 |
 |
Dona: Your history-heritage-hearing stages in building a disability studies program caught my eye. I believe this is also the right sequence in building a sense of diability culture that transcends specific disabilities for those of us inside as well as outside the classroom. That's what I'm trying to do with my discussion forum, and I find it very exciting. Just wish I had more students at the university level participating in my 27 discussion groups. I wish I had prepared myself for real-world experiences before I left academics 34 years ago. There was very little opportunity to share disability-related experiences back then. I welcome ideas and suggestions. Jim -- James R. Hasse, IABC Accredited Developer, Facilitator, Marketer http://www.tell-us-your-story.com Finding What We Have in Common One Story at a Time (Add your story or browse 300 others.) Dona Avery wrote: > What disability (and queer?) studies > are lacking, that the ethnic/gender/class-specific experience is rich > in, is: > > 1) a history--having been elided from academic and popular texts, and/or > maligned in other texts, from religious to cinematic; > > 2) a heritage--ethnically diverse individuals have families who have > endured/survived similar oppression; disabled (or queer) people very > often do not have disabled (or queer) parents who might serve as > mentors; and > > 3) a hearing--an *awareness* course that focuses on the historical and > socio-political aspects of the ways in which body/mind difference has > been, and is, perceived, would *draw on* stories and representations of > personal, lived experience, but would not necessarily demand that the > instructor be disabled (or queer herself)--only that she be politically > aware. The co-construction of knowledge about the *phenomenon* of > disability would foster an environment conducive to self-expression (or > coming out) of students, in a forum of supportive peers. "Coming to > voice," as bell hooks calls it, is the process of learning about > historical predecessors, current dilemmas, future goals of the movement; > and being empowered to claim one's membership in that group and speak > *with* them. > Dona Avery > U of Bristol/AZ State U. > [log in to unmask] > www.public.asu.edu/~donam %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%