Introduction
Disability Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the subjective, sociocultural, political, performative, and economic dimensions of disability. Rather than focusing on medical or pathologized interpretations of disability, Disability Studies encourages critical thinking about how societies define and respond to disability, the historical and contemporary experiences of people with disabilities, and the ways disability intersects with other socially constructed categories of age, gender, race, sexuality, and social class. The proposed Disability Studies minor will enhance students' understanding of disability as a multidetermined and fluid construct while increasing awareness of the barriers and opportunities confronting people who experience disability whether physical, psychiatric, cognitive, and/or sensory.
Learning Objectives
- Promote Critical Thinking: Encourage students to interrogate perceptions and reactions to disability, challenging ableism, sanism, and other intersecting oppressions.
- Emphasize Interdisciplinary: Offer students a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from psychology, sociology, education, and the health humanities.
- Foster Social Justice and Advocacy: Equip students with advocacy tools to promote disability and human rights and increase inclusivity in their communities and professional spheres.
- Explore Intersectionality: Examine how disability interacts with other social categories such as age, gender, race, sexuality, and social class to create unique experiences and challenges.
- Put Theory into Practice (Praxis): Enable students to apply their knowledge of disability studies in real-world contexts, particularly in fields such as healthcare, education, public policy, and social work.
Faculty
Michelle Nario-Redmond, (2007) Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Humanities
B.A., University of Tulsa;
M.A., Ph.D., University of Kansas
nariomr@hiram.edu
Hailee Yoshizaki-Gibbons, (2020) Assistant Professor of Biomedical Humanities
B.Ph., M.S., Miami University, Ohio;
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago
yoshizakihg@hiram.edu