Grant Projects

Encountering the Disability Gaze

Jaipreet Virdi,

The "disabled gaze" is an autonomous claiming of identity, the opposite of freakery or the "medical gaze," that serves as a guard against ableism and oppression. For disabled people, the power of this gaze allows them to assert their lived experiences to reduce stigma. Students in "Disability and the American Experience" (HIST 268) will analyze how the disabled gaze is prevalent in technology and share their work at the Center for Material Culture Studies’ Third Biennial Conference, "The Disability Gaze."