Preferred Delivery
Virtual
Length of Presentation
50 minutes
Start Date
7-10-2022 1:00 PM
End Date
7-10-2022 1:50 PM
Document Type
Presentation
Abstract
The general education curriculum at liberal arts colleges aim to teach students about a variety of topics to create a well-rounded education. Undergraduate students often come to these general education courses expecting to learn about marginalized populations. However, these conversations often exclude individuals with disabilities. This presentation will discuss one example of how a course about disability was fit into the general education curriculum at a college. An explanation of the course proposal will be reviewed. Then a summary of the course and objectives will be discussed. An undergraduate student that just completed the course will then share their experience in the course. Finally, next steps as both a faculty member and as a student who completed this course will be shared.
Description
This presentation’s target audience would be individuals that work in an institution of higher education. In particular, those that teach an undergraduate population earning general education credits.
By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to
- Describe the Disability in Chicagoland course
- Reiterate an undergraduate student’s experience learning about intersectionality and disability in a general education course.
- Explain how intersectionality, disability, and belonging can be the topic of a meaningfully placed general education course for undergraduate students.
This presentation will review a course called Disability in Chicagoland. It will review the readings included, which include both a novel and an autobiographical compilation of essays. The main theme of the course was to view disability as an identity, and see the complex intricacies of intersectionality in identity. Topics included not only disability, but race, language, sexual orientation, abuse/rape, and institutionalization.
Not only will this presentation give the perspective as an instructor of this course, but a student will share their experience as a student and learning about these topics as an early undergraduate student.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Disability in Chicagoland: An Undergraduate General Education Course
The general education curriculum at liberal arts colleges aim to teach students about a variety of topics to create a well-rounded education. Undergraduate students often come to these general education courses expecting to learn about marginalized populations. However, these conversations often exclude individuals with disabilities. This presentation will discuss one example of how a course about disability was fit into the general education curriculum at a college. An explanation of the course proposal will be reviewed. Then a summary of the course and objectives will be discussed. An undergraduate student that just completed the course will then share their experience in the course. Finally, next steps as both a faculty member and as a student who completed this course will be shared.
Speaker Information
Dr. Sara Baillie Gorman is a professor of special education at Trinity Christian College. She is passionate about advocating for belonging of all students on campus-from non-traditional undergraduates and graduate students to people with disabilities. She teaches in the Education unit, both undergraduate and graduate, as well as the General Education courses for undergraduate students.