Disability Justice I (Fall 2025)

September 22 – October 12, 2025

Short Course

Description

In this 3-week introduction to disability justice course, you will learn about disability justice, practice using inclusive language, and apply strategies to interrupt ableism.

You can expect to create documents and/or find ways to apply your learning right away, including options like:

• Write/revise inclusive accessibility statements,
• Draft an email/letter to a decision maker advocating for a change through multiple means of communication, i.e. email, letter, conversation, etc.
• Practice strategies for addressing ableist language and microaggressions,
• Brainstorm ways to re-design a campus space, and/or
• Apply inclusive language to campus communications and course documents.

From the Facilitator

Direct link: Disability Justice Introduction

Course Learning Objectives:

By the end of this 3-week short course, participants will be able to:

• Use inclusive language and accessible design in communications. 
• Interrupt ableist language or microaggressions. 
• Advocate for change grounded in disability justice. 

Modules

Each week we will focus on different key concepts and skills. These essential questions frame these key topics for each module:

• Module 1: What is disability? What is the social model vs. medical model of disability? What is disability justice?
• Module 2: What is ableism? What are some examples of ableism in systems, policies, and communication? What is identity-first vs. people-first language? How do I use inclusive language?
• Module 3: What are microaggressions? How I do I interrupt ableist language or microaggressions? What are ways to advocate for inclusive communication, policies, and systems?

Suggested Audience 

Faculty (Full-time and part-time), Instructional Designers and Technologists, and Faculty Developers/Trainers.

Estimated Time Commitment 

Most participants are able to complete this course by committing 4-6 hours per week. 

Reflect on your Professional Development 

As you progress through this course, please consider how you can use the assignments as a way to highlight your work on your Professional Development Plan. Consider sharing your work with your leadership team.

Course Location 

This course is hosted and facilitated using the D2L Brightspace instance of Minnesota State called, MnSite. 

Machine generated captions are available in real-time for all Zoom events, however human generated CART (live caption) service and ASL interpretation can be requested with advanced notice (2 weeks) to make the event more accessible.

Please, let us know of any disability-related accommodations that will facilitate your full participation.