"At the Simpson Center, we have the privilege of hosting scholars from around the University, country, and world, who are among the most distinguished in their fields. This often creates opportunities for dialogue that advance research, deepen scholarly insight, and address critical questions across the humanities."
"Increase the possibilities for collaboration."
This was the charge of Jorge Araya, Secretary of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and an official of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who joined virtually for a portion of the Decolonizing Disability Studies symposium that enlivened our offices in February. He was speaking to collaborative opportunities among researchers in the field of disability studies in and of the Global South. This sentiment is important for advancing the work of this group to reevaluate models, practices, and policies around disability that have been heavily influenced by colonialist assumptions. The same sentiment could also be applied to nearly any of the projects that we make possible here at the Simpson Center across a broad array of humanities topics.
At the Simpson Center, we have the privilege of hosting scholars from around the University, country, and world, who are among the most distinguished in their fields. This often creates opportunities for dialogue that advance research, deepen scholarly insight, and address critical questions across the humanities.
The Decolonizing Disability Studies working conference was led by Dr. Stephen Meyers, Associate Professor in Law, Societies & Justice; and Associate Director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) at the UW. The gathering was a prime example of the progress that can be made when humanities scholars put their minds, their research, and their lived experience together in a collaborative way. Dr. Heng-hao Chang, Dr. Tsitsi Chataika, Dr. Shixin Huang, Dr. Magdalena Kocejko, Dr. Floyd Morris, Dr. Madhura Nagchoudhuri, and Dr. Gabor Petri represented the experiences and research of people from Taiwan, Zimbabwe, China, India, Jamaica, Poland, and Hungary.
During the symposium each of these experts presented a draft paper on their research and received feedback from their peers. Papers explored themes of disability identity and socialization, colonial legacies and impacts, inclusive teaching environments, and re-examining models and theories of disability.
This symposium, funded as a faculty research collaboration, was part of Meyers’ ongoing work with the JSIS Disability Inclusive Development Initiative, which he co-founded with Megan McCloskey. During their visit, symposium attendees also met and shared their expertise with Meyers’ undergraduate class, "Disability in Comparative & Global Perspectives."
This kind of in-person collaboration produces immediate impacts and enriches broader scholarly discussions. In this case, Araya invited the group’s continued dialogue with the UN. Meyers is also compiling the presented papers into a publication.
We are grateful to each guest for being a part of the symposium and will share more about the publication once it is released.