I am so excited to teach this new class on the Philosophy of Disability!

The elimination of the weak is the death of fellowship. 

-Michael Beates 

We are often amazed that the disabled person or the person suffering from a disease can bear their situation. But in their own eyes they are not disabled or dying. -Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Is disability part of our central human experience? Or is it a deviation to be ignored? Does it teach us about what it means to be human or what it means not to be human? This course will cover the primary themes in disability studies and address the ethical questions concerning disability found in modern society. To do so, we will divide this course into four sections according to the following questions: (1) What is our conception of the human? (2) What is disability? (3) How can philosophy approach disability? (4) What should we do about disability?

In the first section, we will briefly cover five conceptions of being human. Next, we will do an overview of the disability study themes and each theme will be paired with a related activity. At this point, the students will choose one of the themes and activities to present on in class. Third, we will look at ways philosophy can approach disability. And lastly, we will address some practical issues in disability such as genetic screening and reproduction, end of life questions, integration in community and inclusion in education.