Event schedule
Retrospectives with Judith Heumann
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020
10 – 11:30 a.m. Central Time
Click here for a recording of this event. Transcripts are available.
Join Judith Heumann in a conversation with Michael Wehmeyer and Catherine E. Johnson to explore the power of Netflix’s documentary "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution," the Disability Rights Movement as well as Judith’s impact and legacy as an international disability rights activist. Judith will also discuss her autobiography "Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist." Advanced signed copies of "Being Heumann" are available at the University of Kansas Bookstore and the Raven Book Store.
Welcome by:
The Disability Rights Community.
Conversation moderated by:
Michael Wehmeyer: Chair of the University of Kansas Department of Special Education, Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director and senior scientist at the Beach Center on Disability.Catherine E. Johnson: Director of the University of Kansas ADA Resource Center on Equity and Accessibility and Chair of the University of Kansas Faculty Staff Council on Disability Inclusion.
Students and Disability Rights Advocacy
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020
3:00 – 3:45 p.m. Central Time
This session was not recorded.
Join Judith Heumann in a conversation with Derek Shields to learn more about disability rights, accessibility, inclusion and advocacy as experienced by students and youth. To ensure student groups have access to Judith during this conversation, this session has a limited enrollment. If you are interested in this opportunity, please register as soon as possible.
Introduced and moderated by:
Derek Shields: President, Forward Works Consulting, LLC and Co-Founder, National Disability Youth Mentoring Coalition.
Red Hot Research No. 64: Disability Studies
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020
4:00 – 5:00pm Central Time
This session was not recorded.
Red Hot Research brings together scholars from all disciplines to examine overlaps and connections that might not otherwise be investigated. The sessions' format is inspired by Pecha Kucha and features short, slide-based talks that introduce audiences to a topic. Each installment's researchers speak for six minutes each. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers (and each other) during breaks. Through these sessions the university will have a venue for cross-disciplinary partnering and exploration.This session is presented as part of a series of events the University of Kansas has planned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is in honor of invited guest, internationally recognized disability rights leader and activist Judith Heumann.
Moderated by:
Dot Nary: Investigator, Switzer Fellow and Research Associate, Center on Independent Living.
Presenters:
Nilou Vakil: Assistant Professor, KU School of Architecture.Jean Hall: Professor, KU, Applied Behavioral Science; Director, Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies.
Ray Pence: Associate Teaching Professor, KU, American Studies.
Ken Fischer: Professor, KU, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Director, Bioengineering Program.
Evan Dean: Associate Director of Community Services, KU Center on Developmental Disabilities.
The Independent Living Movement
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
9:30 – 11 a.m. Central Time
Click here for a recording of this event. Transcripts are available.
Join a panel of disability rights advocates in a conversation with Lex Frieden and Judith Heumann on the power and impact of the Independent Living Movement on the lives of individuals with disabilities, its impact on disability rights advocacy and the future advocacy of the Independent Living Movement.
Introduced and moderated by:
Lex Frieden: Professor of biomedical informatics and Professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Panelists:
Ami Hyten: Executive Director, Topeka Independent Living Center.Bob Mikesic: Program Manager, Independence, Inc.
Mike Oxford: ADAPT Organizer & Consulting Director, Topeka Independent Living Resource Center.
Ranita Wilks: Targeted Case Manager/Advocate, Management Services Incorporated.
Impacts of Intersectionality on Disability Rights
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Central Time
Click here for a recording of this event. Transcripts are available.
Join Keri Gray, Wesley Hamilton, Reyma McCoy-McDeid and Dior Vargas in a conversation with Michelle D. Wilson to learn more about intersectionality and disability rights. Individuals with intersectional identities frequently experience multiple and heightened stigma, discrimination, isolation, lack of understanding and exclusion. Understanding the intersection of disability with other identities is essential to fully appreciate an individual’s complete identity and experiences.
Moderated by:
Michelle D. Wilson, MLS: Academic Coordinator with the University of Kansas (KU) TRIO SES & STEM program and a full-time doctoral student in KU's Communication Studies department.
Panelists:
Keri Gray: Founder and CEO of the Keri Gray Group, founder of the National Alliance of Multicultural Disabled Advocates.Wesley Hamilton: Featured on Netflix’s “Queer Eye” and a Kansas City local. Hamilton is an award-winning athlete, entrepreneur, influencer, awesome father and Executive Director of Disabled but Not Really, a philanthropic organization.
Reyma McCoy-McDeid: Executive director of Central Iowa Center for Independent Living (winner of the 2018 Organization of the Year award from the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission) and treasurer and Anti-Racism and Equity Taskforce Co-Chair for the National Council on Independent Living.
Dior Vargas MS, MPH: Queer Latina feminist, mental health activist and the creator of the "People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project," a response to the invisibility of Black Indigenous People of Color in the media representation of mental illness. Vargas is also the editor of "The Color of My Mind," a photo essay book based on the photo project.
Where are the Disabled Artists?
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
2:15 – 3:30 p.m. Central Time
Click here for a recording of this event. Transcripts are available.
Join Judith Heumann, Katelynn Schultz and Dior Vargas in conversation with Rebekah Taussig on the representation of disability in the media. This is an emerging issue within the disability rights community. Current representation of disability in media is most frequently portrayed by an actor without a disability, instead of an actor with a disability. Actors’ portrayals of individuals with disabilities range from pitiful to heroic and use both harmful and outdated stereotypes long disregarded by the disability rights community. Honest and accurate representation of disability in the media – movies, commercials, books and more is overdue and would be life altering for both individuals with disabilities and society.
Moderated by:
Rebekah Taussig: Doctorate in Creative Writing and Disability Studies, The University of Kansas and author of "Sitting Pretty."
Panelists:
Katelynn Schultz: Disability Inclusion Fellow, KU ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility. Katelynn is a recent Theatre & Dance Student focusing on the representations of disability through theatre. Schultz recently served as co-director of the KU Theater production of ”The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" and has served on a previous Theatre & Dance panel on mental health within the theatre community.Dior Vargas MS, MPH: Queer Latina feminist, mental health activist and the creator of the "People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project," a response to the invisibility of Black Indigenous People of Color in the media representation of mental illness. Vargas is also the editor of "The Color of My Mind," a photo essay book based on the photo project.
Americans with Disabilities Act 30th Anniversary Celebration - The ADA at 30: Past, Present and Future
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
4 – 5:30 p.m. Central Time
Click here for a recording of this event. Transcripts are available.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed by President Bush on July 26, 1990, was intended to ensure equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. From Judith Heumann’s days as a camp counselor at Camp Jened to her days of leadership in the 504 Sit-in, her work has served as an impetus for action and change. Join Judith Heumann in a conversation with Wesley Hamilton about life before the passage of the ADA, the impact of the ADA over the past thirty years, current disability rights issues and what the future holds for the ADA and disability rights.
Moderated by:
Wesley Hamilton: Featured on Netflix’s “Queer Eye” and a Kansas City local. Hamilton is an award-winning athlete, entrepreneur, influencer, awesome father and Executive Director of Disabled but Not Really, a philanthropic organization.Concluding remarks by:
By representatives from the event co-sponsors.