Friday, March 29th, 2024
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MU Hosts 6th Annual Disability Pride

This year’s theme for the event is accommodations.

This month, Millersville University is hosting the 6th annual Disability Pride event to celebrate disability culture and advocate for disability justice. The two-day event features presentations by disability studies scholars and activists, sessions about allyship, access and advocacy and the return of the March on the MU campus.

This year’s theme for the event is accommodations. Presentations and activities will encourage participants to respond to the idea that all accommodations that allow for accessibility are reasonable.

Disability Pride kicks off Thursday, April 20, with a showing of the documentary film “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.” The documentary begins in 1971 at Camp Jenad, a camp designed for teens with disabilities. “Crip Camp” features Judith Heumann, Larry Allison, Denise Sherer Jacobson and other campers who became influential figures in the disability rights movement. The screening begins at 6 p.m. in Myers Auditorium of McComsey Hall.

The event continues Friday with a keynote presentation by Dr. Sami Shalk, an associate professor of gender & women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shalk’s primary research focuses on the intersection of disability, race, and gender in contemporary American literature and culture. Notably, she has written two books titled “Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction” and “Black Disability Politics.”

Friday morning’s events will begin in the Student Memorial Center at 9 a.m. with some welcoming remarks and community-building activities, followed by Shalk’s presentation at 10 a.m.

After Shalk’s address, all are welcome to stay and create posters for the March on the MU campus, which is both a protest and a celebration of disability pride and allyship. The march begins at 11:30 a.m., where marchers will walk through campus, sharing their signs and advocating for disability justice.

Friday afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., advocacy panels will encourage participants to discuss and understand the importance of advocating and how to advocate for their own and others’ accommodation needs. An Open Mic event will begin at 4 p.m., where people with disabilities are encouraged to share creative work of all kinds, including poetry, song, dance, essays and more. After the Open Mic, there will be a Silent Disco starting at 5:15 p.m.

All are welcome to participate in any or all the Disability Pride activities and events. Registration is free, and while it is not required, it is strongly encouraged. All registrants will receive a free event T-shirt.

Events are in-person, but some will also be streamed over Zoom. Those interested in registering can visit here.

Interested in Volunteering?
Disability Pride is looking for students who would like to volunteer on Thursday between 6-8 p.m. and/or Friday between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Shifts range from 30 minutes to one hour, and volunteers can sign up for multiple shifts. Those interested can sign up here.

 

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