University of Oregon Launches Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Program

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2015/11/10 - Updated: 2025/05/29
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: Universities and Colleges - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This information outlines the University of Oregon's Disability Studies program, an interdisciplinary initiative offering both a minor and a graduate specialization that examines disability as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon rather than solely a medical or psychological condition. The program draws on courses from diverse fields such as architecture, literature, law, and anthropology, and emphasizes engagement with the disability community both on and off campus, fostering a nuanced understanding of how disability intersects with race, class, and gender.

The article is authoritative and useful, as it is authored by the University of Oregon and selected for publication based on its quality and relevance to the disability community, making it particularly helpful for students, educators, seniors, and individuals with disabilities seeking inclusive educational opportunities and a broader perspective on disability studies. The program's innovative “Life Stories” seminar and faculty development initiatives highlight a commitment to disability-inclusive education and collaborative learning, setting a model for other institutions - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

The UO Disability Studies Initiative is excited to announce this new interdisciplinary program, which includes courses from across the university in fields like architecture, literature, law, education, gender studies, anthropology, geography, international studies, and arts administration.

Main Content

Disability studies is defined as an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability, as a social construct. In 1993, an official definition of disability studies was adopted by the Society for Disability Studies, a professional organization of scholars from around the world.

The definition states that Disability Studies, among other things:

...examines the policies and practices of all societies to understand the social, rather than the physical or psychological determinants of the experience of disability. Disability Studies has been developed to dis-entangle impairments from the myths, ideology and stigma that influence social interaction and social policy. The scholarship challenges the idea that the economic and social statuses and the assigned roles of people with disabilities are the inevitable outcomes of their condition.

The program gives students the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the social, cultural, historical, and political framing of disability. Students will engage with the disability community both on and off campus and explore how disability intersects with race, class, and gender. The new Disability Studies minor and graduate specialization will operate out of the College of Arts and Sciences and the English Department.

Associate Dean of Humanities and Professor of English Karen Ford shared that "the dean's office is glad to foster the study of disability as a central human experience with worldwide legacies in the arts, culture, and traditions of thought and belief."

Wider Worlds Seminars

To help kick off the UO Disability Studies program, the Department of English, with funding by the Williams Council, will pilot an exciting new community-based course, "Life Stories: A Wider Worlds Seminar." Slated for spring 2016, this first Wider Worlds Seminar brings together college students and members of the local disability community to learn with and from each other as peers.

Life Stories will provide a model of disability-inclusive education at the University of Oregon and form a key part of the new Disability Studies Minor and Graduate Specialization program.

Disability Studies Faculty Development Seminar

Faculty from across the University of Oregon will join national leaders in disability studies for a Faculty Development Seminar June 14-17, 2016, to develop new courses and a common core for the Disability Studies Minor and Graduate Specialization.

The seminar, organized by the UO Disability Studies Initiative, will be led by Mel Y. Chen, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and Philip Ferguson, Professor of Educational Studies at Chapman University.

This seminar is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, the Provost, the Department of English, the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, the Graduate School, and the Accessible Education Center.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.