DISABILITY AND DEAF STUDIES
The Disability and Deaf Studies Program offers courses that will allow you to raise awareness, address stigma and recognize disability and Deafness as cultural identities.
This program is the first of its kind. A minor in Disability and Deaf Studies provides you with an interdisciplinary body of knowledge that will enable you to explore disability and Deafness through historical, educational, social, philosophical, political and cultural lenses. You will examine the role that disability and Deafness play in your society, your community and your own lives. The minor will allow you to deepen your understanding of disability and Deafness as intersectional, cultural identities; develop your skills in working with, for, and/or as disabled and Deaf people; and serve the broader community.
WHY DISABILITY AND DEAF STUDIES?
For students who identify as Deaf or disabled, as well as those who participate in LEVEL, the American Sign Language Club, Special Olympics, VUnited, University Mental Health Advocacy and Awareness, and Association for Change and Transformation, this program provides theoretical perspectives and research-based analyses to complement and complicate direct experience.
Meet leaders in disability studies and Deaf studies—including activists, advocates, and others with lived experience—and discuss their work.
Engage with concepts such as Universal Design for Learning, disability rhetoric, and accessibility, and learn how to apply them to your field of study and future career path.