Carleton is planning on offering a new minor program in disability studies in fall 2014, according to Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences dean John Osborne.
“Carleton prides itself on being the most accessible campus in Canada, thanks to our tunnel system,” Osborne said. “This leads to a lot of people interested in disability rights and disability culture.”
The minor will be housed under the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Osborne said the institute was “set up as an incubator for these cross discipline interdisciplinary programs,” such as sexuality studies, child studies, Latin American and Caribbean studies, and South Asian studies.
The minor will include a first-year and a fourth-year course, with subject matter related to disability studies such as human rights and law, across of a number of departments, according to Osborne.
He said two contract instructors will be hired to teach the two courses.
Roy Hanes, a Carleton social work professor, said the term “disability studies” is often confused with special education, though the two are not similar. This program will study the culture, politics, and struggles of people with disabilities.
Hanes said there have been efforts to organize a disability studies minor for a few years, but due to more interest, it can now be implemented.
York is the leader in disability studies offering undergraduate and master’s programs in the area, with very few schools offering a disability studies program, he said.
Disability studies is in the beginning stages, according to Osborne. If enough people are interested in the courses, he said the minor could evolve into a major.
