Disability Education

So I'm just starting out in this course - DIS 681 - Multicultural Issues in Disability. I am incredibly excited to learn more about the disability rights movement, disability culture, and the complexities that arise when disability intersects with multicultural issues.

After watching the Power of 504 (part 1 and part 2) Stan and I both recognized our lack of awareness about the history of the disability rights movement. Civil rights? Yes...but disability rights? Hrm...absent from our education. While watching MSNBC, I was appalled to see the behavior of people towards a disabled woman at a town hall on healthcare reform. The woman was in the front, in a wheelchair, making a plea for the voice of the disabled to be heard. A man in the back yelled out, "ASK THE QUESTION!" and was later interviewed and said something along the lines of, "Great, now they have more rights than we do." *Bangs head against the wall.* Ugh. I am utterly disgusted. I really don't know what this world is coming to. Sometimes it feels like two steps back instead of two steps forward. *sigh*

I am looking forward to expanding my disability terminology/vocabulary in this course. I'm not sure how much time I'll have (as I'll have to put my required assignments first) but I think it would be great to interview some of my disabled friends about a topic I love - technology - and its role in disability culture.

I am so glad that I decided to register for this course!