I also agree with Dan. As a non disabled delegate I thought the facilities
excellent, and appreciated especially the fact that all the rooms were so
close to the central meeting point, so it was easy to meet up with people in
between sessions. There are clearly issues around access to ideas for people
with learning difficulties, and no one to my knowledge has yet got this
right while at the same time preserving the nuances of debate which require
quite complex manipulation of language. However, there are some things that
can be done - accessible abstracts are an example, encouraging speakers to
present their ideas in bullet points during the presentation is another -
which arguably improve access for all, and make it easier for the organisers
to publicise what is on offer. We (at the Open University) have developed
guidelines for presenters along these lines, and overall they seem to work
well. I'm happy to share these more widely.
It strikes me that this debate has become acerbic, quite unnecessarily.
Academic discussion is essentially about inching ideas forward, so this kind
of debate seems to me healthy, rather than implying criticism of the
organisers as some people seem to have interpreted it. I'd just like to
thank them publicly, and assure them that in saying this I am not suggesting
they did anything but an excellent job.
It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness!
Jan
-----Original Message-----
From: Sonali SHAH [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 23 October 2003 14:27
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Disability Conference - Lancaster 4-6 Sept
I totally agree with Dan. I have never been to a disability conference
before and I thought it was excellent -- academically and socially!
Sonali
Dr Sonali Shah
Research Fellow
Social Policy
Nottingham University
[log in to unmask]
"The Beauty of a dream is to never let it go"
----- Original Message -----
From: Dr Dan Goodley <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 23 October 2003 09:54
Subject: Re: Disability Conference - Lancaster 4-6 Sept
> I attended the conference and really appreciated the support and
facilitative
> skills of the conference organisers. I accept that some delegates had
access
> issues. I agree with Keith that it would be useful to have a resource for
a
> list of fully accessible venues as well as thinking about access in terms
of
> the built structure but also culture, knowledge production and the role
between
> activism and the academy. Sadly, the discussion on this list has tended to
> focus on the purported negative elements of the conference. We need to
keep in
> mind the many positive developments, including:
>
> ++ Initial discussions about the constitution of a British Disability
Studies
> Association;
> ++ Agreement to have another conference in 2004;
> ++ The inclusion of activists, academics, researchers and practitioners in
wide
> debates about research, disability theory, the social model, professional
> practice, ownership and partisanship;
> ++ The attendance of non/disabled delegates from Britain, other European
> countries, North America, India, Australia and elsewhere;
> ++ A conference where disability studies and the need for an empowering
social
> model /social theories of disability were the focus of the three days (a
unique
> experience for many delegates);
> ++ The opportunity to meet with friends and colleagues who have a shared
> understanding of'the social model' from which debate could be taken
further -
> unlike many experiences where we have to spend most of our time informing
> others about the basic idea of the social model.
>
>
> It would be a real shame if many of the debates raised at the conference
were
> not taken further on this discussion list. I, for one, would like to hear
what
> delegates and list members thoughts are in relation to discussions about
'the
> psychosocial' nature of disability amongst other things ...
>
> best wishes
>
> Dan Goodley
>
>
> -- ;
> ++
> Dr Dan Goodley
> Reader Applied Disability Studies
> University of Sheffield
> School of Education
> 388 Glossop Road
> Sheffield S10 2JA
> Tel: +44 (0)114 222 8125
> Fax: +44 (0)114 279 6236
> **NEW RESEARCH PROJECT**
> Parents, Professionals and Disabled Babies: Identifying
> Enabling Care
> http://www.shef.ac.uk/inclusive-education/disabledbabies/
>
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