Our Mission
Building on Ten Years of Activity
In the Spring of 2017, the NYU Senate’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force approved a proposal for a cross-school Center for Disability Studies (CDS). The Center builds on ten years of activity of the NYU Council for the Study of Disability, funded by the Provost’s office since 2007. Faye Ginsburg (Anthropology/Faculty of Arts & Sciences) and Mara Mills (Media, Culture, and Communication/Steinhardt), who formerly directed the Council, are the current co-directors of the Center.
The Center promotes disability scholarship, artistry, and activism through: public events, a monthly seminar, an undergraduate Disability Studies Minor and Disability Student Union, and co-direction of the Provostial Working Group addressing issues on campus of Disability, Infrastructure and Accessibility.
All Are Welcome
The Center welcomes participants from the faculty and student body across all of the schools and departments at NYU. Currently, active members come from Steinhardt, Tisch, FAS, Tandon, and Gallatin. Our goals include:
- To identify and build the NYU community of those whose teaching and research address issues of disability.
- To collaborate with organizations and initiatives in New York City and beyond, such as the annual NY Reelabilities Disabilities Film Festival; Disability/Arts/NYC (DANT); and the Cooke Center Academy SKILLS Transition Program for young adults with learning disabilities (incubated at NYU from 2009-11).
- To increase awareness about disability on campus through the development of courses and public events with scholars, activists, artists, and filmmakers whose work is on the cutting edge of disability studies.
- To make the campus more disability-friendly in terms of the built environment and availability of supports for students and faculty with disabilities.