Irreducible Subjects: Disability and Genomics in the Past, Present and Future, October 6-7, 2022

Irreducible Subjects: Disability and Genomics in the Past, Present and Future, October 6-7, 2022

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Center for Disability Studies will hold a two-day symposium entitled, “Irreducible Subjects: Disability and Genomics in the Past, Present and Future." Please join us on Oct. 6-7, 2022. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET. They are free and open to the public.

On day one, we will explore past and present injustices to identify some of the fundamental structural, conceptual and practical realities present at the intersection of disability, bioethics and genomics and ask how we can promote disability justice in genomics and bioethics research. We will also examine genetics and disability across the life course, from prenatal screening to later life, showing how constructions of disability based on genetic information constrain expectations about individuals’ worth, personhood, rights and health outcomes.

On day two, expert panelists will discuss the role of genetic and genomic science and medicine in generating and sustaining racialized and gendered violence — both physical and epistemic — against disabled people and marginalized communities. We will conclude the day with a talk about the gap between genetic narratives of disability and the potential for flourishing in disabled lives. We will challenge the research community to recognize the authority of lived experience and to incorporate collaborative methods to promote diversity and inclusion.

Keynote speakers include Dennis Tyler, Fordham University professor and author of “Disabilities of the Color Line,” and Jaipreet Virdi, University of Delaware professor and author of “Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History.” Additional expert panelists will discuss how disability and ability are connected to both historical and present-day eugenics, scientific and structural racism, heteronormativity, misogyny, imperialism and colonialism.

Register now on genome.gov: https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar/irreducible-subjects-disability-and-genomics-in-the-past-present-and-future

This event will be presented with real-time captioning. American Sign Language Services will also be provided. Please direct additional requests for reasonable accommodations to NHGRIhistory@nih.gov.

-- 

Nicola Sugden, PhD

Associate Historian

She/Her

Engagement Methods Unit

Social and Behavioral Research Branch

National Human Genome Research Institute