The Program

Faculty

Academic Resources

News and Events5/08

(Dennis Lang Student Award; Rosemarie Garland-Thomson to speak)

Related UW Links

The Broader Community

Disability Studies at the University of Washington involves a multi-campus interdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, students and community members, who share an interest in questions relating to society's understanding of disability. The undergraduate Disability Studies Minor provides an opportunity for students to develop a strong interdisciplinary foundation in the social, legal and political framing of disability. The emphasis is on studying the cultural construct of disability, social justice, and disability policy, and the intersections of disability, race, gender, sex, age, class and other markers of diversity and difference. Students have the opportunity to enhance this foundation by studying disability through the arts, humanities, the social sciences, and by the internship and/or independent research requirement.

Program Goals:

    1. Acquire an understanding of the major perspectives (Moral, Social and Medical models) of disability.

    2. Develop an appreciation of how disability is defined and represented via the arts, social sciences, and humanities.

    3. Demonstrate an understanding of the intersectionality of disability, race, class, gender, and sexuality.

    4. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of civil rights for disabled people and the influence of medical, social, and economic perspectives.

    5. Acquire a familiarity with federal and state laws against discrimination, the federal entitlement programs for disabled people and the relationship between laws and social policy.

    6. Acquire an understanding of the definition of human rights, civil rights and the complexities inherent in our western legal analysis of these concepts when applied to the rights of disabled people.

    7. Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of the major international human rights instruments including selected international models of disability rights laws and the American civil rights model concerning disabled people.

    8. Demonstrate knowledge of the elements of disability policy development and change at both micro (local) and macro (global) levels.

* Download the UW Disability Studies brochure (MS Word file): DS Brochure 4-05-08.doc
* Large print version: DS Brochure Lg Print 4-05-08.doc

* * Interested in communicating with others involved with Disability Studies at the UW? Check out the email list: http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/disability_studies_uw

Browse the links to the left to learn more about UW Disability Studies and our community at large.