EDUCATION
Disability Studies
Disability Studies Program History
In the past five years, a number of universities across the United States and the English-speaking world have instituted Disability Studies departments and programs. This movement has also generated substantial press interest, with articles appearing in The San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education and The New York Times. Over this period, disability activist-academic Simi Linton has become one of the most influential advocates for a broad, liberal arts-based approach to Disability Studies. Brought to Temple as a distinguished speaker last spring, Dr. Linton is a long-time member of the Society for Disability Studies and author of Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity (New York University Press: 1998). In this book, Simi argues that the traditional university curriculum considers disabilities exclusively as medical conditions, requiring the expertise and intervention of professionals in fields such as rehabilitation, occupational therapy, speech pathology, and special education. We share the philosophy of Dr. Linton that such a biomedical and rehabilitative focus, while useful in improving some aspects of disabled persons' lives, will never be sufficient in coming to grips with the entire range of persons’ needs and experiences.
Building on the many years of expertise of the Institute on Disabilities and its national reputation, Temple University is moving to the forefront of an international movement to establish the robust academic field of Disability Studies. Because of its long history of interdisciplinary work, the Institute on Disabilities is well-positioned to lead this effort.
Interdisciplinary Faculty Advisory Committee
This committee was constituted fifteen years ago in order to provide feedback on Institute on Disabilities projects and to help disseminate information to the University community. Its composition throughout the years has varied, but its interdisciplinary nature has allowed the Institute on Disabilities to gather information and seek advice from faculty members in many disciplines, including Education, Occupational Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation, Nursing, Communication Sciences, Social Work, Kinesiology, Civil Engineering, Law, Film and Media Arts, Business Administration, and Women's Studies. Faculty affiliated with the Institute on Disabilities through this faculty advisory committee will be asked to help in the development of a marketing plan, student recruitment, identification of departmental electives to supplement the existing core courses, and in the formative evaluation of outcomes of the certificate program.
For information on getting involved in the interdisciplinary faculty, contact disstud@temple.edu.
For a further introduction to Disability Studies, see "Pioneering Field of Disability Studies Challenges Established Approaches and Attitudes," an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, January 23, 1998.
[http://disabilities.temple.edu/programs/ds/pioneering.shtml]
