Disability is often assumed to be a paradigm cause of disadvantage, which the state should reduce or eliminate if possible. In contrast, many disabled individuals do not see their condition as a ‘tragedy’ to be avoided, but a difference to be accommodated. This workshop will explore the tension between taking disability-positive testimony seriously, and the imperative to minimise instances of disability.

Partner organisation: Leeds Centre for Disability Studies, The Centre for Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied (IDEA), University of Leeds

Confirmed speakers

• Linda Barclay, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Monash University.

• Marie Tidball, City Councillor in Oxford; co-ordinator of the Oxford Disability Law and Policy Project; trustee for the autism and learning disability charity Waymarks; Executive Post on ‘Young People, Schools and Public Health’, Oxford City Council.

• Jonathan Wolff, Blavatnik Chair in Public Policy, University of Oxford; external member of the Board of Science of the British Medical Association; Trustee of the Responsible Gambling Trust.