1.01 CDS - Critical Disability Studies Portfolio
Project Description:
A survey conducted in 2001 indicated that there were 17 University Centers, and a few universities in the United States offering a certificate, minor, or degree program in Disability Studies with a significant number of them concentrated in the Northeast, West, and Midwest respectively. There was none in the South. The Texas Center for Disability at The University of Texas at Austin received a three-year Project of National Significance from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to develop and evaluate an innovative Disability Studies curriculum that is both philosophically and operationally grounded in the empowerment model of disability. The goal of the DS program is the critical analysis of the nature, meaning, and social context of disability that encourages a broad understanding of the phenomenon beyond the medical model to include the experience of disability by both individual and society. The Texas UCEDD developed and now teaches seven disability studies classes, entirely in an on-line format. A graduate level portfolio was approved by the University of Texas graduate school in March 2009. These courses provide foundation for the DS portfolio. These courses have been well received by students who currently take the DS courses to meet the elective requirements of their home programs. The disability studies courses appeal to students from a broad range of backgrounds, not typically included in the study of disability. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the program has broadened students professional skills and overarching knowledge of disability and resulted in transformation of students professional ideas about disability, practice, and themselves.
Keyword(s):
Developmental Disabilities, disability studies, empowerment model, web-based instruction
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Health-Related Activities, Employment-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Leadership, Other
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
None
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
