Celebrating Disability Pride, Communities and Culture at Georgetown
People with disabilities belong to many diverse communities and racial and cultural backgrounds. At Georgetown, we support, educate and empower disabled community members of all backgrounds and create an environment that is welcoming, inclusive and accessible, and celebrates disabled people’s contributions to our Georgetown community.
Celebrating Disability Culture
In October, Georgetown celebrates Disability Cultural Month, highlighting the many and varied contributions of people with disabilities to our university community and to society at large. Learn more about how Georgetown students, faculty and staff are working to create a more inclusive and accessible community for all those at Georgetown and beyond.
Launching the Disability Cultural Center
Georgetown’s Disability Cultural Center celebrates disability culture, builds community and provides programming for disabled students, faculty, staff, allies and those interested in learning about disability.
Major in Disability Studies
Students in the College of Arts & Sciences can major in disability studies, joining one of the first programs of its kind in the country. In the program, students can explore disability law and policy and how disability intersects with the arts, bioethics, activism and more.
Quick Links
Community and Advocacy
“This art piece is my visual representation of a sensation I feel constantly. It is a celebration of disability culture because part of recognizing my disability was coming to terms with my ever-present need for movement.”
“As I started to understand my own disabled identity, I started putting it more into my academics: I started looking at the way disabled students are consistently disenfranchised, and I noticed that there was a lack of research about disabled students.”
When something isn’t accessible, it has very real-world consequences for me and people in communities that I’m a part of. My thing is being able to access information equally or have an equivalent form of access that affords you privacy, dignity and independence. That’s why this work is so critical.
A Testimonial
“The ultimate goal is to co-create space where disabled people (with apparent and non-apparent disabilities) can fully belong and thrive.”
Alumni Engagement
The university established the Disability Empowerment Endowment Fund through a seed gift from Tiffany Yu (B’10), founder of the company Diversability – which started as a student group at Georgetown.
In the News
Last fall, students were set loose in the Maker Hub to design an accessible podium. A year later, their prototypes were transformed into a gleaming brass podium in Riggs Library.
“Not Without Us: A Celebration of Disabled Joy,” is a new exhibit in the DC Public Library filled with art created by students involved in Georgetown’s Disability Cultural Center. …
A Testimonial
“I’ve learned so much from the disability community at Georgetown. Disability doesn’t have to be something clinical or medical; it can be a source of pride and community.“