Teaching Disability and Human Rights Virtual Conference 

5:00-7:30 pm Eastern Time - Second Annual

REGISTER for the April 7 virtual conference

• Share ideas and challenges and meet colleagues from across the U.S. 
• K-12 teachers, instructors of pre-service teachers, disability historians, disability studies educators, and disability rights advocates from across the U.S. will meet online to discuss ways to expand and strengthen the teaching of stories of disability history in K-12 schools. 
• Access a wealth of K-12 curriculum from across the U.S. 
• Free thanks to a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program. But you must REGISTER. 
• ASL and CART closed captioning provided. 
• Check back to this web page. We will add details and resources. 

Watch soon for registration for the July 9 Teaching Disability History Conference on the campus of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. 

April 7 Conference Program

5:00    Keynote: The Human Rights Imperative for Disability - Hezzy Smith, Director of Advocacy Initiatives, Harvard Law School Project on Disability.
5:30    1990 Americans with Disabilities Act: Landmark for Disability and Human Rights - Hope Bibens, Harkin Institute, Director of Archives & Special Collections, Drake University Cowles Library. (Senator Tom Harkin was chief author of the ADA.) 
6:00    Teaching Intersectional Disability History and Human Rights - Tia Hinz, Teacher & Sarah Wiederecht, Teacher - Human Rights Educators USA.  
6:30    Discussion with the Producer of the Film: “How Activists Fought for Rights for People With Disabilities, and Made Them the Law” - Jill Rosenbaum, Producer, RetroReport.
7:00    Impacts of Integrating Disability History into Teacher Education - Speakers to be confirmed. 
7:25    Sharing curriculum, resources for student research and primary sources - Rich Cairn, Emerging America & Graham Warder, Professor of History, Keene State College (Emerging America Team). 

• Reform to Equal Rights: K-12 Disability History Curriculum 
• Disability History through Primary Sources
• Student Research Guides
• “The Struggle for Disability Rights - Overview of Disability History” - National History Day and Emerging America

7:30    Close

Preparation

Consider previewing the film, “How Activists Fought for Rights for People With Disabilities, and Made Them the Law,” from RetroReport. 

Learn More About the Teaching Disability History Project

• Keene State College (KSC) received a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) project grant in October, 2024. Read about the Teaching Disability History project at Keene State College, supported by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant. 
• Learn more about out in-person conference, July 8, 2025 at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. 

Conference Sponsors