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Oakland Unified School District

Disability Justice

OUSD's Disability Justice Learning & Action Group has been meeting since the Fall of 2022.

Please contact Cintya.Molina@ousd.org if you are interested in joining this group!

FYI sessions will be recorded & videos made available on this page below.

The aim of this group is to engage in sustained collective inquiry so that we can become a source of information and action against ableism and for disability justice in OUSD. 

LEARNING SESSIONS:

Monday

Topic for learning & action

January 3, 2023

Disability Identity, Culture & Pride 

The session will focus on the importance of disability as culture and positive identity. 

Zoom Recording (Passcode: WQi*zY5L)

Slide Deck

February 6, 2023

The Criminalization of Disabled Children and Youth in Schools

Guest Presenters from Disability Rights California

Zoom Recording (Passcode: 77#p^Q+?)

Slide Deck

March 6, 2023

Resisting the Criminalization of Disabled Children and Youth in Schools

Guest Presenters from Disability Rights California

Zoom Recording (Passcode: 7!c#bh94)

Slide Deck

March 20, 2023

Naming Disability: The Power of Definitions and Language Choice

What is disability? What is impairment? Are they the same? How is the line between abled and disabled drawn? 

 

What is our language choice for talking about disability in general and for specific disability experiences? How is the language that we use within education similar and different? What mindset does the language promote? How are students, disabled or not, impacted by it? 

Zoom Recording (Passcode: y0W=J+1o)

Slide Deck

May 1, 2023

Ableist Language and Ableist Culture All Around Us

What are the most common ableist words, expressions, and representations? What is their impact on disabled children and all children? How do we begin to interrupt those words and, with them, the actions that they enable and promote.

Zoom Recording (Passcode: eM5a6!+u)

Slide Deck

May 15, 2023

Accessible, Special, Inclusive . . . Education: What Do We Mean? 

What is "Special" about Special Education, in theory and in practice? What is accessibility as compared to what we call Special Education? What do we mean by the term "inclusive" or "inclusion" as it relates to disabled students? What exactly are we trying to describe with these words? What are the civil and human rights behind them? How are these words helping and/or hindering us in our efforts to improve the educational experience of disabled students? 

This session was canceled due to the OEA strike. It will be held in Fall 2023.

June 15, 2023

A Disability Justice Platform for OUSD Students 

We will review a Disability Justice Platform adopted and circulated by the OUSD Community Advisory Community for Special Education to decide if and how it could help advance OUSD's learning and actions in support of disabled students. 

Zoom Recording (Passcode: 2m@z9C^t)

Slide Deck

September 18, 2023

5th Commitment: 

Universal access for all disabled students and community members

What do we mean by universal disability access and accessibility?

How do groups, communities, and institutions currently build universal disability access/accessibility for disabled youth and adults? What are some models in our local community? What are some models within OUSD? 

We will review and discuss some anchor definitions of these terms. We will read and discuss pages 77 to 83 from Demystifying Disability, by Emily Ladau. 

Zoom Recording

(Passcode: 2m@z9C^t)

Slide Deck

October 2, 2023

6th Commitment: 

Promote and expect a culture and practice of disability inclusion and belonging. Plan for it.

What is disability inclusion? What is it not?

We will read and discuss Chapter 7 of Ableism in Education, "Critical Approaches to Inclusion."

Zoom Recording

(Passcode: TCruO5G^)

Slide Deck

October 23, 2023

6th Commitment: 

Promote and expect a culture and practice of disability inclusion and belonging. Plan for it.

We will read and discuss Chapter 2 of Radical Inclusive Education, "Reading Schools through a Dis-ability Lens: Arguing for the Need to Develop Radical Inclusive Pedagogy."

Zoom Recording

(Passcode: WQL.zX26)

Slide Deck

November 6, 2023

5th Commitment: 

Universal access for all disabled students and community members

6th Commitment: 

Promote and expect a culture and practice of disability inclusion and belonging. Plan for it.

Review the 5th and 6th commitments.

Zoom Recording

Slide Deck

December 4, 2023 In-Person Gathering for DJ Learning and Action Group

This Learning & Action Group consists of OUSD staff, family leaders and community partners who serve OUSD students!  

OEA Members can submit timesheet hours upon completion of the series in the Exit Ticket for payment at the Professional Development rate, OR submit to your Talent representative for Professional Growth Units for advancement on the salary scale with sign-off by your Principal or Raquel.Jimenez@ousd.org with submission of your notes.

SEIU & AFSCME Members can check in with their Supervisor to see if they are eligible to submit an over/extra time form online if these times fall beyond contract hours:

  • Please list Raquel Jimenez - Office of Equity Executive Director as the approver & supervisor.