For URI Graduate Students Only

Workshop Description: In this session, we will discuss stereotypes commonly held about people with disabilities and the origins of those stereotypes. We will take this one step further to dissect the power of language and the historical context of using language to disempower individuals with disabilities.   Finally, we will take time during this session to talk about “casual ableism”, how it shows up in media and every day exchanges as well as strategies that can be used to counteract ableism.  The goal of this session is to help participants (a) understand and articulate stereotypes about people with disabilities, (b) assess the language they use and how it may be disempowering for individuals with disabilities, (c) identify and label ableism as they encounter it, and (d) use their understanding of ableism to be more thoughtful in their interactions with others.