Allies for Change is offering this two-day workshop designed for nondisabled people who wish to deepen their understanding of the disability justice movement and explore what it means to be an ally with people with disabilities. The workshop will provide an opportunity to connect with other allies to build a community of accountability, discuss questions and concerns, and practice the skills of being an effective ally in the struggle to dismantle ableism.
Utilizing the wisdom of the participants gathered, videos, resources created by people with disabilities, large and small group discussion, and experiential activities, we will explore the following topics and issues:
- The history of the disability rights and justice movements
- Nondisabled privilege – what it is and what to do with it
- Disability identity, culture and pride
- How to be an authentic ally
- Discerning the difference between solidarity and “helping”
- Challenging the notion of pity and the myth of independence
- Practicing the skills of interrupting ableism
- How to be a partner working for institutional change
Dates: March 14 & 15, 2014, Attendance at both days is required
Time:Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; Saturday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Facilitator Team: Theresa Squires & Melanie S. Morrison
Location: Red Cedar Friends Meeting House, 1400 Turner St., Lansing, Michigan. The facility is barrier-free
Time:Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; Saturday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Facilitator Team: Theresa Squires & Melanie S. Morrison
Location: Red Cedar Friends Meeting House, 1400 Turner St., Lansing, Michigan. The facility is barrier-free
Cost: $150 ($50 deposit and $100 balance due). The cost includes program, materials, and lunch for both days. Partial scholarships are available
About the Workshop Leaders:
Theresa Squires is a Program Manager at Michigan Disability Rights Coalition. Recently featured in YES! Magazine as a "Person We Love," she proudly identifies as a woman with a disability. As a public speaker she uses personal experience to actively engage audiences in conversations around disability identity and pride. She has been involved with the disability justice community for the past decade, and has facilitated trainings, workshops and retreats to examine and dismantle non-disabled privilege. At the core of all she does is her work to end violence against women.
Melanie S. Morrison is Director of Allies for Change and an anti-oppression educator with 25 years experience designing and facilitating transformational group process. She is a keynote speaker at national and regional conferences addressing issues of racial and disability justice. In 2013, she co-facilitated the BASIC Institute that examined the intersections of racism, classism, and ableism. She believes we can become ever more conscious of injustice without surrendering our capacity for compassion and joy. As an ally, she is committed to learning from, and working with, disability activists on behalf of a more accessible and inclusive world.
***REGISTER EARLY***
ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS!!
For more information about Disability Justice or to inquire about partial scholarships, emailmelaniemorrison@alliesforchange.org or tsquires@mymdrc.org