The Accessibility Network Group and Talent & Inclusion is excited to host the inaugural fireside chat series on the intersections of disability with diverse identities on Wednesday, October 30th at Higgins House, Great Hall between 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. This engaging conversation will be moderated by Stanley Horton, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, as well as Title IX Coordinator. The discussion will feature Aymon Langlois, Assistant Director of Accessibility Services and author of Ugly Feet, OCD, and Other Intimations of Resistance, along with Caitlin Neer, Instructional Designer III and Vice Chair of Staff Council.
Aymon Langlois’ Ugly Feet, OCD, and Other Intimations of Resistance: A Narrative Suite on Disability and Masculinity book will be available for order or purchase at the event.
Join this engaging discussion and enjoy light refreshments!
Registration is encouraged. Seats may be limited, please click here to register now!
Event Description:
Beginning in the 1970s, at the behest of grassroots disabled scholastic-activism, the social model of disability critically intervened in the supremacy of the medical framework. Whereas the medical model conflates “impairment” and “disability,” locating a fixable “problem” within individual body/minds, deriding pride as a possibility, the social model distinguished between “impairment” (objective body/mind realities, e.g. blindness, neurodivergence) and “disability”—what it forwarded as a socially constructed identity.
But these aren't our only identities. We are men, women, nonbinary folx. We are queer, straight, and of different races and religions. These identities interact. This fireside chat will discuss the complex intersections of disability with our varied identities to include neurodivergence, blindness, queer identity, masculinity, the personal, familial, and professional. For example, what might it mean to be a disabled queer person? What might be the potential difficulties of claiming masculinity as a disabled person in a "normative," traditional society in which the latter is thought to be inconsistent with the former?
Speaker Bios:
Aymon Langlois (he/him)
Disabled writer-activist, educator, and consultant Aymon Langlois joined the WPI community as Assistant Director of Accessibility Services in 2024. Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, Andrew Leland, has called his debut essay collection, Ugly Feet, OCD, and Other Intimations of Resistance: A Narrative Suite on Disability and Masculinity, "a promising, exhilarating entry into the canon of writing that successfully weaves together memoir and critical inquiry." A lover of Cheez-Its and nineteenth-century literature, Aymon lives and runs in the Worcester area.
Caitlin Neer (they/them/theirs)
Caitlin joined WPI in 2016 as the inaugural Instructional Designer at the university. Their work is primarily focused on faculty development programs and consulting geared towards making learning environments more effective and inclusive for all students. Caitlin’s work is informed by learning sciences research and is aligned with the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching practices to center accessibility, inclusivity, and belonging in course design processes. Prior to joining WPI, Caitlin was a high school chemistry and special education certified teacher and served as the faculty advisor for the school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance. An avid home chef and gardener, Caitlin and their wife live in Worcester with their three cats.
Learn more about the Inclusive Excellence Employee Resource Group program and how to participate or start a new employee resource group.
If you have any questions or are interested in joining the Accessibility Network Group, please reach out to the co-chairs: Roxanne Gardner at rcgardner@wpi.edu or Bill Battelle at battelle@wpi.edu.