What is the Carrie Buck Distinguished Fellowship?

The fellowship, funded by the Ford Foundation, is intended for activists, scholars, and community organizers with disabilities whose work draws national attention to systemic ableism in reproductive health policy.

Tuesday, October 28

Carrie Buck Distinguished Fellowship

A discussion with Laura Millar to explore consent, access, and autonomy within the intersection of reproductive and disability justice.

By The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy

Date and time

Location

Zinner Forum

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University 415 South Street Waltham, MA 02453

Lineup

About this event

Event lasts 1 hour 30 minutes

Reproductive Justice and Disability Justice are deeply connected, and honoring that connection strengthens individuals and communities. Laura Millar is an independent consultant and the co-executive director of the Blind Sexuality Access Network, whose work is focused on how blind and disabled people are systematically denied access – not just to sexual healthcare or education, but to autonomy, pleasure, relationships, and even basic conversations that should never have been out of reach in the first place.

Access doesn't begin with ramps or braille, it begins with permission. Permission to ask questions, to understand and hold boundaries, to name desires, to be curious, and to exist as sexual beings without shame. Access is often shut down before those conversations even start. It’s denied by systemic, internalized and sexual ableism; and the microaggressions disabled people experience every day. Laura will discuss how consent is not just a yes-or-no moment, but a core component of Disability and Reproductive Justice. Laura recognizes that consent is a collective framework for how we relate to one another: with clarity, care, and cultural humility. For disabled people, consent culture can lead to true, holistic access and a richer, more fulfilling life.

This event also has a virtual component. Find it here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carrie-buck-distinguished-fellowship-virtual-tickets-1483779928709?aff=oddtdtcreator

Organized by

The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy

The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University’s Heller School leads research that helps shape policies, programs and practices which improve the lives of people with disabilities across the lifespan.

We partner with people with disabilities, community organizations, policymakers, and clinicians to produce research that addresses the critical issues that people with disabilities and their families face. This research incorporates qualitative and quantitative projects that are informed by the disability community and grounded in disability justice. Our research team includes established academic scholars, postdoctoral fellows, professional research staff, and student research assistants. We prioritize mentorship of the next generation of researchers.

The Institute was created with a generous gift from the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation. Through research, policy development, education, and public engagement, the Lurie Institute provides a comprehensive approach to addressing disability across the lifespan.