About the Minor
Disability studies is a field for and by people with disabilities. Students in the minor understand disability and impairment as an essential component of the human experience, troubling outcome of power, and important feature of coalition building— a position shaped by ongoing intersections with age, race, gender, ethnicity, language, nationality, and class. In this sense, disability is a lens for understanding and a means to create spaces and communities that serve all people equitably, not just the disabled.
If you are interested in working with youth and families, a career in human services, or currently studying in the fields of social work, criminal justice, nursing, pre-law, psychology, public health, sociology, womens, gender, and sexuality studies, or political science — a minor in disability studies will significantly support your academic and career aspirations. We are one of the few campuses in the state of New Jersey to offer disability studies as an academic program and the very first at Rutgers University.
The minor provides students with practical skill-building techniques in participatory design and community organizing along with opportunities to explore how cultural ideals, policies, and perceptions about ability and disability influence the aims of transformative justice, equity, and inclusion.