Joel Michael Reynolds (Georgetown University)

Disability is an essential part of being human. From kinship relations to human rights, from architecture to healthcare, from policymaking to education to data science, the abilities and disabilities of both individuals and groups are foundational in both theory and practice across all of life. Philosophy of Disability, a field now entering its fourth decade, takes up “disability” as not merely a topic or theme, but also as a cutting-edge domain of inquiry spanning the humanities, social sciences, and life sciences that is foundational to thinking about most everything.

In this masterclass, you’ll learn about fundamental topics and issues in the field such as the relationship between disability and well-being, enhancement, reproduction, eugenics, bioethics, and human rights. You will also learn about newer developments exploring the relationship between disability and critical philosophy of race, queer and trans theory, and decolonial studies.

Joel Michael Reynolds is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Disability Studies at Georgetown University, a Senior Research Scholar in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, a Senior Advisor to The Hastings Center, and Director of Georgetown’s Disability Studies Program. They are the founder of The Journal of Philosophy of Disability and co-founder of Oxford Studies in Disability, Ethics, and Society.