Disability Studies
- Explores the history, cultures, and rights movements of people with a wide variety of bodymind variations: physical, sensory, psychological, intellectual, and neurodiverse.
- Analyzes the intersections of disability with race, gender, class, and nationality.
- Assumes there is no need to fix disabilities. Instead, we build a world that accommodates and respects the people who experience them.
- Centers the voices of disabled people, abiding by the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us”.
Click here to add the Disability Studies Minor
Disability Studies Advising
Dr. Brian Trapp, Director of Disability Studies
trapp@uoregon.edu
541-346-0508
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Prof. Betsy Wheeler Awarded Faculty Excellence Award in Universal Design
The Faculty Excellence in Universal Design for Learning Award committee is very pleased to announce Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Wheeler as the 2022/2023 award recipient! Betsy has made numerous and powerful contributions to the University of Oregon. Her leadership, innovation, and dedication to students and accessibility has had a profound impact on students, colleagues, the campus, and disabled communities.
Betsy Wheeler founded the University of Oregon Disability Studies Minor in 2017 and served as its director for six years. Now retired, Betsy taught courses on race and disability, inclusive
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Spring 2024 – ASL 301 – American Deaf Culture
For this class on American Deaf Culture, you’ll study the relationship between the Deaf community and the dominant culture in the United States. You’ll explore issues of language (ASL), culture, self-representation, identity, and social structure. You do not need to know sign language to take this course. ASL 301 American Deaf Culture fulfills a multicultural course requirement in Identity, Pluralism, and Tolerance (IP). It counts as a Social Model class in the DS Minor.
ASL 301 is taught by Prof. Keith Catron, who has an MA in Sign Language Education from Gallaudet University.
Disability Studies PE For Diverse Learners in the News
Picture of Prof. Michelle Dunn
Eugene’s KLCC reported on UO Professor Michelle Dunn’s Unified Basketball program at Eugene high schools. Dunn also teaches EDST 440: PE for Diverse Learners, for which DS minors can receive fieldwork credit.
According to the story:
“Michelle Dunn is Eugene 4J’s Adapted PE Specialist, and runs the program. She said it gives these students a chance to be part of a team.
“I think once families and students truly understand and see what unified sports can be about—leadership and togetherness, and motor skills, social skills—people are
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