July 19-20, 2021
During this dynamic convening of disabled creative practitioners, we will celebrate and honor the work of the DISABILITY FUTURES fellows and their collaborators through never-before-seen performances, compelling conversations, and even a virtual dance party.
This event will feature American Sign Language (ASL) and live closed captioning and audio descriptions in English. 24-48 hours following each session, transcripts and recordings will be linked on this page.
If you require any additional accommodation or service or if you are experiencing any accessibility issues with the registration site, please contact events@fordfoundation.org as soon as possible.
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What is the mundane magic that happens in slowness and intimate spaces? What can we learn through interrogations of disabled time and space?
Join us for the opening session of the DISABILITY FUTURES virtual festival, where Jerron Herman will practice being with, of, and in community with a screening of HEARTH: Kitchuns, featuring Kinetic Light.
Perel will then give a presentation on their work as it relates to power and intimacy, including a partial screening of a new video that centers disabled people in conversation about disabled persecution in Nazi Germany, and how we confront the continuing legacy of eugenics.
Featuring Jerron Herman and Perel
Welcoming remarks from Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation
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How can disability portraiture change narratives and understandings of disability in the contemporary cultural and social landscapes?
DISABILITY FUTURES Fellows Riva Lehrer, Alice Wong, Jim LeBrecht, and Rodney Evans all promote other disabled people’s stories through portraiture in different mediums, engaging in a process that highlights the interconnectedness and interdependence inherent in disability creative communities. Join us for two conversations about the ways in which being with each other is essential to the process of disability creative work.
2-3 PM ET | Riva Lehrer in conversation with Alice Wong
3-4 PM ET | Rodney Evans and Jim LeBrecht in conversation with Kayla Hamilton and Denise Jacobson in a conversation moderated by Chi-hui Yang, senior program officer, CFE, Ford Foundation
Welcoming remarks from Margaret Morton, director, Creativity and Free Expression (CFE), Ford Foundation
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Communities around the world are grappling with the growing number and intensity of climate-related disasters because of climate change. Many in the disability community are asking, “When climate disaster strikes, will able-bodied allies be there for us?”.
In this session, DISABILITY FUTURES Fellow and Sins Invalid Co-Founder, Executive and Artistic Director, Patty Berne along with climate justice organization, Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project, will host a conversation exploring the connections between climate justice and disability justice in the era of human-generated climate change. This session will also feature a screening selection from Sins Invalid’s 2020 virtual performance, We Love Like Barnacles.
Featuring Patty Berne, Sins Invalid, and Ellen Choy and Crosby of Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project
Welcoming remarks from Rebecca Cokley, program officer, Office of the President, Ford Foundation
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Join DISABILITY FUTURES Fellows Eli Clare, Sky Cubacub, Ryan Haddad and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, as they explore the legacies and intertwined histories of disability justice embedded in their work. Participants will reflect on the evolution of how their work has explored crip risk, pleasure and celebration from the mid-1990s to now. Experience this intergenerational, multi-racial mix of unabashed queer, disabled writers, performers and designers unfurling how we build queer disabled communities and histories through contemporary artistic practices, weaving in samples of their poetry, prose, design, and performance.
Following the discussion, Sky Cubacub will host a closing party, to leave us basking and celebrating queer disabled communities together, with music by DJ Who Girl (Kevin Gotkin) and evening runway performances from models wearing their Rebirth Garments.
7-7:45 PM ET | Sky Cubacub, Eli Clare, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha in a conversation moderated by Ryan Haddad
7:45 - 8:15 PM ET | Dance party with music by DJ Who Girl (Kevin Gotkin)
Welcoming remarks from Lane Harwell, program officer, CFE, Ford Foundation
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What are the languages of connection in our worlds?
“Access Intimacy” as Mia Mingus wrote 10 years ago, is “that elusive, hard to describe feeling when someone else 'gets' your access needs. The kind of eerie comfort that your disabled self feels with someone on a purely access level. Sometimes it can happen with complete strangers, disabled or not, or sometimes it can be built over years".
Join DISABILITY FUTURES fellows Ryan Haddad and Mia Mingus in a conversation moderated by Perel about “access intimacy”. They will speak to the complexities of how, if, and when access intimacy is known or shows up in their lives and varied artistic practices and creative landscapes.
Featuring Ryan Haddad, Mia Mingus, and Perel
Welcoming remarks from Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, president, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
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The digital divide – the gap between those who do and do not have access to high-speed internet service, cell phones and computer technology – is long-standing and pronounced in Native and Indigenous communities, making it difficult for Native artists without access to share their work with the outside world.
Join two-spirit, disabled, Native artists Jen Deerinwater, Marcy Angeles, and Tony Enos in a conversation moderated by Rocío Aranda-Alvarado exploring the challenges faced by Native artists and communities with a lack of digital access. This session will also premier an original song, Others Like Me, written, recorded, and produced by the artists in preparation for this convening.
Featuring Marcy Angeles, Jen Deerinwater, and Tony Enos in a conversation moderated by Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, program officer, CFE, Ford Foundation
Welcoming remarks from Emil Kang, program director, Arts & Culture, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
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Every one of us has experienced an incomprehensible sense of loss throughout our lives—whether identity, belonging, family, beloved, and community or some other unattainable knowing. For whatever reason, these are things that are elusive to our capacity to process and understand. It could be someone else’s trauma, the grief of losing a loved one, or an unrealized dream.
Taking cues from the Japanese practice of Gaman, described as “enduring the seemingly unbearable with dignity and beauty,” a practice that gave strength to Japanese Americans wrongfully removed from their homes and incarcerated in barren landscapes during World War II, and in their lifelong search for home in an unfamiliar land, this project considers how a crafted object, a dance performance, and a movement ritual can release pain, surface the unknown, and instill the grace, intention, and dignity in our lives.
Featuring Jeffrey Yasuo Mansfield and Alice Sheppard
Welcoming remarks from Ezra Benus, DISABILITY FUTURES program manager, United States Artists
In this video message, Ford Foundation program officer, Lane Harwell offers some tips for enhancing your virtual festival experience.
To access this video with audio description, please visit the audio described Youtube playlist.
In this video message, Ford Foundation program officer, Lane Harwell outlines the resources and accommodations available throughout the festival.
To access this video with audio description, please visit the audio described Youtube playlist.
We recognize that there will be a lot of content and screen time throughout the festival. We invite you to close your eyes, take a deep breath and center yourself with Navild Acosta and Fannie Sosa’s meditation experience. To learn more about the Ford Foundation gallery and the Indisposable: Structures of Support After the ADA exhibition series visit the Ford Foundation gallery.
To access this video with audio description, please visit the audio described Youtube playlist.
The art direction for DISABILITY FUTURES was inspired by the idea of new prospects and intention–of celebrating the beauty of disabled bodies, spirits, and minds.
Energized by the works of Sky Cubacub, Tourmaline, and Christine Sun Kim, DISABILITY FUTURES was concepted and designed by Emily Sara–a disabled artist and designer and the founder of the accessible and disability-centric studio, Sick and Tired.
Since our activities are shared digitally to the internet, we invite you to take a moment to consider the legacy of colonization embedded within technology, online work culture, and philanthropy at large. We acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic has created the conditions for a heavier reliance on the virtual world and has had a disproportionate impact on Indigenous, Black and communities of color. We acknowledge that this lack of access has created multiple points of marginalization especially for disabled Indigenous people.
We acknowledge and honor the many native lands this event is being produced on and invite you all to acknowledge the native land you are joining us from by visiting: https://native-land.ca/
Disability Futures virtual festival is dedicated to providing a harassment-free digital experience for everyone. Harassment refers to conduct (including actions, words, jokes, or comments) that is unwelcome and uncomfortable to the recipient’s ability to participate. This includes deliberate intimidation; sustained disruption of talks or other events; following or stalking; unwelcome sexual attention; and offensive verbal comments related to technology choices, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, color, national origin, ancestry, alienage, citizenship, religion (or lack thereof), creed, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), self-identified or perceived sex, gender identity or expression, the status of being transgender, sexual orientation, age, marital, familial, or partnership status, conviction or arrest record, unemployment status, military or veteran status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sex offense, or stalking, caregiver status, consumer credit history, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We do not tolerate harassment of presenters and participants in any form and will promptly remove anyone who does so. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact events@fordfoundation.org immediately.
Ableism / Language
To achieve a harassment-free and inclusive environment, it is important to pay attention to harmful language patterns. Words like "crazy", "dumb", "insane" or "lame" are examples of ableist language, devaluing and insulting disabled people. To find out more about ableist language and replacement terms, we recommend reading read this guide by Lydia X. Z. Brown.
Attribution
This Code of Conduct was based on the Conference Code of Conduct and JSConf.
The DISABILITY FUTURES virtual festival was guided by the DISABILITY FUTURES fellows and seeks to present their ideas and artistry on their terms.
Participating fellows include: Alice Sheppard, Alice Wong, Christine Sun Kim, Eli Claire, Jeffrey Yasuo Mansfield, Jen Deerinwater, Jerron Herman, Jim Lebrecht, John Lee Clark, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Mia Mingus, Navild Acosta, Patty Berne, Perel, Riva Lehrer, Rodney Evans, Ryan J. Haddad and Sky Cubacub.
It was produced by Ford Foundation, in partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and United States Artists. We are incredibly grateful to each team member's contributions.
Ford Foundation
Margaret Morton, program director, Creativity & Free Expression
Lane Harwell, program officer, Creativity & Free Expression
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Emil Kang, program director, Arts & Culture
Yasmeen Allen Martei, manager of strategic initiatives & planning
United States Artists
Jamie Bennett, interim president & CEO
Deana Haggag, former president & CEO
Lu Zhang, director of initiatives
Michael Pusey, assistant director
Curation
Ezra Benus, DISABILITY FUTURES program manager, United States Artists
Sierra Paller, curator & producer, Ford Foundation
Production
Tara Romig, event producer & planner, Ford Foundation
Lennox King, production assistant, Ford Foundation
Elizabeth Pasquariello, production assistant, Ford Foundation
Shaneza Rahamen, production coordinator, Ford Foundation
Patricia Howard, department coordinator, Ford Foundation
Convening Support
Francisco Eraso, convening assistant, Ford Foundation
AV
Matthew Sophoclides, manager, audio video services, Ford Foundation
Adanna Gray, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Albert Fermin, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Brandon Bujnowski, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Brian Hurley, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Catherin Ardila, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Matt Menafro, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Robert Kreizel, AV technician, Ford Foundation
Access Providers
David Linton, audio describer
Joe Quinn, ASL interpreter
Lynnette Taylor, ASL interpreter
Coda Brothers
Aaron Wegehaupt, ASL interpreter
Andy Olson, ASL interpreter
Ben Olson, ASL interpreter
Dance Party Magicians
Charles Eppley, sound describer
Moira Williams, audio describer
Teresa Suh, access doula
Europa Grace, audio describer
Jess Curtis, audio describer
Rachael Dichter, audio describer
Stephanie Hewett, audio describer
SignNexus
Candace Davider, ASL interpreter
Craig Ridgway, ASL interpreter
Gloria V., ASL interpreter
Greyson V., ASL interpreter
Maria Cardoza, ASL interpreter
Michael Barrios, ASL interpreter
Sandra Romero-Canas, ASL interpreter
Vern Leon, ASL interpreter
Press and Communications
Tolu Onafowokan, strategic communications officer, Ford Foundation
Cultural Counsel
Art Direction and Design
Emily Sara, designer, Sick & Tired Studios
Video Editing
Hugo Rodriguez, video editor
Convening Box Contributors
Foxblossom Co.
GraceLee Lawrence, artist
Sandie Yi, designer
Simone Evans, textile artist
Sky Cubacub, designer