About this event
Disability, chronic illness, and neurodiversity are present throughout human populations regardless of color, class, or creed. Famed writer Susan Sontag informs us that “we are all subject to dual citizenship in the land of the well and the land of the ill.” Perhaps the most onerous parts of being disabled are due to the oppression disabled folks face at the hands of able-bodied, “sane,” and neurotypical populations.
The Los Angeles Spoonie Collective held an informative workshop on the emergence and development of Disability Justice activism; a modern civil rights movement. Hosted by the UCLA Design Media Arts, topics and concepts of ableism and saneism (the forms of marginality disabled people encounter) were discussed, including: Patty Berne of Sins Invalid’s Principles of Disability Justice, Christine Miserandino’s Spoon Theory, johanna hedva’s Sick Woman Theory, and more. The workshop closed with a discussion on how folks can learn to stand in solidarity with disabled people in their lives, and how to appropriately support and affirm disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill people.
This event was held as part of the curriculum for students enrolled in DESMA171 Disability, Design, and the Web, but open to all. It is hosted by UCLA Design Media Arts and co-sponsored by UCLA Disability Studies Inclusion Labs.
Image Description (top): 4 disabled femmes stand before a yellow stucco wall. From Left to Right: Sade is a light skinned Black femme with shoulder length ringlets wearing orange and plum scarves over a black dress and white blouse. Tasha is a light skinned Black femme with a short ‘do with cropped sides wearing a denim vest over a long black dress. System Hatfield is the Jewish femme with shoulder length brown hair wearing a cardigan, clown tee, and skirt. Lilac is the Latinx femme with a pink shirt, shorts and blue cane. All smile gleefully.
Image Description (bottom): Los Angeles Spoonie Collective blue handwritten text in a circle surrounding two spoons and a pill in the shape of LA, against a purple background.
