Disability Studies Micro-Certificate of Graduate Study

Program Overview

Disability is present in all aspects of our lives. People and society benefit when we strive for equity in all spaces. Explore disability as a natural and integral aspect of humanity while focusing on its cultural, social, and personal significance. 

The micro-Certificate of Graduate Study (mCGS) in Disability Studies is for working professionals, graduate students, and others who seek to advance inclusive practices. 

Offered through UVM's Center on Disability and Community Inclusion (CDCI) and Department of Education, coursework provides a deeper understanding of disability cultures and strategies to support equity. Develop knowledge and skills to promote inclusion, address inequality, and advocate for justice, and equity for people with disabilities. 

Pathways and Related Programs

Current UVM graduate students can complete the mCGS along with their main field of study. Credits earned can be applied toward a Certificate of Graduate Study or as part of a master’s or doctoral degree at UVM. See Related Programs listed below. 

Contact

Program Coordinator Winnie Looby:

• Email: winnie.looby@uvm.edu
• Phone: (802) 656-1334

Curriculum

Online Coursework (9 credits)

EDSP 5250 Culture of Disability or CSD 5740 Gr Culture of Disability (3 credits): 

Instructor: Winnie Looby, PhD

Examine the social and cultural experience of disability in different times and cultures. Topics covered will include:

• Foundational concepts from the field of Disability Studies;
• The influence of cultural beliefs relating to disability on individuals, families, disability law, and social policy in the United States and other countries;
• Responses to disability reflected in first person narratives, media, academic and professional discourse and practice, film, art and literature;
• Disability across the lifespan, and the implications for education, health care and social services;
• Many of the philosophical, ethical, historical, and legal foundations of Special Education;
• Family systems and approaches to individual and family support in education and community services;
• The role of different self-help and social change movements in the broader disability rights movement; and
• The historical and cultural foundations of disability-related policies and practices in education, health care, and community development.

EDSP 5260 Global Disability Studies: Africa (3 credits)

Instructor: Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie, PhDVideo describing the class

• Develop broader views of disability, advocacy, and communication in the traditional African context through the voices and experiences of African disability rights advocates globally.
• Explore how disability is viewed across cultures in Africa to empower and to offer opportunities for students to compare, contrast, and conceptualize what they learn for use advocacy and systemic change.
• Discover supportive pathway into educational systems and community life for immigrant and refugee students in K-12 schools and post-secondary programs.
• Expand your world view and then analyze your cultural experiences in the light of global diversity as well as diversity in Vermont and the U.S.

Apply what you learn to real world issues that affect people with disabilities by choosing one of these graduate-level research courses (3 credits): 

• EDSP 6995 Graduate Independent Research
• EDSP 7220 Research Partnership in Action
• EDSP 7250 Psycho-Ed and Single Case
• EDRM 6110 Qualitative Research I
• EDRM 6140 Adv Qual: Case Study
• EDRM 6210 Quantitative Research I
• EDRM 6300 Applied Educational Research
• EDRM 6310 Mixed Methods Research: Advanced
• Other research course with prior permission

Deadlines

Rolling applications accepted.

Admissions

Candidate Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

• Graduate College Application

• Official transcripts from each college of university where credit has been earned

• Statement of purpose as either a written or video submission