A symposium to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Future of Disability Studies project, and the publication of Keywords for Disability Studies.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Ron Suskind spoke at Columbia in March about pursuing a demanding career in investigative journalism while raising his autistic son Owen.
As part of the Heyman Center for the Humanities Disciplines Series:
Evaluation, Value, and Evidence, authors Alison Piepmeier, George Estreich, and Rachel Adams take up many of the questions raised in the November 2013 event on "Genes, Children, and Ethics" (featuring Michael Berube, Faye Ginsberg, and Rayna Rapp) in their discussion of "Parenting, Narrative, and Our Genetic Futures." Jordana Mendelson will chair.
Cosponsored by the Future of Disability Studies project.
Evan is a young man with Down Syndrome who lives with his mother in a poor, working-class town hit hard by the recent economic recession. When he unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money, Evan uses it to romantically pursue Candy, a girl from town whom he has loved since high school. Candy, now a barely-employed single mom, is facing financial debt, possible eviction, and the inability to rid herself of Russ, her abusive and volatile ex-boyfriend.
Put your back into it. Show some spine.
A talk by Tobin Siebers (Department of English, University of Michigan) with a response by Elizabeth Leake (Department of Italian, Columbia University)
This panel will explore the the conflicts and common ground between two fields that have often been in tension with one another. Speakers will be asked to share their insights into this tension, identifying spaces of possibility where the two might intersect/collaborate/learn from one another.
We begin our project with a panel of students, faculty, and staff who discuss the ways the university has both accommodated and excluded people with disabilities. What are some of the surprising and innovative ways that Columbia has sought to include people with disabilities in its community? Conversely, how has it managed to maintain ADA compliance, while creating an unwelcoming environment for people with disabilities? Our campus will serve as a starting place for a broader discussion about disability, access, and higher education.
