School of Disability Studies at Toronto MetU

Poster for the Unify Deaf Film Festival, 21-26 October 2025. A tall tower made of stacked TVs against a blue sky, surrounded by stylized text.

Audience seated in a dimly lit theater, facing a stage with five panelists under a large screen displaying "Unify Deaf Film Festival" in bold colors.

A group of people sit facing a panel of speakers in a brick-walled room. Panelists watch as an interpreter signs. A sign reading “Urbanspace Gallery” hangs above the panel.

A group of people in a bright room watch a presentation. A woman speaks, while an interpreter signs. The setting is casual and engaged.

The Unify Deaf Film Festival (UDFF) is back this year in Toronto from October 21–26, 2025!

📍 350 King St W, Toronto, ON

🌐 More info: undividedproduction.com/pages/event-...
#UDFF2025 #DeafFilmFestival #DeafCulture #Accessibility

Accessibility: ASL interpretation & automated captioning provided.
Access inquiries: l.ross@utoronto.ca

A project led by researchers at U of T, Carleton, Empowerment Council, TMU, UWI, & Windsor, supported by SSHRC.
Illustrations by @harmeetrehal

Panelists:
• Navi Dhanota, Accessibility Consultant
• Richard Douglass-Chin, Assoc. Prof., Univ. of Windsor
• Danielle Landry, Research Associate, TMU
• Soumyaa Subramanium, Recent MPH Grad, U of T

Moderator:
• Marina Morrow, Professor, York Univ.

Resisting Sanism in the University: Past, Present and Future Join us for a virtual panel discussion and launch of a Graduate Student Mental Health Survival Guide with the Mapping the Gaps study team

From the Mad Studies Hub:

Resisting Sanism in the University: Past, Present and Future

Despite powerful acts of resistance, sanism remains embedded in university culture, policy, and everyday life.

Sept 24, 2025 | 4:30–6:30 PM EDT
Online & Free
Register: www.eventbrite.ca/e/resisting-...

Workshops4Gaza is a collective of autonomous writers, organizers, educators, and creatives offering skill-sharing and knowledge-mobilizing workshops to raise funds for Palestinians in Gaza.

Past sessions are available by donation.

Request a workshop or donate here: airtable.com/app2F3TGsD60...

A picture of Drew who has long brown hair with bangs, smiling in front of a full cozy bookshelf.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Drew McEwan, who will be joining the School of Disability Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University as a limited-term faculty member beginning July 1, 2025!

Blue background with yellow and white text reading 'Congratulations Disability Studies Class of 2025,' surrounded by confetti and fireworks.

🎓 Congratulations, Class of 2025!
It was such a joy to celebrate with those of you who attended convocation today, whether in person or virtually. Your years of dedication, brilliance, and hard work are truly worth celebrating. We can't wait to see what you do next! 💫🌿

📣 From Toronto Disability Pride March organizers:

TDPM is back July 5, 2025!
1–5PM | Queen’s Park to Grange Park

More info + access guide:
torontodisabilitypride.wordpress.com

A promotional graphic with a tan and pink background. Text reads: “Rob Macaisa Colgate, author of Hardly Creatures.” On the left is a black-and-white photo of Rob, wearing a graphic T-shirt and blazer. On the right is the cover of Hardly Creatures, which features a golden sculpted face with a pink salamander-like creature crawling over it. Below: “Friday, May 30 • 7pm ET, Tangled Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada.”

Join us for the Toronto launch of Hardly Creatures by Rob Macaisa Colgate—May 30, 7PM at Tangled Art Gallery. A night of disability arts, original work from Tangled staff, and poetry rooted in Rob’s time at Tangled and TMU as a DST fullbright scholar. Tour details: www.robmacaisacolgate.com/events

Sending a joyful shout out today to all the fabulous autistic students of Disability Studies @dstorontometu.bsky.social Thank you for your presence and contributions.

Simple blue slide with sparkles and two callout boxes. One shows the program URL (www.torontomu.ca/disability-studies) with a large arrow icon. The second shows the contact email: Paris Master-McRae at m2paris@torontomu.ca.

🌟 Apply any time—our program accepts students year-round.
💻 Info: torontomu.ca/disability-studies
📧 Contact: m2paris@torontomu.ca
#TMU #DisabilityStudies #AccessibleEducation

Blue and yellow illustrated slide with text that defines Disability Studies as exploring disability-informed approaches to mental health, technology, policy, design, the arts, and rights and justice. Visual elements include a potted plant, N95 mask, tablet, and microphone

Disability Studies explores how disabled people’s lives are shaped by culture, policy, health, tech & more.
Study disability-informed approaches to:
✔ mental health
✔ design
✔ rights & justice
—and more.

Blue and yellow illustrated slide with text listing who the Disability Studies (BA) program is for. Criteria include having a college diploma or 2+ years of university, wanting to study part-time and online, caring about social transformation and equity, and balancing other life commitments. Visual elements include potted plants, a coffee cup, grabbing stick, and headphones.

This program is designed for:
✔ College grads
✔ People with 2+ years of university
✔ Advocates, support workers, and caregivers
✔ People who value justice and equity
#AdultEducation

A flat-style illustration of a home workspace in blue and gold, with a sleeping cat, laptop, notebook, coffee cup, and plants. Large yellow text reads, “Looking to complete your degree online?” followed by “Earn your BA in Disability Studies” and the program’s URL: www.torontomu.ca/disability-studies.

Looking to finish your degree online, at your own pace?
Earn your BA in Disability Studies through a flexible, part-time program from Toronto Metropolitan University. www.torontomu.ca/disability-s...
#DisabilityStudies #OnlineLearning

#MadStudies #MadStudiesTheBasics #DisabilityStudies #ASL #DeafAccessibility #VirtualEvent

YouTube video by School of Disability Studies at TMU Mad Studies : The Basics - ASL Version

ASL version of the event invite by Deafinitely Digital with Hayley Hudson.

📚 Mad Studies: The Basics by Merrick Daniel Pilling
🗓️ Mon, June 16, 2025 | 3:00–4:30 PM EST
💻 Virtual webinar: bit.ly/MadStudiesTh...

ASL interpretation + live captions available.
Access: disability.publics@torontomu.ca

#MadStudies #MadStudiesTheBasics #BookLaunch #VirtualEvent #DisabilityStudies #TorontoMet #MadStudiesHub #ASL #DisabilityPublicsLab

Featuring panelists Idil Abdillahi, Jersey Cosantino, Nadena Doharty, Savitri Persaud, and moderator Lucy Costa.

Hosted by Disability Publics Lab (TMU) + Mad Studies Hub (York University).

Mad Studies: The Basics provides a partial accounting of a field that emerged from, and must remain accountable to, community knowledge, activism, and the perspectives of those who have been psychiatrized and dehumanized by the psy complex and other exploitative systems of power.

Mad Studies: The Basics

📚 Join us for the virtual launch of Mad Studies: The Basics by Merrick Daniel Pilling!

🗓 Monday, June 16, 2025
🕒 3:00–4:30 PM EST
💻 Register: bit.ly/MadStudiesTh...

ASL interpretation + automated live captions provided.
Access inquiries: disability.publics@torontomu.ca

A square crop graphic with a split navy and white background. At the top right is the panel title: Decarcerating Care: Strategy, Struggle & Sustained Commitment. Below in small white letters is the event's description: “Balancing the need to meet the moment with a broader, long-term vision; amplifying strategies that move us toward a future where radical care is accessible, just, and free from state violence.” Beneath the description is the Decarcerating Care graphic, a colorful tree with flowers growing out of the ground with shackles on the roots. Next to the Decarcerating Care graphic is the date and time: Monday, May 5, 6-9 pm EST. On the left are headshots of the panelists and moderator: Nze Okoronta, Olka Baldeh, Autumn Asher Blackdeer, Sean Donovan, M. E. O’Brien, and Luke Sikinyi. At the bottom left is the text: ASL + CART provided and the registration link: bit.ly/DecarceratingCare9

From the Community: On 5/5, IDHA NYC presents the next installment of #DecarceratingCare, exploring how to balance meeting the moment with a broad, long-term vision and amplifying strategies towards accessible, radical care

Register: bit.ly/Decarceratin...

The Intersection of Disability and Genocide The Intersection of Disability and Genocide   dena harry saleh   En Español   “Flies, mosquitoes, gunshots and bombing – everything is against me 😂”    – Khaled Sulaiman …

Please read this guest blog from the Disability Visibility Project by dena harry saleh:
“The Intersection of Disability and Genocide”.
They share Khaled Sulaiman's story and how violence and displacement threaten his access to care and survival.
disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2024/12/16/t...

@dstorontometu.bsky.social

A blue and orange graphic with wavy lines. Text reads: "Take a Spring/Summer 2025 course with Disability Studies."

Spring/Summer 2025 Disability Studies courses are here! Explore topics like representation, madness, and resistance in our latest offerings. Check them out: www.torontomu.ca/calendar/202...

Promotional poster for the “TMU Disability Studies Info Session.” The background is a blue ombre that leads into a solid white background. The event is on Saturday, March 29, from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM at the Daphne Cockwell Complex (DCC), 288 Church Street. It highlights the part-time post-diploma BA program and covers disability-informed approaches to mental health, tech, policy, the arts, and more. A feature “Exploring Careers in Education” session will run from 1:00–2:00 PM, where alumni and reps will talk about how they’ve used their degree to become teachers or pursue academic pathways. The link is in our bio! Pencils are placed on both sides of the poster. Toronto Metropolitan University logo is at the bottom.

Got a diploma or advanced diploma? 🎓 Join us in person at TMU’s Open House to learn how you can complete your BA in Disability Studies part-time!

Learn disability-informed approaches to tech, arts, mental health, policy & more!

www.torontomu.ca/admissions/u...

The show runs at Hamilton Artists Inc. until March 8.

A person wearing a vibrant, patterned long-sleeve shirt, blue overalls, and a bright blue knit hat stands on a red step ladder, adjusting a colorful abstract painting on a white wall. The painting features bold geometric shapes in vivid hues of orange, blue, pink, and green. The surrounding text includes the title What Moves Us in the Middle in bold navy blue letters along the left side, with the artist's name, Sahra Soudi, in red at the top. Additional text in yellow and red announces an essay by Idil Abdillahi and exhibition dates from January 24 to March 8, 2025. The setting appears to be a gallery or studio space with white paneled walls.

In What Moves Us in the Middle, artist Sahra Soudi creates a striking meditation on movement, memory, and belonging. DST faculty member Idil Abdillahi has written about the exhibition’s depth and meaning—read her essay here: www.theinc.ca/sites/defaul....

Pay-what-you-can model with a sliding scale ($95–$200) and free spots for Deaf, Deafblind, Deafened, and Hard of Hearing participants.

Classes run from March to June across ASL 101–104 levels.

Classes will be held in person at The 519 (519 Church St.) and at the Disability Publics Lab (SHE 576, 99 Gerrard St. E., Toronto).

A digital flyer for “Hands On ASL!” Spring 2025 courses. The background features a colorful cosmic design with stars. The “Hands On ASL!” logo is at the top, followed by “Spring 2025” in bold white text. The flyer lists ASL (American Sign Language) courses with dates, locations, and times: • ASL 101: • Disability Public Labs, March 4 - April 22, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. • The 519, March 8 - April 26, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. • ASL 102: • Disability Public Labs, April 22 - June 10, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. • The 519, April 26 - June 14, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. • ASL 103: • The 519, March 8 - April 26, 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. • ASL 104: • The 519, April 26 - June 14, 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. The flyer states that the courses operate on a “pay what you can or pay it forward” model, with free tuition for deaf, deafblind, deafened, and hard-of-hearing individuals. A sliding scale fee of $95-200 is available for others. Classes will run pending sufficient enrollment. Class locations: • Disability Public Labs, 99 Gerrard St. E, Toronto • The 519, 519 Church Street, Toronto A QR code is included for registration, with the text “For more info or to register, SCAN ME!” The website www.handsonasl.ca is also listed.

The Disability Publics Lab at the School of Disability Studies is hosting Hands On ASL in offering queer and trans ASL classes this spring.

More details and registration at www.handsonasl.ca