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 qua academic study developed through the emergence of a Social Justice and Civil Rights Movement – the Disability Rights Movement.
Why Attend 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 accredited programs, 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
Disability and Change Symposia
- 2022 Symposium Learning Module - Disability and Justice: The Evolution and the Revolution
- 2021 Symposium Learning Module - We Are the Stories We Tell Ourselves
- 2020 Symposium Learning Module - Combating Implicit Bias: Employment
Disability Studies Curriculum
Disability Studies Graduate Certificate at Temple
The Institute on Disabilities has a cluster of Disability-Studies related curricula including:
- Mini Course Lecture Series (free to public)
- Symposia such as the Annual Disability and Change Symposium (free to the public)
- Disability Studies Graduate Certificate
- Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (undergraduate)
- Autism Endorsement Graduate Certification
- Military Counseling Postgraduate Certificate
- Arts in Community Graduate Certificate
- American Sign Language Certificate
Faculty and Scholars
Disability Studies has over 50 affiliated faculty and graduate students:
- Interdisciplinary Faculty Council on Disability
- Graduate/Research Assistantships
- Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Graduate Group
Disability Access at Temple:
A Unique History
Institute on Disabilities has more than 40 years of contributions including:
Scholarly Resources
- Scholarship by the Interdisciplinary Faculty Council on Disability
- Visionary Voices Oral Histories
- Valuing Lives. Wolfensberger & the Principle of Normalization
- Other disability-related materials
Disability Rights special collections at Temple's Urban Archives