Clockwise from upper left: Mariella Paulino, Caterina Rivera, Lynn Roberts, ASL sign language interpreter
CUNY SPH marked CUNY Disability Awareness Month 2021 with a series of events that brought together students, faculty, staff, and alumni to illuminate the challenges and opportunities for creating and sustaining a more accessible and supportive learning and working environments for all who study, work, and visit our campus. We hosted talks, a webinar, screenings of several films organized around the themes of (in)Visibility, Inclusion, and Intersectionality.
Selected events
Presentations
April 13 | Inclusion and Intersectionality: A Talk with Two Disabled Latina Professionals
Disability is not often thought of when we think of diversity. But disability needs to be part of diversity and equity initiatives, and disability inclusion benefits everyone. Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations Lynn Roberts joined speakers Catarina Rivera, founder of Blindish Latina, and Mariella Paulino, founder of The Hearing Project, for a lively discussion on the case for disability inclusion and why it matters in all settings, with special attention placed on higher educational settings. As co-founders of Chicas Talk Disability, Rivera and Paulino also discussed the meaning of intersectionality and what it means for them personally to identify as disabled Latina professionals.
April 29 | Panel: Creating a Culture of Disability Inclusion and Equity
Four members of the CUNY and SPH communities (Leonard Blades, CUNY Alumnus and past chair of the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities; Bram Levin, CUNY SPH MPH student whose research focuses on trauma /PTSD, neurodiversity and ableism; CUNY SPH Professor Suzanne McDermott, a disability epidemiologist and advocate; and Charmaine Townsell University Director of Student Engagement and Inclusion at CUNY Central) shared their insights about what it means and what is required to create and sustain an inclusive and equitable learning and working environment for all.
