Beit Noam scholarship recipients initiated a conference highlighting the central dilemmas they face in the course of their academic work: tension and possible models of communication between disabled and the academia. Disability Studies as a political position and academic area of interest has its roots in the disability-group movements in England and the United States, members of whom began to identify themselves as an oppressed group, demanding changes to the existing social order. Against this background, there is an ongoing tension between accepted academic work traditions and the activist spirit in the field of knowledge. The purpose of the conference was to discuss this tension alongside the mutual influences between academic activity and activism
Beit Noam, the Shalem Foundation, the Commission for Equal Rights for People with Disabilities, Ono Academic College, and the Disability Studies division of the Federation of Israeli Sociologists joined together to organize the conference. The special challenge facing conference organizers proved to be including people with disabilities into the conference itself: material for the conference was published using simple language, special efforts were made to find programs in which people with intellectual disabilities could participate. Participants from six programs sent summaries subsequently accepted by the conference and presented their programs and standpoints regarding the relationship between academia and disability. Four of the seven conference sessions were supplemented with simultaneous language simplification, in addition to simultaneous sub-titling and sign language. The conference arranged numerous additional means of accessibility, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to listen and participate
The conference took place on 26 August at the Ono Academic College, with approximately 180 participants from academia, activists, people with a range of abilities, care and social service professionals and more. Among the noteworthy topics presented were: How Do Social Workers Speak about Disabilities?; What Does the Israeli Academia Have to Say about the Deinstitutionalization Movement? The Relationship Between Research and Activism; Art and Disability Studies; Accessibility and Equality in Higher Education for People with Disabilities; The Joint Learning Experience; The Relation Between Genetic Advisors and Disability; Students’ Attitudes towards People with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities; Education as a Trauma; and Students with Disabilities as Change Definers in the Israeli Higher Education System
The Shalem Foundation was a partner to and funding participant for the conference
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