What is "Disability Studies"?

Disability is a cultural experience. Disability Studies uses an interdisciplinary perspective to explore the disability experience. Disability Studies questions concepts such as "normalcy" and analyzes "differences" through origins, institutions, policies, philosophies, culture, and traditions. The concept of disability has legal, medical, political, social, and temporal variations and implications. Similar to African American Studies, Gender Studies, Women's Studies, and Native American Studies, Disability Studies developed through the emergence of a Social Justice and Civil Rights Movement – the Disability Rights Movement.

Disability Studies at Temple

In exploration of the breadth of intersectional concepts, Disability Studies at Temple University is an Interdisciplinary collaboration: a cluster of curricula including mini-series lectures, performances, symposia and more. Disability Studies at Temple is inclusive programming with great diversity in both scholars and students. A significant portion of our programming is freely available to the community at large.

Email us at iod@temple.edu to request more information about Disability Studies at Temple University.

 

 

Disability Studies Programs, Events, and Resources

Two women talking in audience at Institute on Disabilties panel discussion

Disability and Change Symposia

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Related Curricula

The Institute on Disabilities has a cluster of Disability-Studies related curricula including:

Two women speaking as panelists at a Disability and Change symposium

Faculty and Scholars

Disability Studies has over 50 affiliated faculty and graduate students.

Disability Access at Temple:

Black and white photo of Roland Johnson working with others in an office

photo shows a few brightly colored scholarly publication covers