Disability and Disadvantage:
Re-examining Topics in Moral and Political Philosophy
Siena Hotel
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
September 8-9, 2007
The aim of the workshop is to apply considerations of disability and disadvantage to mainstream issues in moral and political philosophy and to examine how the experiences of people with disabilities might be used to reconsider prominent positions on these issues. The workshop will serve to advance traditional debates on a variety of topics in moral and political philosophy that are relevant to considerations of disability and disadvantage.
Philosophical discussions of disability tend either to assess decisions about bearing healthy children or to examine the quality of life that people with disabilities enjoy. Although these issues are important, considerations of disability are relevant to a far wider range of issues in moral and political philosophy, and offer a valuable standpoint from which to assess those issues. Considerations of disability can provide important insights which otherwise might be underappreciated by traditional philosophical discussions which largely disregard concerns of disability and disadvantage. This workshop is organized in part to enhance the quality of a collection of articles on disability and disadvantage, which is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
While the conference will be primarily intended for philosophers, we also invite others who might be interested in these topics to attend the conference. Scholars and advanced students working in practical ethics, political theory, bioethics, political science, sociology, and disability studies might find the workshop useful as a unified collection of current work on disability issues in moral and political philosophy. The workshop will also be of interest to people outside academia. Disability advocates and lawyers will find the workshop useful for evaluating various policies and proposals. And, members of the general public will find the workshop helpful as a resource that exposes them to central issues in an increasingly important domain.
This event is sponsored by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, Parr Center for Ethics, Department of Philosophy, Graduate School, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and Disability Services.
Current Workshop Participants include:
Adrienne Asch - Yeshiva University
Lawrence Becker - Hollins University
Kimberley Brownlee - Manchester University
Adam Cureton - UNC Chapel Hill
Leslie Francis - University of Utah
Christie Hartley - Georgia State University
Tom Hill - UNC Chapel Hill
Guy Kahane - Oxford University
Eva Kittay - SUNY Stony Brook
Doug MacLean - UNC Chapel Hill
Mary Mahowald - University of Chicago
Rosalind McDougall - University of Melbourne
Elizabeth Minnich - Association of American Colleges & Universities
Bob Newsom - Guilford Technical Community College
Susannah Rose - Harvard University
Carla Saenz – UNC Chapel Hill
Anita Silvers - San Francisco State University
Lorella Terzi - Roehampton University
David Wasserman - Yeshiva University
Saturday, September 8, 2007
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm:
Registration
6:00 pm – 6:10 pm:
Welcome and Announcements
6:10 pm – 7:00 pm:
Presentation
"Disability, Adaptation and Inclusion"
Susannah Rose, Harvard University
7:15 pm: Workshop Dinner
Sunday, September 9, 2007
9:00 am – 11:30 am:
Morning Session
"No Talent? Beyond the Worst Off!: A Diverse Theory of Justice for Disability"
Anita Silvers, San Francisco State University
"Respect and Alzheimer's"
Douglas MacLean, UNC Chapel Hill
Chair: Lawrence Becker, Hollins University
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm:
Workshop Lunch
2:00 pm – 5:00pm:
Afternoon Session
"An Inclusive Contractualism: Obligations to the Mentally Disabled"
Christie Hartley, Georgia State University
"Disability, flourishing, and the moral nature of parenthood"
Rosalind McDougall, University of Melbourne
"A Rawlsian Perspective on Justice for the Disabled"
Adam Cureton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chair: Eva Kittay, SUNY Stony Brook
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm:
Workshop Reception & Dinner
7:30 pm:
Workshop Panel Discussion
"How Should We Understand the Concept of Disability?"
Panelists:
Lorella Terzi, Roehampton University
Leslie Francis, University of Utah
David Wasserman, Yeshiva University
Guy Kahane, Oxford University
8:30 pm – 9:00 pm:
Summary Comments - Adrienne Asch, Yeshiva University
9:00 pm – 9:15 pm:
Closing Comments - Jan Boxill, UNC Chapel Hill
Conference organizers:
Adam Cureton , Graduate Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kimberley Brownlee, Lecturer in Politics, University of Manchester
Parr Center for Ethics
Staff
Additional Information
Registration (Deadline August 31, 2007):
General registration: $100. Click HERE to register and pay online.
Please feel free to contact the conference organizers or lancew@unc.edu for more information.
Registrants will be given a password which will allow them to access papers before the start of the conference.
Registrants will be provided meals during the lunch and dinner breaks.
Accommodations:
The workshop will be held in the Tuscany Room of the Siena Hotel, a short distance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Transportation
Raleigh-Durham Airport is the commerical airport nearest to Chapel Hill. Taxi and limousine service to Chapel Hill is available
Sites to See in Chapel Hill
Ayr Mount Historic Site, Hillsborough
North Carolina Botanical Garden
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