This year, CSJ: Disability Justice + Access Matters invites our campus community to learn from a perspective of disability justice so that we can continue to make space for everybody and every body now and in the future. Learn more about the Critical Social Justice: Disability Justice + Access Matters theme here.For more CSJ events, check out our website and myUMBC. For more information about upcoming events or to inquire about collaboration, please email the Women’s Center at womenscenter@umbc.edu.
We will be hosting a viewing of the movie from 3pm to 4:50pm and then hosting a discussion from 5pm to 6pm--but please feel free to watch the movie whenever you want (it is available via Netflix and free online via Youtube) and join us for a discussion OR watch the movie with us and reflect on your own! This is a super flexible event, and people are welcome to engage in whatever way feels best!
“In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination and institutionalization. Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp “for the handicapped” (a term no longer used) in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and make-out sessions awaiting everyone, and campers experienced liberation and full inclusion as human beings. Their bonds endured as many migrated West to Berkeley, California — a hotbed of activism where friends from Camp Jened realized that disruption, civil disobedience, and political participation could change the future for millions.
Crip Camp is the story of one group of people and captures one moment in time. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other equally important stories from the Disability Rights Movement that have not yet received adequate attention. We are committed to using the film’s platform to amplify additional narratives in the disability rights and disability justice communities – with a particular emphasis on stories surrounding people of color and other intersectionally marginalized communities. We stand by the creed of nothing about us, without us. For too long, too many were excluded, and it is time to broaden the number of voices and share the mic.”
Crip Camp Trailer: https://youtu.be/XRrIs22plz0
Crip Camp Trailer with Audio Description: https://youtu.be/s6TB7KEqhRo
For more information about the Crip Camp Curriculum: https://cripcamp.com/curriculum/
This discussion group will be hosted through Google Meet. If this platform presents accessibility challenges for you, please be in touch so we can consult on the best ways to make this experience accessible for you.
Please note: UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, faculty, and visitors. If you have difficulties accessing any of the materials on our site or any of our events or discussions, please contact The Women's Center via the link below so that we can provide an alternative format and/or remedy any accessibility challenges.
The anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities reminds us, as a campus, to celebrate all persons with visible and invisible disabilities, and remain committed to their equitable inclusion.
Since its enactment on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, and its state-based equivalent statutory protections have provided protections for disability access and inclusion, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, in public accommodation, in public services, in transportation, and in telecommunications. Former President George H. W. Bush called the Act “a new birth of freedom” for Americans who identify as having a disability. This landmark civil rights law has changed society from benevolence towards disability to acceptance. While our campus, both by accessible design and accommodation, endeavors to provide equal access and inclusion for faculty, staff, students and visitors with disabilities, copious work remains, especially within external communities.
Maryland protects people with disabilities both in Title 20, State Government Article, and in Sections 7-701 to 7-710, Human Services Title. While these laws provide protections, they must be enforced and awareness must continue to be raised to promote equitable access and acceptance of persons with disabilities - on campus, on the job, and in the classroom.
Recently litigation in Baltimore City brought an assertion about a lack of curb ramps - raising awareness about federal accessibility requirements and the ongoing need for diligence. On campus, curb cuts and accessible grading are described on UMBC's Accessible Route Map. All construction and renovation on campus is designed to meet current accessibility requirements. That being said, repair conditions and maintenance needs arise and should be reported to Facilities Maintenance via Work Control (410-455-2550, workorder@umbc.edu) or via a department's AIM request. Accessibility concerns may be reported at any time via this linked online form. The replacement of elevators in the Sondheim and Fine Arts buildings in 2021 will be a boost to campus navigation, especially for people with disabilities. UMBC's Web Accessibility page (link), including information for reporting difficulty about digital content accessibility is also shared via the footer of UMBC's websites.
Additionally, all students with disabilities - graduate, undergraduate, part-time, full-time - may seek academic accommodation via Student Disability Services. Similarly, employees - faculty, staff, graduate assistants, student workers, work-study - may seek work-related accommodations via Accessibility and Disability Services.
Accessibility and Disability Services looks forward to working in partnership with UMBC's diverse and inclusive community to support equitable access to education, and employment as we reflect on the growth of campus accessibility over the past 31 years.
P.S. UMBC's support of accessibility pre-dates the ADA-read more about the designer Guy Chisholm who was honored for his 1965 accessible design elements at UMBC by Governor Mandel in 1982 via this link.
A photo of a standing black woman with a backpack using a walker-with-a-seat on a sidewalk next to a street with an orange bus lane. She is wearing a peach puffy jacket with peach pants and a black knit hat and is facing away from the camera. Photo credit: Jon Tyson via Unsplash.com
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