The following events are not UNCA-sponsored, but open to all who are seeking to engage with Disability Rights, Disability Culture, and Accessibility:
Until We Are Free: Conversation with Vilissa Thompson
November 13, 2021 7:00-8:00 pm
Cosponsored by the Disability Intersectionality Summit and the Disability Visibility Project, this is the second conversation in a 3-part series on the life and work of Fannie Lou Hamer inspired by Dr. Keisha Blain’s new book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America, moderated by Vilissa Thompson in conversation with Heather Watkins, Dr. Angel Miles and Dr. Sami Schalk.
Access notes: CART and ASL interpreters will be made available.
For more information and to register for this event go to Eventbrite: Until We Are Free
No Such Thing as a Stupid Student: How Thinking Through Cognitive Accessibility Can Set Students Up To Succeed — with Cal Montgomery
Tuesday, October 19 5:00-7:00 pm EST
What can we learn about more effective communication from supporting people with cognitive disabilities, and how can we apply those lessons to support all students in learning environments more easily?
Sponsored by Critical Disabilities Studies Program, UT Austin
For more information and to register for this event, go to the Eventbrite: No Such Thing As A Stupid Student
Superfest Disability Film Festival
October 15, 16, 17
Superfest Disability Film Festival is the longest running disability film festival in the world. Since it first debuted in a small Los Angeles showcase in 1970 it has become an eagerly anticipated international event—hosted by Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State. For more than 30 years, Superfest has celebrated cutting-edge cinema that portrays disability through a diverse, complex, unabashed and engaging lens. Superfest is one of the few festivals worldwide that prioritizes access for disabled filmgoers of all kinds. In 2021, this festival is being held ONLINE with a pay-as-you-are-able ticket purchase rate (starting at free.) All films are being shown asynchronously.
For more information, and to sign up for a ticket, go to http://www.superfestfilm.com/superfest-2021
Poetry, Queerness, and Disability Justice
Wednesday, September 22 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Please join us in listening to some great poetry and engaging in conversation around disability justice, poetry, and queerness! This event, sponsored by the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network, will feature Y-Bình Nguyễn (she/they), Naomi Ortiz, and Sunu P. Chandy. It will be facilitated by Lydia X. Z. Brown, AWN Director of Policy, Advocacy, & External Affairs.
ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be provided for this event, which participants will be able to join by video or phone.
For more information, and to register for this event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-queerness-disability-justice-tickets-168727900693
Liberation through the Lens of Disability Justice: A Panel Discussion between Mia Mingus and The Triple Cripples: Jumoke (She/Her) & Kym (She/They)
Saturday, September 4 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Explore disability justice and its relationship to liberation practice, touching on racial justice, transformative justice, and abolition. This is a panel discussion between Mia Mingus, a leading writer, educator, facilitator, consultant and trainer and Triple Cripples, a UK based duo amplifying narratives of Black and non-Black women, femmes, and non-binary people of color living with disabilities. This event is sponsored by Healing Justice LDN. To register for this online event, go to the Eventbrite website: Liberation through the Lens of Disability Justice
Intersectionality Workshop (sponsored by ADA Southeast)
September 21 from 6:00-8:00 pm EST
Intersectionality Workshop If you are a person of color with a disability, between the ages of 17-25 and want to participate in an online learning and sharing session to discuss the intersection of race, disability, and identity please join us!
Register for the event here: https://forms.gle/9s8deNJSFE6iUWQTA
Resources for Syllabus Planning:
#EugenicsSyllabus
A collective syllabus for teaching about the extensive reach of eugenics into culture and society. Compiled by Aimi Hamraie and Jay Dolmage from collective contributions, 2020-present. https://bit.ly/EugenicsSyllabus.
#CripCOVID19 syllabus
A Crip Reckoning: Reflections on the ADA@30:
This February 2, 2021 event would be an excellent addition to any curriculum regarding civil rights, inclusion, history, disability, disability culture, education, advocacy, and innovation. The distinguished panel of thought leaders and scholar-activists included LeDerick Horne, Naomi Ortiz, Pratik Patel, David James (“DJ”) Savarese, & Alice Wong, and was moderated by Stephen Kuusisto.
Event recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lebmxzcZ-6Y
Full Transcript: https://bbi.syr.edu/projects/oipo/ada30/crip-reckoning-transcript/
Event Resource Guide: https://bbi.syr.edu/projects/oipo/ada30/
LeDerick Horne is a Poet, Speaker, and Advocate who uses his gift for spoken-word poetry as the gateway to larger discussions on equal opportunity, pride, self-determination, and hope for people with disabilities.
Naomi Ortiz is a Writer, Poet, Facilitator, and Visual Artist whose work focuses on self-care for activists, disability justice, intersectional organizing, and relationship with place.
Pratik Patel is Director of Information Technology Access for CUNY and Owner of EZFire Enterprises LLC, which consults on a variety of technology projects on accessibility for people with disabilities.
David James (“DJ”) Savarese is an Author, Artful Activist, Public Speaker, and Practicing Optimist, working to make self-determined lives a reality for nontraditionally speaking people.
Alice Wong (she/her) is a Disabled Activist, Media Maker, and Consultant, and the Founder/Director of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.
Stephen Kuusisto is a University Professor and the Director of the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach at the BBI. A widely published poet and author, he is a frequent speaker in the U.S. and abroad.
Crip Camp Curriculum:
Five modules developed from the acclaimed documentary “Crip Camp” that provide education on disability: Media Literacy; Power and Disability Justice; Power and Civil Rights; Ableism, Language, and Power; Strategic Use of Privilege and Power
See all five modules here: https://cripcamp.com/curriculum/
Disability Community Day of Mourning — March 1, 2021
UNC Asheville’s Disability Cultural Center, together with the Office of Accessibility, marks the Disability Community Day of Mourning on March 1. Since 2012, members of the disability community have gathered to remember disabled victims of filicide–disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers. UNC Asheville held its first memorial vigil in 2017. The Disability Community Day of Mourning 2021 will mark the fourth gathering to mark this somber occasion, and the first time this vigil has been held virtually. We are pleased to welcome Maxfield Sparrow, Carol Cleigh Sutton, Jade McWilliams, and Ray Hemachandra to help lead our vigil.
For more information about disabled lives lost to filicide, visit the Disability Day of Mourning website, https://disability-memorial.org/
About our presenters:
Maxfield Sparrow is an Autistic advocate and activist. They are the author of the Unstrange Mind blog and The ABC’s of Autism Acceptance from Autonomous Press as well as the editor of Spectrums: Autistic Transgender People in Their Own Words from Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Max currently lives in Colorado where they work as a Direct Support Professional.
Carol Cleigh Sutton has been a disability rights activist for more than a quarter century and has been with Not Dead Yet since its inception and served several terms on its board. In Chicago, she worked with Access Living, ADAPT, DePaul University College of Law, Progress Center for Independent Living and co-founded Suburban Access Squad to make housing, business, and public transit accessible. She was recognized by the Illinois Independent Living Coalition and the Pace and Metra boards for her contribution to accessibility as well as receiving an Aurora award for her work with Metra. She currently resides in far Western North Carolina and serves on the Nantahala Regional Library board and Clay County Transit advisory board. She has also published extensively on disability rights issues in both academic and popular settings.
Ray Hemachandra is an organizational consultant and an advocate for developmentally and intellectually disabled and autistic people. He serves on boards, workgroups, and advisory committees for numerous nonprofits and government organizations, speaks at conferences and in college classes, and occasionally writes about related issues at www.rayhemachandra.com.