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Saturday, March 31, 2012

April, Civil Rights & Swimming pools? (By Scott Lissner)

What does April, civil rights and swimming pools have in common?  Thirty
Five Years ago (April 5, 1977) thousands of disabled protestors
converged on federal offices around the country demanding that the equal
rights legislation Congress had passed five years earlier be
implemented.  In San Francisco they took over the Health Education and
Welfare office. On April 28, 1977 they ended the longest occupation of a
federal building in U.S. history when the regulations implementing
Section 504  were signed into law.  Section 504 laid the foundation for
the Americans With Disabilities Act and it's Standards for Accessible
Design.  Currently a section of those standards assuring access to
swimming pools at hotels, motels, gyms,... is being challenged



These standards <http://www.ada.gov/pools_2010.htm>  have already been
through the rule making process, including public comment and were
posted as final in 2011.  With over a year to prepare for the March 15th
2012 implementation date business and industry associations successfully
lobbied for and extension
<http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2012/pools_2012_nprm_final.htm>  to
the pool standards and are now working to overturn the requirement that
pools be equipped with lifts or have other means for providing access.



The Department of Justice is taking public comment
<http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=DOJ-CRT-2012-0006-0001>
on this issue through April fourth.  I encourage you to comment, your
voice is important



"The San Francisco 504 sit-in
<http://www.npr.org/programs/wesun/features/2002/504/>  did not succeed
because of a brilliant strategy by a few disability leaders. It
succeeded because the Deaf people set up a communication system from the
4th floor windows inside the building to the plaza down below; because
the Black Panther Party brought a hot dinner to all 150 participants
every single night; because people from community organizing backgrounds
taught us how to make collaborative decisions; because friends came and
washed our hair in the janitor's closet sink.   The people doing
disability rights work in the 1970s rarely agreed on policies, or even
on approaches. The successes came because people viewed each other as
invaluable resources working towards a common goal." (Corbett Joan
O'Toole, Ragged Edge Online October 19, 2005)


Friday I received the note below from a colleague:



As of Friday morning there were  233 public comments posted and are
available to view, 138  were posted by  hotel, municipality, campground,
homeowners association or other related sounding names).  Also as of
this morning, there were only 13 that were clearly identifiable as
coming from disability rights organizations, again based on the
organizational names.

I then decided to look at a random sample of submissions with just a
person's name, and Gerald Powell's comment was the first random one I
looked and it was so extreme and offensive, that I had to share it.

Submitter Information

Name: Gerald Powell


General Comment

The pool lift is an unnecessary expense. Most lodging facilities pools
are open 3 months out of the year. It is an amenity that many guest want
but few use. In 22 years of working in hotels not once have I had a
person need assistance in or out of the pool. If I had I would not have
allowed them in the pool. Safety is the foremost concern. If someone is
unable to safely get in and out of a pool without aid I do not want them
in my pool. Furthermore, if someone who needed a lift to get in and out
of a pool had some type of paralysis, there is a very real possibility
they may have lack of bowel control. Then I am dealing with a real
health issue. Due I then have the right to charge that person the cost
of cleaning the pool as well as loss of revenue from my pool being
close?

It should be an individual business's choice to cater to a special needs
group.
I then looked at about another 15 or 20 comments with no organizational
affiliations and they seem to be split about half and half of people
with disabilities saying in essence we have waited long enough and
others that say pool lifts should be delayed or were not necessary or
should be a business decision or something to that effect.

I have no idea how representative my random sample was but it is clear
the industry is getting a ton of their members to submit comments.

So if you have not commented, please do. Here is the link:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=DOJ-CRT-2012-0006-0001

Friday, March 30, 2012

Call For Papers: Rice University English Symposium (After Queer, After Humanism)

"After Queer, After Humanism" Rice University English Symposium
Rice University English Symposium
contact email:
rice.symposium@gmail.com
Rice University English Symposium

Keynote Address by Professor Lee Edelman, Tufts University

Sept. 14-15, 2012

After Queer, After Humanism http://afterqueerhumanism.blogs.rice.edu/

Queer & Humanism are two categories that have shown their limits in recent critical discussions. This symposium meets to consider the relation between humanism and the theorization of sexuality, gender, and sex. It provides a forum to debate the connection between posthumanism and growing dissatisfaction with "queer" as a critical concept. We also welcome research on posthuman genders and sexualities more broadly, from animals to biotech to digital bodies. Papers can address representation in whatever medium or take up the theoretical coordinates of a topic. "After Queer, After Humanism" calls for proposals, from any period or discipline, on theoretical and cultural production concerning the following themes:

gender systems-animal sexuality-biopolitics-LGBTQ!
X2-science fiction-eugenic practices-digital bodies-identification-biotechnology-reproduction and fertility-political genomics-erototechnics-ethics-feminist materialisms-race and sexuality-necropolitics-rights discourse-community formation-body modification-homophobic power-animal breeding-homonormativity-queer capital-sexual economies-cultures of biology-evolutionary narrative-pheromone markets-the liberal subject-pornography-gender and temporality-political geography-activism-language practices

Proposals (max. 250 words) are due on May 15. Papers should be readable in 20 minutes, but we encourage shorter pieces which allow more time for discussion. Please email proposals to rice.symposium@gmail.com as a word document or pdf file.



--
Rice Graduate Symposium

Crip Slam "Smudge"

Victory Gardens Theater & Bodies of Work present: Crip Slam "Smudge"

Sunday April 15th, 2012
7:00 pm ~ 9:30 p.m

2433 North Lincoln Avenue
Box office: 773.871.3000 (TTY 773.871.0682)
Victorygardens.org
Tickets only $5

One provocative play.  One passionate panel.

At the April 15th  Crip Slam, a reading of Rachel Axler’s very dark
comedy Smudge becomes the catalyst for a high powered panel of experts
on disability who’ll wrangle with ethics, emotions and activism, not
to mention cultural appropriation ( a  current  theme in our Mainstage
production of with We Are Proud to Present A Presentation….)

A former writer for “The Daily Show” who now works on “Parks and
Recreation”, Axler has “a comic’s gift for language that is precise
and imaginative” (NY Times).  In Smudge, she has used that comic gift
to tap into a primal fear of giving birth to a “monster”…a “smudge.”
One of the central ideas of the play is that not every parent falls in
love with his/her child on first sight, but for parents Colby and
Nick, the words they have to describe their new offspring are “nub”,
“this”, “jellyfish”.

In a 2010 interview, Axler says she was inspired to write Smudge by
reading an article by the disability activist Harriet McBryde Johnson.
 Axler herself is not disabled.

VG has invited Chicago’s leading experts to explore the issues of the
play.  Karen Tamley, Commissioner for the Mayor’s Office for People
with Disabilities, and Gary Arnold, President of the Little People of
America, and others will join Access Project Co-Director Mike Ervin,
who will pose some provocative questions: Who has the right to tell
this story? What defines personhood and a viable life?

Will our panel of experts agree?

Sign Language interpretation for discussion and cationing will be
provided and the theater is totally accessible!


--
Sandie Yi

Graduate Assistant
Bodies of Work: A Network of Disability Arts and Culture
http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/

Ph D Student, Disability Studies and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
E-mail: cyi9@uic.edu
Personal Artist's Website: http://cripcouture.org

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Call For Papers: Collection on Disability, Human Rights, and Humanitarianism

Dear all,

Please circulate widely.

Thanks,
Mike


CFP:  Collection on Disability, Human Rights, and Humanitarianism

Notwithstanding the rise of disability studies as a foundation for
university curricula and programming throughout the nation and across
the globe, the interstitial nature of the field (which enables
multivalent conversations about bodies, (im)mobility, and hegemonic
norms) has by and large been overlooked in scholarly evaluations of
human rights and humanitarianism. Even though disability is
specifically mentioned in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR), it is often cast as a symptomatic rather than a root
issue in human rights. And, the question of “what to do” with those
considered “disabled” necessarily accesses the problematical terrain
of humanitarianism (replete with considerations of care and
caregiving). This collection challenges those paradigms by relocating
disability studies from the margins to the center.

The editors seek to consider the following questions: What are the
lasting impacts of the reduction of disability benefits? How are
disabled people positioned in efforts to reduce poverty or address
inequalities? How does ablenationalism threaten disabled individuals
and their quality of life? Within a capitalistic system of production
and labor, how are disabled bodies configured as “expendable” or
“unnecessary” and in turn part of the “deserving poor”? How does the
UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2008) hold
governments accountable for ensuring that their disabled citizens
receive opportunities to access their rights? The editors are also
particularly interested in papers that address any of the following
themes:

• Material aspects of disability including tensions between
material/ideological representations of disability
• Ramifications of the law vis-à-vis disability claims
• The precarious positioning of disability in human rights discourse
• Global perspectives on disability
• Sport and disability
• Feminist approaches to disability and human rights
• Expansive discussions on the intersections of disability with other
identity categories
• Engagements with critical race studies and queer theories
• Labor and class based analysis of disability and human rights
• Contemporary engagements with various crises (including the Occupy
movement and the Hardest Hit marches)
• Relationship between disability, refugee status, and freedom of movement
• LGBT/Disability asylum claims
• Notions of empathy and structures of compassion (by way of various
embodiments)
• Neoliberal and transnational analyses of disability and human rights
• Examination of pity and affect as well as the use of vulnerability
• Discussions of children and childhood including family structures
and care giving
• Custodial issues connected to disability

Deadlines:      June 30th, 2012: Abstract of 500 words sent to editors
                       September 30th, 2012: Full manuscripts sent to editors

Papers should be between 6000 and 7000 words, including notes and
works cited. All submissions will undergo review both by the editors
as well as external review through the press. Feel free to contact
Cathy Schlund-Vials (cathy.schlund-vials@uconn.edu
) and Michael Gill
(michael.gill@uconn.edu) for more information or to submit your
abstract.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Linguistic Ableism in Online Grammar Guides

Hello all,

My name is Emily Michael, and I am a graduate English student at the University of North Florida.

Using Nicole Amare’s 2007 article “Where Is She?: Gender Occurrences in Online Grammar Guides” as a model, I want to embark on a study of linguistic ableism in online grammar guides. Amare's study examined cases of linguistic sexism that included use  of "the generic he," gender stereotypes, order of mention, and male-to-female ratios. Linguistic ableism could share some of these criteria– namely, order of mention and ratio of nondisabled-to-disabled subjects.

I am still in the planning stages of this study and the current scope of the project is small. If anyone can direct me toward further reading on linguistic ableism or studies of a similar nature, I would greatly appreciate the assistance.

With best,
Emily

Emily Michael
University of North Florida
Department of English
emily.k.michael@gmail.com

Psychocrip/DSM5 anthology: call for submissions

Psychocrip/Diagnostic and Statistics Manual 5 : Call for
Submissions<https://sites.google.com/site/psychocripdsmfive/>

We are putting together a collection/anthology in response to diagnoses of
mental disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). The idea is that artists--poets, nonfiction writers,
fiction writers, photographers, painters, conceptual artists, etc.--who
have experience with a diagnosis in the DSM--will engage with diagnoses
through creative work.

These will be collected and published as a DSM5, ideally in May 2013, at
the same time the new DSM5 is published by the American Psychiatric
Association.

If you have questions or comments, please let us know.
We accept electronic submissions at cathy dot eisenhower at gmail dot com
on or before September 1, 2012.

*Please forward widely.*

Cathy Eisenhower & Ken Jacobs

A call for submissions: DEAF LIT EXTRAVAGANZA

Please spread widely.  Thank you!

A CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: DEAF LIT EXTRAVAGANZA

Handtype Press is pleased to announce its plans to publish an anthology
called Deaf Lit Extravaganza, which will showcase the best contemporary
writing about the Deaf and signing community. John Lee Clark, who edited the
groundbreaking collection Deaf American Poetry, is the editor.

Deadline for submissions: April 30, 2012

Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and essays will be considered.

Translations of works in ASL or other written and sign languages are
welcome. Send a query first if you have an signed piece that doesn't yet
have a translation.

Deaf writers are encouraged to submit, as well as hearing writers who have
strong ties to the community. International contributors are very welcome.

Both previously published and unpublished pieces are accepted.

Submissions must be single-spaced.

Chosen contributors will receive one free hard copy and one free eBook
download.

Be aware that space in the book is limited; not all worthy pieces will be
selected.

E-mail submissions by attachment in the Word .doc format (preferred) or
.rtf/.txt. No PDFs will be accepted.

Send to: jlc@johnleeclark.com

For more information, please go to http://www.handtype.com/submissions=

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Call for Papers: Theorizing Normalcy and the Mundane 3nd International Conference

Call for Papers: Theorizing Normalcy and the Mundane 3nd International Conference


'Theme: Cripping the Norm'
26th- 27th June 2012 University of Chester, United Kingdom
A conference jointly-hosted by University of Chester in association with Critical Disability Studies (Manchester Metropolitan University) (MMU) and the Disability Research Forum (Sheffield Hallam University).
This 3rd international conference builds on the success of the Normalcy2010 and Normalcy2011 conferences held in Manchester and seeks, again, to bring together an international group of disability studies researchers. Our conference moves to the beautiful Cathedral town of Chester (located on the border of England and Wales).
This call for papers seeks contributions around the following areas:
- exploring the cultural and political production of normalcy
- addressing our obsession with reason and rationality
- connecting ableism with other hegemonies including heterosexism, racism and ageism
- analysing the barriers and possibilities of the mundane and extraordinary
- deconstructing new pathologies and 'abnormalities'
- celebrating deviations from the norm
- affirming crip identities and ways of living
Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words and should be sent to normalcy2012@hotmail.co.uk no later than the 10th April 2012. You will be notified of the decision made by the committee by 1st May 2012.
Our aim is for this conference to be as inclusive as possible. We welcome activists, undergraduate and postgraduate students, practitioners and academics to join us. In the spirit of an eco-friendly conference, registered delegates will be sent an e-pack. Details of accommodation near the venue will also be sent to delegates. This year, to cover costs of refreshment and lunches, we will be charging a flat rate of £75 per delegate. Free registration is still available however for full time students and the out of work.

University of Edinburgh: Sensualising Deformity Conference Programme/Registration

Hello all,

The preliminary programme for the upcoming conference at the University of
Edinburgh, Sensualising Deformity: Communication and Construction of
Monstrous Embodiment (15-16 June 2012), is now online at
http://sensualisingdeformity.blogspot.co.uk/p/conference-programme.html,
and registration is live. We are currently offering reduced rates for
anyone who books before 15 April. For more details, visit
http://sensualisingdeformity.blogspot.com.

Our keynote speakers include Jeffrey Jerome Cohen (George Washington
University), Margrit Shildrick (Linköping University), Peter Hutchings
(Northumbria University) and Rosemarie Garland-Thomson (Emory University).
We hope to see some of you there!

Best,
Ally

--

Ally Crockford
A.N.Crockford@sms.ed.ac.uk
Final-Year PhD Candidate
English Literature
The University of Edinburgh

Spread awareness on World Down Syndrome Day

A resolution to designate 21/3 as “World Down Syndrome Day”, to be observed
every year beginning in 2012, was adopted by consensus by the United
Nations General Assembly in December 2011. The resolution was proposed and
promoted by Brazil, and co-sponsored by 78 UN Member States.

Tomorrow is World Down Syndrome Day. Please read my web page

http://infiniteability.yolasite.com/world-down-syndrome-day.php

and help clear the myths associated with this condition (not disease).

Lots of people still use the term 'Down's Syndrome which is not actually
appropriate. Even some of the associations are named as Down's. Help spread
awareness and share with everyone

--
Dr Satendra Singh, MD, FSS
Assistant Professor of Physiology
University College of Medical Sciences
& GTB Hospital, Delhi, India-110095
Coordinator, Equal Opportunity Cell
Founder, Infinite Ability

Infinite Ability: exploring disAbility through
creativity<http://infiniteability.yolasite.com/>
Medical Education Unit, UCMS <http://medicaleducationunit.yolasite.com/>
<http://medicaleducationunit.yolasite.com/members-pages.php
>
Enabling Unit, EOC, UCMS <http://enablingunit.yolasite.com/>

Monday, March 19, 2012

UK Event: University of London, Public Workshop: The History of Pain without Lesion in the Mid-to-Late Nineteenth Century West

The History of Pain without Lesion in the Mid-to-Late Nineteenth Century West
Public Workshop: 19 May 2012, 13:00 - 17:00
Room 416, Main Building, Birkbeck, University of London

Much work in the history of medicine and science has touched on experiences of pain in the modern era. Yet
little scholarship focuses on prevailing attitudes, practices, and beliefs among either lay or professional
therapeutic communities regarding pain without lesion.

This workshop will help to fill the gap. We seek to generate discussion and exchange knowledge around the
social, cultural, and medical influences of what we might now refer to as chronic pain sufferers.

Speakers
Dr Daniel S. Goldberg
Dr Andrew Hodgkiss (Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist)
Chiara Moretti

Organised by Visiting Fellow to the Birkbeck Pain Project Daniel S. Goldberg (East Carolina University,
U.S.), The Birkbeck Pain Project (www.bbk.ac.uk/history/our-research/birkbeckpainproject<http://www.bbk.ac.uk/history/our-research/birkbeckpainproject>) and The
Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities (www.bbk.ac.uk/bih<http://www.bbk.ac.uk/bih>)

There is no fee to attend the workshop but please register at: http://painwithoutlesion.eventbrite.co.uk/

The Birkbeck Pain Project
Funded by the Wellcome Trust

______________________________
__

Daniel S. Goldberg, J.D., Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Department of Bioethics & Interdisciplinary Studies
Brody School of Medicine
East Carolina University
600 Moye Blvd, Mailstop 641
Greenville, N.C. 27834
goldbergd@ecu.edu<https://legacypiratemail.ecu.edu/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx>
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/medhum/goldberg.cfm<https://legacypiratemail.ecu.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=d56a9b9043504f2087c41dfe6562e184&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ecu.edu%2fcs-dhs%2fmedhum%2fgoldberg.cfm>
_______________
Tel:  252.744.5699
Fax: 252.744.2319

Saturday, March 17, 2012

March 31st FROM THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE TO THE ART GALLERY: SANDIE YI’S RADICAL VISION OF BEAUTY

ACCESS ADVISORS’ OPEN HOUSE  AND DISABILITY ARTS FESTIVAL

FROM THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE TO THE ART GALLERY:
SANDIE YI’S RADICAL VISION OF BEAUTY

with Sandie Yi, Amanda Cachia, and Anthony Tusler
de Young Museum | Koret Auditorium
Saturday, March 31
11:00 a.m.–noon

https://www.facebook.com/events/260712190677910/


Sandie Yi will illustrate and discuss Crip Couture, her collection of
disability fashion, in conjunction with the exhibition The Fashion
World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. Seen as
prosthetics, orthotics, or an unsettling dream, Yi’s work elevates
disability-inspired clothing to the level of art and high fashion.


Freelance curator Amanda Cachia will introduce Yi and talk about
current trends in disability art. Disability scholar Anthony Tusler
will explain how Crip Couture compares with and often surpasses
Gaultier’s radical approach to fashion and art.

This event is free of charge.
To ensure availability, make requests for accommodations before March 22.
For information: tbrown@famsf.org or 415-750-7645.


de Young
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco


------------------------------
-------------------------------------------

Access Advisors Open House and Disability Arts Festival

March 31, 2012 - 10:00am
http://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/calendar/access-advisors-open-house-and-disability-arts-festival-0


Celebrating everyday accessibility at the FAMSF, the disability
community produces a day of museum tours, art making, performance, and
Disability Culture.

Schedule
--9 am Private early morning tour of The Fashion World of Jean Paul
Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, Reservation necessary, fee.
--10 am–2 pm: Museum Tours (ask for details)
--10:30 am–2:30 pm: Art Studio for a Day, Art Demos/Art-making
activities; artists at work including Maia Scott’s Human Sculpture
Project and music by Tim Cain
--11 am–noon: From the Doctor’s Office to the Art Gallery: Sandie Yi’s
Radical Vision of Beauty, Sandie Yi , Amanda Cachia, and Anthony
Tusler
--1–3 pm: Art Slam 2012


Sign language interpreters provided.
Extra blue spaces for parking.
Requests for accommodations made by March 22 will help ensure availability.

Ticket Information

General Museum admission free with RSVP by March 28.
There is a $10 surcharge for the Gaultier exhibition.
To register for early-morning Gaultier tour with discounted fee,
inquire by March 22.


Contact Information
Tish Brown
tbrown@famsf.org

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

EMBRACE THE SPACE: “What’s Your Story” Workshop & “Paper Doll” Performance

EMBRACE THE SPACE
SAINT MARTIN’S FAMILY FESTIVAL of DISABILITY ARTS and CULTURE

“What’s Your Story” Workshop & “Paper Doll” Performance

Sunday, March 25th at 1:30 PM

Tekki Lomnicki is the Artistic Director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre in
Chicago, Tekki has devoted her craft to finding ways to incorporate
her abilities and those of others to perform compelling stories.

Check out our Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/195043993938451/


EMBRACE THE SPACE*
Mar. 25
“What’s Your Story” Workshop & “Paper Doll” Performance
with Tekki Lomnicki

Apr. 15
“Body Magic” printing workshop & poetry readings
with Sandie Yi & Poets: Pennie Brinson, Lily Diego, David Jones

Apr. 29
“So You Think You Can’t Dance” movement workshop
with Alana Hodges Wallace & Dance>Detour

May 20
“Hollywood Images of Disability in Films for Kids”
with Carrie Sandahl & Aly Patsavas

*All events take place on Sundays at 1:30 pm

Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church
5700 West Midway Park
(near Central Avenue & Lake Street)

RSVP, Information & Disability Accommodations: tpacio1@uic.edu or
call 312-996-1967

Free Admission, Food & Refreshments Served

Sponsored By:
Bodies of Work: A Network of Disability Arts and Culture
Website: http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BodiesOfWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BodiesOfWork

and

Department of Disability and Human Development at University of
Illinois at Chicago
The Chicago Community Trust





--
Sandie Yi

Graduate Assistant
Bodies of Work: A Network of Disability Arts and Culture
http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/

Ph D Student, Disability Studies and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
E-mail: cyi9@uic.edu
Personal Artist's Website: http://cripcouture.org

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Bodies of Work invites you to Actor as "Lifestyle Performer"

Are you a person with lifestyle?  Do you also like to perform?

Come and join us for an early afternoon event on Actor as "Lifestyle Performer"

Visiting PhD Research Fellow from Berne, Switzerland, Yvonne
Schmidt will present the Intersection of professional and
non-professonal Actors.

March 27th, Tuesday
12:00pm to 1:30pm
University of Illinois at Chicago,
Disability and Human Development Building
1640 W Roosevelt, Chicago, IL
Room 448

This event is sponsored by Disability Studies Student Council at UIC.

--
Sandie Yi

Graduate Assistant
Bodies of Work: A Network of Disability Arts and Culture
http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/

Ph.D Student, Disability Studies and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
E-mail: cyi9@uic.edu
Personal Artist's Website: http://cripcouture.org

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Dissertations Pertaining to Disabilities Studies

March 6, 2012

Colleagues:

The latest list of recent doctoral dissertations world-wide harvested from the July 2010 issues of _Dissertation Abstracts_ pertaining to disabilities studies have been downloaded to the HSLS homepage and can be viewed at :http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/histmed/dissertations/

This is a free service I offer the scholarly community on a 6-8 week basis.Please share this information with your colleagues and students.

Your comments are always welcomed.

Jonathon Erlen, Ph.D.

History of Medicine Librarian

Health Sciences Library System

University of Pittsburgh

412-6488927

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

"France is like this handicapped person stuck in this wheelchair..."

It is interesting in article below to see that Harvey Weinstein is calling bigotry expressed about/toward disabled people an: intolerant statement maybe one of these days we can get him to produce a film that exposes such bigotry. it is not clear from Weinstein's description of the film, that The Intouchables does that - the focus seems to be on bridging socioeconomic, religious and racial divides.  
        — Simi Linton



THE INTOUCHABLES tells the true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences. It is the 2nd highest grossing film of all time in both France and Germany and will be released in the U.S. by TWC on May 25. It premieres tonight in New York at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema’s Opening Night at Alice Tully Hall.

Weinsteins Denounce French Politician Le Pen’s ‘The Intouchables’ Comments

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday March 1, 2012 @ 8:15am PSTTags: Harvey Weinstein, The Intouchables
New York, NY – March 1, 2012 – During a recent television appearance on France 3’s National French Journal, founder and former president of France’s National Front party Jean-Marie Le Pen, as no surprise to the French who’ve witnessed his past tirades, disgraces France by making this analogy comparing the country’s socially progressive current state to the circumstances in the film THE INTOUCHABLES. Le Pen is notorious for advocating that France be a closed community, and he sees this film as a representation of the progression that France is making – which he is vitally against.

“France is like this handicapped person stuck in this wheelchair, and we are going to have to wait for the help of these suburb youngsters and the immigration in general. I don’t subscribe to this point of view. It’s a movie, a novel. And we have to take it that way and not like an example for the future. It would be a disaster if France would find itself in the same situation as this poor handicapped person,” said Le Pen.

THE INTOUCHABLES directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano chose to inspire audiences with this film and its true story by uncovering the philosophy that race, religion and class do not separate people and that they have nothing to do with the humanity of people and their potential for friendship and love.
The Weinstein Company Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein denounced Le Pen’s statement.

“It’s not a surprise to hear such an intolerant statement from the man who founded and was president of the extreme-right, xenophobic, racist National Front party. Le Pen made a repulsive statement, representing a bigoted world view. And right now, Jean-Marie’s daughter, Marine Le Pen, is running for president of France as the leader of the National Front party — and she is fourth in the polls with almost 16% of the population intending to vote for her. That’s frightening to me, and I think it’s important to speak up and speak out against Le Pen and his ideas. That’s why I’m proud to bring THE INTOUCHABLES to American audiences. This movie is based on a true story, and it’s a funny, extremely entertaining illustration of how simple human connection trounces socioeconomic, religious and racial divides. “



Sindy F.M. Gordon
Director of Communications
Inclusion in the Arts
1560 Broadway, Suite 709
New York, NY 10036
212.730.4750
www.inclusioninthearts.org


2011 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre

Past and Present of Eugenics--Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Ruth Cowan, Rachel Adams, Paul Lombardo, Nikolas Rose, and Marisa Miranda and Gustavo Vallejo

Hello everyone,

Along with my colleague Claire Clark, I have founded an online video journal called Biopolitics.

It can be accessed at http://bio-politics.org<http://bio-politics.org/>

The journal uses a combination of video dialogues and written commentary to explore pressing issues at the intersection of medicine and politics.

We have just released our first issue, called "Past and Present of Eugenics."

It features a video dialogue between Rosemarie Garland-Thomson (Emory) and Ruth Schwartz Cowan (UPenn), with commentary by Rachel Adams (Columbia), Paul Lombardo (Georgia State), Nikolas Rose (King's College London) and Marisa Miranda and Gustavo Vallejo (National University of La Plata, Argentina.)

There is a transcript of the dialogue available in PDF form.  It is in the section marked "Download," immediately beneath the abstract.

Accessibility is a key commitment of the journal.  With that in mind, please let us know what we can do to increase accessibility, and we will make every effort to do so.

In addition, please let us know if you have any future suggestions for issue topics.

Thank you,

Harold Braswell

ADA position at U.Va.

Hi Everyone,

Since this position oversees academic accommodations for students with disabilities at U.Va., I'd love to have someone disability-centric apply.
It does require a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology.

More info is on the Jobs@UVA site under posting #0609336.

Best,

Chris

P.S. Yes, we hope that someday disability services will be outside of the health system, sigh.


============

DIRECTOR, LEARNING NEEDS EVALUATION CENTER

The University of Virginia's Department of Student Health seeks a doctoral level clinical psychologist to serve as Director of its Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC). The Director oversees the daily operations of the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC) which is the program responsible for helping to identify students with learning and attentional disorders as well as determining eligibility and implementing academic accommodations for students with disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Director of LNEC has supervisory responsibility for 7.5 FTE staff. The Director also oversees the assessment training and supervision provided to psychological interns from Counseling and Psychological Services' APA-accredited internship.

The Director will have thorough knowledge of the issues pertaining to implementation of disability accommodations, ADA compliance, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Director should have extensive experience in administering and interpreting psychometric assessment measures relevant to the diagnosis of learning, attentional, and emotionally-based conditions. The Director will also have knowledge of DSM-IV differential diagnostic criteria and be able to assess the impact of learning and physical disabilities on social and emotional functioning. The position includes the opportunity to provide a limited amount of psychotherapy to LNEC patients according to the successful candidate's experience and career goals. Understanding of diversity issues will be important to all aspects of this position.

The Director should hold a doctoral degree from an APA-approved psychology program and have completed an APA-accredited internship. Specialty training in psychological and neuropsychological assessment is preferred. Licensure or license-eligibility in the state of Virginia is required.

Application Procedures: Interested candidates should apply online at https://jobs.virginia.edu (Jobs@UVA). Please complete a Staff Application and attach a cover letter, a current resume/CV, and contact information for three professional references. Review of applications will begin February 22, 2012, however the position will remain open until filled. For assistance with the on-line submission process, please contact University Human Resources at 434-982-0123.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.



========
Christopher Krentz
Associate Professor
Department of English and ASL Program
Director, American Sign Language Program
University of Virginia

Summer ASL Coursework

Hi all,

I'm hoping to begin ASL coursework this summer, and was wondering if anyone
could recommend opportunities in the Providence/Boston area. For logistical
reasons, ideally this would be coursework at a degree-granting institution,
but I'm certainly open.

Thanks so much!

Best,

Patrick

--
Patrick McKelvey
PhD Student
Department of Theatre and Performance Studies
Brown University
email: patrick_mckelvey@brown.edu
cell: (850) 217-6617

Centre for Culture & Disability Studies: Brief Note

Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing on this occasion in my capacity as Director of the Centre for
Culture & Disability Studies, Liverpool Hope University.  I want to bring a
couple of things to your attention.

1. The Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies ALWAYS welcomes
submissions for its general issues.   I stress this in response to a number
of enquiries about the deadlines for these issues – in brief, there are no
such deadlines, for the call is open.

2. For those of you who use Facebook and/or Twitter, please consider
joining us in the International Network of Literary & Cultural Disability
Scholars (the links are below).

Many thanks for your time and support.

All good things,

David

Dr. David Bolt

Director, Centre for Culture & Disability Studies
ccds.hope.ac.uk

Editor, Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies
http://liverpool.metapress.com/content/121628

Lecturer and Recognised Researcher, Education
http://www.hope.ac.uk/boltd

Founder, International Network of Literary & Cultural Disability Scholars
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Network-of-Literary-and-
Cultural-Disability-Scholars/174137315933446

http://twitter.com/#!/INLCDS

Email: boltd@hope.ac.uk

Telephone: 0151 291 3346

Office: EDEN 128

Postal address: Graduate School, Faculty of Education, Liverpool Hope
University, Liverpool, L16 9JD.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Event: Denver area, Lennard Davis on March 5 at Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC)

For those in the Denver area, you're welcome to attend a talk by Lennard Davis:

“Depression and Its Cure: How Did Sadness Become a Disability?”
Psychological disorders like depression have a complex social and historical etiology. Given that complexity, can we easily say that depression is a disease and therefore a disability, or must we question the very nature of assumptions concering both illness and impairment?

Monday, March 5, 2012
12-1p
Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC)
Education 2 North
http://www.ucdenver.edu/about/denver/Pages/AnschutzMedicalCampus.aspx

This is part of a great series coordinated by Dr. Tess Jones, who directs the Arts and Humanities in Healthcare Program at AMC. Our team of disability studies folks from UC Denver, UC Colorado Springs, and CU Boulder will also be meeting with Lennard Davis to talk about developing Disability Studies opportunities at our universities.

Hope to see you there!

Amy Vidali, PhD
Assistant Professor of English
Director of Composition
Book/Media Co-Editor, DSQ
University of Colorado Denver
amy.vidali@ucdenver.edu

Saturday, March 3, 2012

All that I can't leave behind: The misadventures of a blind-deaf man who just wants to discard his Braille magazines

Hey, folks!

I had a little adventure, though not an entirely unexpected one, upon my
return from visiting UVa. After I told Chris Krentz about it, he said I
should write it up. Well, here it is, in today's Star Tribune!

Link and text below. Enjoy!


http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/141250333.html

All that I can't leave behind
By John Lee Clark

You notice a young man sitting on a park bench with a large book on his lap.

Instead of looking at it, his fingers are flying over its pages. The white
cane leaning against the bench confirms your idea that he is blind. You turn
to the hot dog stand and order a chili dog. Turning back to look at the
bench, you see that the blind man is gone. Lying on the bench is the large
book, a couple of its pages fluttering in the breeze. Scanning around, you
catch him walking briskly a block away. If history is any indication, you will
your chili dog, grab the book and run after him.

How I wish I could get rid of magazines -- for it was a Braille magazine,
not a book, that I left on the bench -- as easily as the sighted do. They
can cast aside an issue anywhere and go on with their lives. Not so with me.

I receive half a dozen magazines every month from the National Library
Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. A Braille reader can
"subscribe" to any number of magazines from their list for free. If one borrows books
from the library, they have to be returned, just like print library books.
But the magazines are different. They are not to be returned.

They are yours to keep or throw away.

At home, I always place them in the recycling bin after reading them. But
when I'm traveling, I don't want to lug those bulky editions around with me
after I'm done reading them. So I shed them as I go along, or I attempt to.

At a restaurant, I might finish an issue and leave it behind after paying
the bill and before walking out. More often than not, however, a waiter will
overtake me, panting, and press the Braille magazine into my hands. I am then
forced to smile in gratitude. After walking a safe distance, I will begin looking
for a garbage can.

But even that doesn't always work. I have thrust magazines deep in trash
cans only to have them, dripping with garbage goo, presented to me a few
minutes later. On account of magazines I've discarded, people have run, jumped into
cars, tripped over themselves, called, mailed, asked a mutual acquaintance
to please pass them on to me, or saved them for weeks until, finally seeing
me again, rushing up to me. "There you are! You forgot this last time you
were here." How could I tell them the truth?

Recently, I flew out East to give a lecture on deaf-blind history at the
University of Virginia. In addition to my backpack, I carried a bag with
eight magazine volumes. I succeeded in hiding one of them, after finishing it, in
the seat pocket in front of me before I disembarked in Philadelphia, where
my connecting flight was. I hid another one in the same way on the plane
that landed in Charlottesville. So far, so good.

I didn't have much time to read during the excitement of my stay in town,
but I did finish two more volumes by the time Prof. Christopher Krentz
picked me up from the hotel to take me to the airport. Before checking out, I
decided to just leave those two volumes in my room, rather than look for a
garbage can in the hotel big enough to bury them in. But to be safe, I tore them up.
That would make it clear that they were to be thrown away.

By the time I landed back at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, I had read
through the last four magazine volumes. I hid one of them on the plane, but
felt it too risky to hide the other three in three more seat pockets. On my way
to the where the taxis were, I stepped into a restroom, used it, and right
before exiting, I abandoned the last three issues. Fearing that they might come
back to haunt me, I walked at a smart, almost dangerous clip, my cane
zipping back and forth in front of me. No one caught up with me. I got into a taxi,
and I was home safe!

Or so I thought. Waiting in my inbox at home was an e-mail message from the
hotel manager saying he had my "books." Would I please give him my address
so he could mail them to me?

-------

John Lee Clark, a deaf-blind writer, edited the anthology Deaf American
Poetry (Gallaudet University Press, 2009). His website is at
www.johnleeclark.com.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Modernism and disability website

Dear modernist and disability studies colleagues,

I wanted to let you know about this website, a discussion of disability in modernist literary texts written by several Purdue graduate students. We hope that this site will lead to additional open work on modernism and disability. In the future, we hope to move the site to make it more of a wiki, so that other students and scholars can add to it.  (Technical advice welcome!)

http://modernismanddisability.wordpress.com/

Best,
Maren Linett
Associate Professor
Department of English
Purdue University
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette IN 47907

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Opportunity Notice: Franklin Fellowship

Opportunity to Work with the Special Advisor for International
Disability Rights

U.S. Department of State



Franklin Fellows Program

Position Description



The Program



The U.S. Department of State is the President's primary advisor on the
conduct of international relations. The Department recommends and
implements U.S. foreign policy, managing human and material resources to
engage with over 162 countries and numerous international organizations.
The Department's professionals address critical national security
challenges across the globe, while working in this country with a broad
spectrum of other government agencies, Congress, the non-profit and
private sectors and representatives of foreign governments and entities.



Since the end of the Cold War, the range and complexity of issues facing
the international community have grown exponentially.  In order to
strengthen its ability to deal with this plethora of issues and to draw
on the expertise of experienced professionals working in disciplines
related to them, the Department of State has launched the Franklin
Fellows Program <http://careers.state.gov/ff> .  Fellows, serving as
unpaid volunteer consultants, provide background and policy
recommendations within their host offices in the Department, and
undertake other duties as directed, including representing the
Department in the interagency context and possibly traveling
internationally on Department business.



Talented, imaginative professionals not only enrich the Department's
deliberations on foreign policy formulation but also are of greater
value to their sponsoring organizations when they return.  The
experience gained by Fellows serving within the Department and sharing
their knowledge and expertise to strengthen U.S. public diplomacy is
invaluable, as is their contribution to the U.S. Government.



The Department accepts nominations from universities, non-governmental
organizations and private-sector employers for Franklin Fellows to work
one to two years on a vital issue of concern to the Department.  The
Department also accepts offers of financial support for highly qualified
individuals whose organizations may not be able to offer full support
during the Fellowship period.  The Department accepts self-nominations,
but such individuals will need to sponsor themselves as the Franklin
Fellows Program <http://careers.state.gov/ff>  is not funded by the U.S.
Government. Further information about the Program can be found at:
http://careers.state.gov/ff <http://careers.state.gov/ff>



The following Franklin Fellow position is now open and candidates are
being sought. Interested candidates may contact the Special Advisor
directly at: HeumannJE@state.gov <mailto:HeumannJE@state.gov>





Specialist on International Disability Rights and Inclusion (DRL/SADR)



Synopsis: The Fellow will provide advice and guidance on the development
of policies and strategies to ensure the inclusion of persons in U.S.
public diplomacy efforts and programs.  The Fellow will work as part of
a Team under the leadership of Ms. Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for
International Disability Rights located in the Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor of the Department of State.



Experience/Expertise:



*         Leadership experience advancing the inclusion of women,
persons with disabilities, or other minorities in programs and services
in international development programs, in government service, in an
academic institution or in the private sector



*         International professional experience working for an
international organization or multi-national corporation



*         Knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities useful



*         Firsthand knowledge of disability, either having a disability
or having a family member with a disability especially useful



*         Knowledge of a foreign language(s) useful



Duties/Activities:



*         Review and suggest ways to strengthen U.S. public diplomacy in
order to ensure the inclusion of disability issues and persons with
disabilities



*         Propose ways to strengthen the inclusion of disability issues
and persons with disabilities in existing or new programs of the State
Department



*         Formulate recommendations on additional ways in which
disability rights and the inclusion of persons with disabilities might
be promoted by civil society organizations and the private sector



*         Work with the Special Advisor and other officials to
strengthen the inclusion of disability rights in the priorities and
activities of other Bureaus within the State Department



*         Maintain contact with and involve interested international and
national partners, particularly organizations of persons with
disabilities, NGOs, universities, private sector companies as well as UN
agencies, in the development and implementation of strategies



*         Represent the Special Advisor in meetings of other Offices,
Bureaus, Working Groups and other entities internal to the State
Department



*         Participate in external meetings, conferences and missions to
other countries upon the request of the Special Advisor



Mission of the Special Advisor:



The Special Advisor for International Disability Rights is charged with
"the development of a comprehensive strategy to promote the rights of
persons with disabilities internationally; coordinate an interagency
process for the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities; ensure that foreign assistance incorporates persons
with disabilities; ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities
are addressed in international situations; and conduct public diplomacy,
including with civil society, on disability issues".



Visit the Facebook page of the Special Advisor for more information:
http://www.facebook.com/stateDRL#!/SAHeumann
<http://www.facebook.com/stateDRL#!/SAHeumann>

Call For Papers: Hypatia Special Issue New Conversations in Feminist Disability Studies

Dear all,

Please circulate widely.

Thanks,
Kim

Special Issue on New Conversations in Feminist Disability Studies
August 15, 2013 submission deadline

Volume 30, Issue 1, Winter 2015
Edited by Kim Q. Hall

Hypatia: Journal of Feminist Philosophy is seeking new work for a special issue on disability with the general
theme of New Conversations in Feminist Disability Studies. In 2001 Hypatia published its first special issue on
feminist philosophy and disability. Since that time, there has been a great deal of disability scholarship in
feminist and queer theory. A new special issue provides the opportunity to consider interventions, innovations,
and transformations in feminist theory occasioned by theories and concepts that animate feminist disability
studies, disability studies, queer disability studies/crip theory.

Within philosophy, much of the discussion of disability has occurred in the areas of bioethics, ethics of care,
and social and political philosophy. This work remains crucial for furthering philosophical understanding of
disability. In addition to these areas of philosophy, this special issue seeks to provide a space for new feminist
philosophical analyses of disability, as well as new feminist, queer, and feminist queer crip conversations
between scholarship on disability in ethics and social and political philosophy and scholarship on disability in
epistemology, science studies, environmental philosophy, ecofeminism, queer ecology, aesthetics, critical
race theory, metaphysics, phenomenology, and queer theory. Papers on any topic pertaining to feminist or
feminist queer crip analyses of disability are welcome, including (but not limited to) the following:

-Disability and Phenomenology

-Disability and epistemologies of ignorance

-Disability, gender, race, class, and sexuality

-Disability, national identity, and nationalism

-Disability and/as “assemblage”

-Disability and the question of “the animal”

-Disability and posthumanism

-Disability, ethics, and politics

-Disability and globalization

-Access, accommodation, quality of life

-Bodies and borders

-Able-bodiedness and able-mindedness

-Disability and environmentalism, ecology, ecofeminism, and/or queer ecology

-Disability, feminist materialism, and “agential realism”

-The relationship between impairment and disability identity

-Illness, disease, impairment, bodily limitation, pain, failure

-Disability and the meaning and/or experience of sex and gender, transgender, and intersex

-Disability and orientation/ reorientation/ disorientation of understandings of time and space

-Disability, feminist materialism, and “agential realism”

-Disability and critical analyses of science, scientific knowledge, nature, and human nature

-Feminist/queer/crip perspectives on the Occupy Movement and other global movements for economic,
environmental, social, and political justice

-The meaning of art and aesthetic concepts through the lens of disability

-Rethinking the canon of western philosophy through the lens of feminist disability studies

Deadline for submission: August 15, 2013.

Papers should be no more than 8000 words, inclusive of notes and bibliography, prepared for anonymous
review, and accompanied by an abstract of no more than 200 words. For details please see Hypatia's
submission guidelines http://depts.washington.edu/hypatia/submission_guidelines.html

Please submit your paper to manuscript central (Wiley-Blackwell) website:
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hypa.

When you submit, make sure to select “Disability” as your manuscript type, and also send an email to the
guest editor, Kim Q. Hall: hallki@appstate.edu, indicating the title of the paper you have submitted.


 Kim Q. Hall
Professor of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Appalachian State University
114 Greer Hall
Boone, NC  28608
office: (828) 262-6817
fax: (828) 262-6619