Representation & Rights: Disability in History and the Arts   

 Disability & Human Rights 

Disability is diversity, yet a manifestation of diversity that has often been ignored and marginalized. To overcome such bias, people with disabilities confronted cultural stigma and rigid boundaries used to deny their fundamental civil and human rights. Representation & Rights draws on the arts – in film, theatre, and the written word – to examine the struggle for social and political change, highlighting the stories of people with disabilities — advocates, artists, authors — who forged a pathway for inclusion.   Course topics include: advocacy and protest, accessibility, racism and eugenics, the impact of war, institutionalization vs. independent living, and perspectives on the role of technology.   This course is co-taught by Professors Matthew Herbst and Lisa Porter (Theatre & Dance).

Professors Matthew Herbst and Lisa Porter  previously co-taught a seminar on disability & Turkish history and took their class to Istanbul to volunteer with disability-related NGOs and schools:  Türk Anneler Derneği Özel Eğitim ve Rehabilitasyon Merkezi in Florya, Özel Eğitim Merkezi in Yeşilköy, İTO Özel Eğitim Merkezi in Bağcılar, Istanbul University, and İnsan Toplum ve Teknoloji Derneği.