Emory launched an initiative this fall to spread the word about on-campus activities involving students with disabilities.
The Disabilities Studies Initiative plans to hold film series and reading groups that are open to the Emory community as well as the general public, according to Benjamin Reiss, professor of English and the initiative's co-director.
Reiss added that there are mixers and information sessions held throughout the year for Emory undergraduates and graduate students to learn about the program and contribute ideas.
Reiss worked alongside Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, to start the initiative this year, and the two now act as co-directors, according to Jennifer Sarrett, a graduate student in the Institute of Liberal Arts.
"It was created in response to a strong disability studies group on campus," Sarrett said.
According to Reiss, the introduction of disability studies occurred at Emory University in the 1990s and is a "humanistic approach to physical, cognitive and psychological variation."
Reiss said correcting or curing disabilities has previously been the focus of academic studies in medicine and health science.
He added that disability studies aim to fight for better civil rights for those with disabilities.
This initiative is an attempt to open discussion about disability in academia at Emory.
Sarrett said disability studies define disability as a minority standing and view disabilities as a natural and significant part of the community experience.
According to Reiss, he and the disability initiative's steering committee wish to bring both secular and academic programs to Emory, to include public appearances by scholars, writers and performers, in order to portray disability in a more expressive light.
Sarrett added that these speakers and exhibitions will demonstrate how everyone can relate to disability in one way or another through various experiences such as art, science and medicine.
Those on the steering committee and others involved in the disability initiative teach courses in multiple disciplines across the University, including "Disability and the Law" and "The Politics of Appearance in Contemporary America," according to Reiss.
Reiss himself has taught and written about the relationship between psychiatric disabilities and American literature and culture throughout history.
In addition, according to Reiss, Garland-Thomas wrote numerous books on disabilities.
She also spoke at The Society for Disability Studies Conference at Emory in 2004, making her an expert in the field.
– By Naomi Maisel
