Infusing Feminist Disability Studies in Our Teaching

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, disability studies has become a vibrant, interdisciplinary field. The five co-authors have worked together to examine the work of feminist disability scholarship with the goal of incorporating disability studies into our current intersectional approach to teaching. We begin with a brief introduction to feminist disability studies, paying particular attention to issues of identity and embodiment, and the ways in which disability, like gender, is socially constructed. We then share how the incorporation of a disability studies lens has influenced each of our courses, providing concrete examples. We examine the creation of new courses, such as the Sociology of Disability and Disability Studies in Education, which both explore disability through a gender, race, and class lens. Additionally, we discuss the integration of disability into existing courses, including an intersectional theory course, and a course on class, stratification, and power. Finally, we present an example of how disability studies perspectives can transform the teaching of a specific subject widely taught in gender-related courses—reproductive justice and the politics of choice. Bringing disability studies into the dialogue does not simply add to the curriculum and make it more inclusive, it also transforms it.