The Disability Studies Initiative
We are a joint initiative between the Hawai’i State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Political Science, and the UH Center on Disability Studies. We gathered in 2021 with a shared commitment to increase awareness around disability studies as a tool for teaching and research throughout the University of Hawai’i system.
We wish to cultivate excitement and conversation around disability studies across disciplines in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, from students to faculty, staff, and administration. We hope to encourage a curriculum that allows students, faculty, researchers, and administrators to engage this subject matter from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
This work is critical to all of the communities UH serves, particularly to students and adults with disabilities, and the development of such programming will improve the state of disability rights and awareness across our state.
Toward these ends, the Disability Studies Initiative seeks:
- To create and develop an undergraduate certificate in disability studies, offering students the opportunity to explore disability from an interdisciplinary perspective, while also developing practical, marketable skills as well as promoting the University’s commitment to diversity;
- To organize a colloquium series, showcasing disability studies across disciplinary boundaries in research and teaching throughout the University of Hawai’i system, in order to encourage awareness and conversation around disability as an intellectual and analytical category;
- To offer training and resources to faculty, staff, and administration on texts and curriculum development, and supporting students with disabilities;
- To promote diverse representation and community engagement through the inauguration of a Disability Film Festival at the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability & Diversity, February 2022.