Hi Jerry,
Trust all's well. Teach-ins, etc, are all part of a social movement but
we seem more comfortable to participate in the latter than the
former-I have no doubt that if you invited SDS bd. members to present at
your school v. protest at at your school there probably would be more
takers on presenting than protesting. I've received various grants to
present Disabilities Studies across the curriculum-the results are
difficult to evaluate however there is more talk about disabilty studies
and this semester I had the largest # of students in my Women with
Disabilties class since I introduced it-16 students. I know we have to put
our you knoe what on the line.
Phyllis
On Tue, 28 Sep 1999, Jerrold Hirsch wrote:
>
>
> Dear Fellow List Subscribers:
>
>
> Thanks one and all for your thoughtful and stimulating responses. I have
> laid back a a bit on all of this while I pondered it and graded papers, and
> served on committees., etc. You all know the drill.
>
> Frankly, I enjoyed the way philosophical as well as practical questions were
> raised. As always it is frustrating that it is difficult to have disability
> taken up as a diversity issue and virtually all the writing form a
> disability studies perspective helps explain that. And the lack of
> diversity in SDS itself is a point that needs to be addressed. Although, I
> think that we should be moving on both the campus and the SDS front
> simultaneously.
>
> On a practical level, I want to do something that raises the profile of
> disability as a diversity issue on campus, that rises above the welter of
> every day events, that attracts some attention, that contests other models.
> So, in the process of bringing such events about it should be possible to
> identify allies and centers of resistance. And the process should be
> pursued with the ultimate goal of bringing some real and long lasting
> change. So, I would like to bring some speakers to campus from anong the
> scholars who have led the way in disability studies. I am intrigued by
> Lennard's suggestion that SDS establish a speaker's advocacy group.
>
> Regarding Phyllis's point, I have quite a strong sense of what she is
> getting at as both a pariticpant in and student of the Black Civil Rights
> Movement. Nevertheless, I would also ask, Has anyone heard of a social
> movement for change that didn't have an educational component (workers'
> forums. labor newspapers, consciousness raising etc.). It seems to me that
> one of the things I can be best at is education (defined to include
> scholarship and public education, srvice, and agitation, etc.,); but , I do
> have friends in this movement whose strengths are lobbying and agitation and
> protest, etc., I don't expect to change the campus solely through
> education, but I do hope to attract allies, help raise the consciousness of
> pwd's on campus ( and why there are so few, or are there--there are few who
> are visible, and few who claim a disability identity--maybe win over a
> person here and there, and finally to make the topic part of the discourse,
> part of a contested discourse. It will be easier to get in an
> administrator's face one he or she realizes the topic is part of a
> widespread discourse on campus.
>
> Best
>
> Jerry, who waits and grades
> respond and give me a welcomed break
>
>
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