UCLA Launched a First-of-Its-Kind Disability Studies Major
Traditionally, universities have taught disability-related topics solely from a medical viewpoint, but a new bachelor's degree at the University of California, Los Angeles seeks to change that, according to the program chair. The institution is now offering a disability studies major — reportedly the first of its kind at a California public university — that aims to take students beyond a clinical solutions- focused approach and instead look at the topic from a interdisciplinary perspective, considering 'social, cultural, historical, artistic, legal, and political' viewpoints.
“[Disability studies] is a way of thinking about how we construct identities around health and well-being, functionality and in some degrees, citizenship itself,” said Victoria Marks, chair of the disability studies interdepartmental degree program, to The Daily Bruin, UCLA's student newspaper.
Once accepted into the major, students take courses like American Sign Language and Community Engagement & Social Change, complete an internship at a “community-based agency,” and create a capstone project based on original research.
“We see disability as a social construction,” Jeffrey A. Brune, co-editor of Disability Studies Quarterly, told the LA Times. “Very much the same way as race, gender and sexuality are constructed.”
Brune explained that, even though UCLA students don’t feel the need to pass as straight if they are LGBTQIA+, many disabled students still feel pressured to pass as able-bodied, as well as that disabled students still face a lack of funding and accommodations in addition to social stigma.
Students who major in disability studies can use their degree in a wide variety of fields, from medicine, to law, to social services, according to university officials. The program also aims for its graduates to be advocates for the disability community, armed with both knowledge of academic theories and firsthand lived experiences.
At the very least, the new major will create space for disabled people on campus and increase awareness across the institution.
“Having it [a disability studies major] really spots disabled people, but it also puts us into everyday conversation,” said Augustine Udukumbura, member of the Disabled Student Union.
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Another imbalance this program would help remedy is the fact that many disability studies programs lack disabled faculty members. That’s because, when a disabled person takes a low-paying job, as many adjunct positions are, they risk losing their government health insurance and funding. Another reason is that many disabled people can’t attend higher education because of a lack of funding and resources, meaning community members often lack the credentials universities look for when hiring.
