Undoing Ableism as Praxis of Disability Pride

This event is being held as part of Hackforge’s Accessibility Series, coinciding with National AccessAbility Week (May 26 – June 1)

An interactive workshop for students, professionals, and community members seeking to create accessible spaces for people with disabilities, and anyone affected by ableism.

Faced with the burden of successfully reproducing norms that align with a dominant culture, language, religion, appearance, age, health, general ways of being, navigating, and learning –– or otherwise being subjected to judgement or exclusion, this workshop employs experiential learning strategies to explore the forces and lived consequences of ableism. In a world sustained on deeply entrenched norms of somatic and neurological ideals of mental and physical strength, this interactive session underscores ableism as a source of oppression for disabled folks.

Throughout the workshop, participants are asked to examine how the microstructures of language and macro-interactions with social, medical, and institutional practices and policy reinforce ableist tendencies that value able-bodiedness as the desired ideal.

Participants will reflect on their own interactions with ableism and develop the skill to dislodge commonly held ableist beliefs. Demonstrating lived experiences of ableism as having biological, social, and mental health effects, participants will learn how to:

• Build an environment that acknowledges the challenges of initiating difficult conversations addressing forms of exclusion and oppression
• Recognize ableism as a system of barriers in everyday life contexts
• Apply practical strategies of undoing ableism as praxis (informed and committed action) of disability pride

Perhaps most notably, this workshop demonstrates that, “you don’t have to be disabled to experience ableism.” – Talila Lewis

This workshop is delivered by Evelina Baczewska, a feminist sociologist, specializing in disability pride/disability justice.

📍 Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario (ALSO) (1100 University Ave, W.)

In-Person Only

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