Northeastern Illinois University will host Objectifying (Dis)ability, a Disability Awareness Day event, on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The daylong event, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Northeastern’s main campus, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago.
“The purpose of the event is to change the way everyone—including those with disabilities—thinks about disabilities,” said Doug Lawson, director of Northeastern’s Student Disability Services. “You can have all the laws and policies in place, but if the cultural model is not viewing people with a disability for their abilities then laws and policies are only half the civil rights battle.”
Here are the day’s planned sessions:
Social Justice & Everyone's Rights
The goal of this session is to promote a conversation about self-advocating, and how to relinquish passivity when it comes to personal rights.
Disrupting the Disability Narrative
What does it mean when you call someone “deaf,” “dumb,” “impaired” or “special”?
Universal Design for Learning
This presentation addresses methods to make anything accessible to anyone at any time, regardless of the environment.
Next Steps for NEIU
Five students and an alumnus will sit on the panel of this closing forum. The goal is to keep the conversation moving regarding advocacy, and to provoke the status quo when it comes to accessibility of education and environment.
The day’s events also will include an all-day photo exhibit about what it’s like to be a student with a disability on campus and community partner resource tables.
