Disability Studies

Four people meet together, their bodies overlap and intertwine, suggesting familiarity and ease of community. The background of this illustration is bright yellow, with sun, clouds, and an outline of UCLA Royce Hall and other campus buildings appear behind the group.
Five people move together in a line. The ground beneath them is curved as if they were journeying on-top of a large blue planet.
A group of four people gather, bonding and working together. A reflection of the group, with slightly different people, takes up the same positions and interactions. This mirrored image suggests a world united through accessible practices.

Welcome Home, Bruins!

Learn more about the Disability Studies Minor by watching this closed captioned video.

NEW MAJOR IN DISABILITY STUDIES

The Disability Studies Faculty Advisory Committee is excited to share that UCLA now has an Interdepartmental Degree Program (IDP) in Disability Studies that houses a B.A. in disability studies. For more information on the requirements and how to apply, please visit the Disability Studies major page.

Note to 2024 graduates: Students graduating this Spring or Summer, must declare the major by Friday, October 20, 2023.

DISABILITY STUDIES AT UCLA

With 54 million Americans identifying as disabled, UCLA is committed to graduating leaders who will advocate for a world that values the contributions of all individuals, affirms the achievements and life experiences of the disabled, and celebrates the full range of human potential.

Disability Studies is a groundbreaking field that challenges and changes society’s attitudes toward disability. Led by some of UCLA’s most distinguished faculty, Disability Studies examines the meaning, nature and consequences of disability from a variety of perspectives, including arts and humanities, health sciences, social sciences, public policy, technology, and education. At UCLA, the conversation around disability has shifted: from exclusion to inclusion, from limitations to possibilities.

REDEFINING ‘NORMAL’

Disability—whether bodily, cognitive, emotional, or sensory—is part of the fabric of universal human experience, and yet it is often regarded as a deficit to be fixed, cured or hidden, with disabled individuals cast as unfortunate victims. UCLA’s robust Disability Studies program is challenging this view, changing attitudes and redefining ‘normal.’

By exploring disability as a social issue and cultural identity, rather than a medically defined condition, we prepare students to use the experience of disability as a lens to re-envision models of access, inclusion, participation, communication, and equality.

The result is graduates with deep insights into the human condition, keen analytical and observation skills, empathy, and capacity for self-reflection—part of a new generation that understands and embraces disability.

HELP REDEFINE NORMAL

You can help UCLA become the world-leading center of excellence in Disability Studies. Your support will transform lives, change the conversation around disability, and help move society forward.

For more information about philanthropy and how to support Disability Studies, please go to the Support Us webpage.

Click here for the Disability Studies brochure, which captures just some of the vibrant work that is occurring at UCLA around issues of disability.