After years of collecting scientific literature, Michelle Nario-Redmond, Ph.D., professor of psychology and biomedical humanities at Hiram College recently authored “Ableism: The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice.”
Published by Wiley-Blackwell, the book is the first comprehensive volume to integrate social-scientific literature on the origins and manifestations of prejudice against disabled people.
It serves as a resource for social, community, and rehabilitation psychologists; scholars and researchers of disability studies; and students, activists, and academics across political, sociological, and humanistic disciplines. Additionally, the text combines evidence from multiple theoretical perspectives, including published and unpublished work from both disabled and nondisabled constituents, on the causes, consequences, and elimination of disability prejudice.
Over the course of her professional teaching career, Dr. Nario-Redmond has conducted extensive research and has led several courses on disability studies with an emphasis on the importance of actionable research. She now assigns readings from her book to her students with the goal of preparing them to interact with people from various cultural communities with intercultural competencies that reflect an understanding of the value of diverse perspectives, access, and inclusion for all.
Speaking engagements lead to national attention
While Dr. Nario-Redmond’s text is resonating well with her students and colleagues, it is also leading to national speaking engagements and and interviews with disability activist organizations.
In the fall of 2019, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) invited Dr. Nario-Redmond to deliver remarks at a congressional seminar on ableism held in conjunction with the Honorable James P. McGovern. More than 70 House of Representative and Senate staffers, federal agency staff, and nonprofit policy professionals attended the event. Dr. Nario-Redmond also spoke on ableism and the importance of disability advocacy for allies and self-advocates at the Tennessee Disability Coalition Summit in February.
In the coming months, Dr. Nario-Redmond will speak at Purdue University as part of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s spring series and to the College of Law and Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. She will also serve as the keynote speaker at the Disability Matters Conference in April.
Additionally, Dr. Nario-Redmond spoke about her work during an interview with Alice Wong from the Disability Project and in a podcast with Amanda Selogie and Vickie Brett from the Inclusive Education Project.
To learn more about Dr. Nario-Redmond’s book, visit her website: www.ableismbook.com.
by Jenelle Bayus
