Ware brings disability studies field home

Ware

inda Ware, assistant professor at the Warner School, joined the first effort by the National Endowment for the Humanities to support an institute devoted to disability studies. She spent five weeks in San Francisco this summer studying the new field of humanities scholarship. This fall, Ware brings the issue to the River Campus as host of a series of seminars on ways to develop a humanities-based disability studies curriculum in high schools and colleges. (For information on the first lecture, see the "In Brief" section or the calendar.) She recently talked to Currents about the field and its growth.

How did disability studies emerge as this new area of scholarship?

In the humanities, disability studies emerged in much the same way as African-American studies and women's studies--as a challenge to the traditional canon. In the instance of disability, scholars in the humanities have challenged the exclusive depiction of disability as that associated with deviance, tragedy, or pity. These narrow and negative portrayals do very little to advance our understanding of disability as part of the human condition.

And in your field of education?

Disability studies in education is a very new idea and, as I envision it, we will draw from the humanities scholarship to sharpen the critique of traditional special education. This effort is about imagining disability differently, and that means moving away from the medical model so central to traditional special education. After 30 years of traditional special education, the outcomes do not warrant continuing the project of separating and segregating children by their differences.

Is it wrong to think of disability in medical and scientific terms only?

The medical model is premised on cure and care--both worthy goals, but some disabilities won't be cured. Many people with disabilities live full and rich lives that may appear as imperfect, unpredictable, and unfortunate to some, but these lives are no less worthy of celebration. However, with a focus on cure, what are we really communicating about disability?

How will this project consider disability?

The goal here is to define disability both theoretically and historically from the perspective of the current trend of exploring the humanities through culture, the body, race, gender, class, and ethnicity. We will begin with literature, history, religion, and photography to inspire an alternative understanding of disability.

You stress the interdisciplinary nature of disability studies. Why is that important?

In this case, it's important because the task of undoing strongly held cultural beliefs about disability is an immense task. Shifting from a deficit model to one that recognizes disability as an attribute will necessitate the active participation of all our institutions: education, medicine, law, and government. For instance, this year's series will involve faculty from the College, the Warner School, and the School of Medicine and Dentistry as well as area high school teachers.

Your doctorate is in special education, but your work now supports inclusion of all students. How did that change come about?

Actually, my work has always been a critique of traditional special education even though I earned a doctorate from one of the premier special-education programs in the nation: the University of Kansas. Actually, the field of critical special education originated at KU alongside their very traditional program. Of course, here at Rochester my work fits within a school of education that is uniquely devoted to critical approaches to education. Now, with the support of faculty in the humanities and those from the medical school, the critique will be greatly enhanced.

What are the long-range goals of your NEH project?

The participants will develop a plan of action that is appropriate for each of their respective institutions. We have a stellar cast of presenters who will provide background topics to consider as we collectively determine how we can support a disability studies program here at the University by building on existing coursework. For the high school teachers, the goal is to begin to include disability-related topics in their humanities teaching. We also hope new alliances will be formed.

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