Venue is HUB 214.
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Lunch will be provided to those who register in advance.
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Participants will browse the poster session of student disability studies research, art, and social justice engagement, in HUB 250.
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1:45-2:45 Keynote panel: Eugenics and Disability: Advocating for a Public Apology in Washington
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Venue is HUB 250.
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Panelists: Stephen Jones, Profession, Crop & Soil Sciences, and Director, Washington State University Bread Lab; Joanne Woiak, Lecturer, Disability Studies Program, University of Washington; Noah Seidel, Self-Advocacy Coordinator, The Arc of Washington State.
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Presentations and discussion will explore the history of eugenics in Washington, the recent push for public apologies from state governments, and work happening locally to craft a meaningful apology for eugenics and forced sterilization in Washington.
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3:15-5:15 Concurrent workshops: Emerging Scholarship in Disability Studies
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Meet in CMU 204. Rooms for each workshop group will be posted. Everyone is welcome to relax & network in the reception area.
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Workshop papers will be pre-circulated to those who submitted paper proposals or signed up as moderators.
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Participants will break into small groups to workshop manuscripts and other projects. This is designed to be a space for scholars (especially graduate students) to give and receive feedback on article drafts, grant applications, or other written works-in-progress.
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Campus map and directions to Husky Union Building (HUB), Rooms 250 and 214 (URL http://depts.washington.edu/thehub/home/directions/)
Campus map and directions to Communications Building (CMU), Room 202 The Simpson Center for the Humanities (URL https://simpsoncenter.org/about/facilities/maps)
FB event for May 14: https://www.facebook.com/events/1128810530498249/
Presenter biographies:
Maud Steyaert has several decades' experience in disability and education, both personally as part of the first generation of students mainstreamed into public schools in the 70's as part of IDEA (then called the "Education for All Handicapped Act"), and as a professional with 15 years' experience in higher ed. Her initiation into disability rights began at the World Institute on Disability, where she worked with Ed Roberts and Judy Heumann. After the ADA passed in 1990, she became an educator on ADA compliance at Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund and other agencies. She has worked as a college chaplain after bypassing law school to attend divinity school at Harvard -- where if Helen Keller could do it without access or accommodation, so should you. Most recently she has worked to create disability positive learning environments as a Disability Services provider at Antioch University Seattle, Cascadia College, and currently North Seattle College. The refrain of the keynote speech she gave last summer at a City of Seattle ADA25 event was, "Twenty five years later, ADA compliance is *not optional*".
Ryan C. Parrey is a lecturer in disability studies at Eastern Washington University and is the current Society for Disability Studies Affiliate Scholar. He received his PhD in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies, in Spring 2014. His research and teaching focus on the implications of moments in which the meaning of disability, and our relation to it, is an open question. Outside of academia, he was an active member of the disability community in Chicago, Illinois and is working to find his place in Washington.
Stephen Jones is a professor and wheat breeder at Washington State University in Mount Vernon. He has a PhD in genetics from the University of California, Davis. He has published articles on the history of teaching eugenics and currently teaches graduate classes on advanced classical genetics and the history and ethics of genetics.
Joanne Woiak is lecturer and assistant director of UW Disability Studies. Her PhD research focused on the British eugenics movement, and her subsequent research and teaching has included the history of eugenics and sterilization in Washington. She has presented her findings at numerous conferences and promises to some day publish.
Noah Seidel is a disabled advocate who currently works at The Arc of Washington state as the self-advocate coordinator. Noah studied at the University of Washington where he received a degree in Disability Studies, Political Science, and Comparative History of Ideas. He lives in Lacey Washington where he enjoys playing wheelchair basketball and reading comics.
Saturday, May 14, 7:00-9:00pm
"Un(dis)sing Our Abilities Film Screening”
University of Washington, Seattle HUB 332
Sponsored by the UW D Center and the Disability Studies Program
Campus map & directions to Husky Union Building (HUB), Room 332 (URL http://depts.washington.edu/thehub/home/directions/)
FB event (URL https://www.facebook.com/events/1709951619221226/)
This screening is closed captioned for HoH/Deaf folks, and includes one movie that is audio described. Please refrain from wearing fragrance so that beloved community members can attend.
Featuring a Q&A with the curator and filmmaker Lisa Ganser and participating artists Tobi Hill-Meyer, nomy lamm and other artists TBA.
NOTE: Un(dis)sing Our Abilities is an experimental sexplicit short movie showcase and is 18+.
Contact Information
Symposium Website: https://depts.washington.edu/disstud/pacific-western-ds-symposium
FB event for CFP (link)
Questions should be directed to UW Disability Studies Program. Email: uwdisabilitystudies@gmail.com.
Accessibility:
Please fill out the registration form ASAP in order to help us with accessibility planning.
Updated information will be provided about accessibility, directions, and parking. Please go to this page: https://depts.washington.edu/disstud/accessibility-locations-parking-symposium
We will provide ASL interpretation and CART captioning for the community events and the symposium panels.
The rooms are wheelchair accessible.
While we cannot guarantee scent-free spaces, we do ask that our attendees not wear any scented products, in order to work towards safer, more accessible environments at UW. In particular, please avoid wearing perfume/cologne and clothing that smells like smoke. For more information about being fragrance-free, see: http://eastbaymeditation.org/accessibility/PDF/How-to-Be-Fragrance-Free-.pdf. We plan to set up fragrance-free areas near air purifiers.
To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office, preferably at least 10 days in advance, at: 206.543.6450 (voice), 206.543.6452 (TTY), 206.685.7264 (fax), or email at dso@uw.edu.
Sponsors:
Disability Studies Program
ASUW Student Disability Commission
D Center
Harlan Hahn Endowment
Simpson Center for the Humanities
Disability Studies Graduate Interest Group
Graduate and Professional Student Senate
Black Men Promoting Change, RSO
Q Center
Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies
College of Education
School of Social Work
Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity
Department of English
Comparative History of Ideas Program
Department of Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies
Diversity Minor Program
Bioethics & Humanities Department
American Sign Language Program
Department of Comparative Literature, Media & Cinema
Law, Societies & Justice Program
DO-IT
Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics
Social Justice Organizers, UW Bothell & Cascadia College
School of Nursing and Health Studies, UW Bothell
School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, UW Bothell
IAS: Interdisciplinary Arts
IAS: Society, Ethics & Human Behavior
Call for Proposals (CFP) for papers / posters / art
WHO SHOULD SUBMIT?
You should participate if you are an undergraduate, graduate student, post-doc, or faculty member of a post-secondary institution, a recent graduate, or someone with work, volunteer, or activist experience related to disability studies. Submission formats include a written manuscript to be workshopped by other participants, poster, or art piece.
WHAT SHOULD I SUBMIT?
We are interested in proposals that have potential to contribute to the field of disability studies. Disability studies challenges the traditional ways that disability is constructed in society. It focuses on the social, cultural, and political meanings of disability, including its intersections with other identity categories. Disability studies addresses the pervasive oppression of people with disabilities and emphasizes the roles of disabled people in defining problems and evaluating solutions.
We are accepting two types of submissions:
- Papers to be workshopped on Saturday afternoon.
- Posters and art work to be displayed on Friday evening and/or Saturday during lunch.
Papers
Participants will break into small groups on Saturday afternoon to workshop their written manuscripts, which will be circulated prior to the symposium. This is designed to be a space for scholars (particularly graduate students) to give and receive feedback on article drafts, grant applications, or other written works-in-progress. Submissions will be sorted into working groups based on shared areas of interest, methodologies, or themes. Written work should be submitted in English. Papers may not exceed 50 double-spaced pages including references and appendices.
Note: We are also seeking moderators for the workshops. Moderators are welcome to submit a manuscript proposal as well.
Posters/Art Work
Prepare a poster or art work to display and discuss on Friday before Riva Lehrer's presentation and/or during lunch on Saturday. If you prefer not to discuss your work with the public, you may include a 1-page narrative explaining the piece and its connection with Disability Studies.
WHERE TO SUBMIT?
Please use the CFP & registration form by April 7th: https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/hdevans/294811