Covid as a Mass-Disabling Event: A Pedagogy of Kindness in Pandemic Times

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people suffering from long-term health issues and emotional trauma, constituting what some experts have referred to as a 'mass-disabling event.' What are the implications for how we approach disability in higher education, and how can instructors rethink their approaches to teaching and learning accordingly?

This webinar features Professor Cate Denial, Bright Distinguished Professor of American History at Knox College, University of Nottingham alumna, and PI on a $150,000 Mellon Foundation grant analysing practices of care in academia during Covid. Professor Denial will discuss the need to practice a "pedagogy of kindness" to create a more inclusive and just academy. Drawing on her research and own experiences with disability, Professor Denial will prompt us to re-evaluate our ideas of educational "rigour" not only in response to the pandemic as a mass-disabling event, but also a part of larger efforts to make higher education more accessible for disabled students and instructors alike.

This event is being hosted by the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, and will be convened by Dr Anna Meier.

Attendance is online. Participants can access the joining link on the online event page after registering, and will also be contacted with the MS Teams joining link prior to the event.