EUGENE–An internationally recognized activist in the field of disability rights and disability studies will talk about the implications of genetic engineering, assisted suicide and the Human Genome Project at an Oct. 23 University of Oregon symposium on disability studies.

Adrienne Asch, the Henry R. Luce Professor in Biology, Ethics and the Politics of Human Reproduction at Wellesley College, will explore the meanings of disability in American society at the conference "Disability Studies: Where Has It Been? Where Is It Going?"

The free public event is scheduled from 3:30—5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, in the Fir Room of the Erb Memorial Union, 1222 E. 13th Ave. The Center on Human Development in the UO College of Education is sponsoring the symposium.

Asch says society marginalizes people with disabilities. She argues that it’s a mistake to view all disabilities as handicaps that must be overcome.

"A disability is only one part of a person. You don’t lose your interests, ethnicity or self because you have a disability," she says. "You often lose your place in society, but that’s the thing that has to be changed."

Philip Ferguson, an associate professor of special education at the UO and organizer of the symposium, agrees.

"Traditionally, disability has been seen in what is called the medical model. The emphasis has been to find a cure for the impairment. Disability studies rejects that approach, instead taking the view that the problems aren’t about physical impairment, but about the barriers society erects," Ferguson says.

Asch is troubled by the implications for disabled people that she believes are inherent in recent advances in genetics. She also worries that the acceptance of assisted suicide and the rationing of health care in Oregon will discriminate against the disabled.

The symposium will explore the emerging field of disability studies and the question of what disability means in modern society.

For more information or to register, call the UO Center on Human Development at (541) 346-2488.

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