Noted speakers to discuss disability issues Nov. 17

Dr. Elizabeth DePoy and Dr. Steven Gilson will speak on "Disability as Disjuncture: An Integrative Framework for Body-Environment Fit" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 17 in Orndorff Theatre in the Ceddia Union Building. An information expo is also planned.

The events are sponsored by the Office of Social Equity; the departments of sociology, social work, psychology, and educational leadership and special education; and several student groups including the Social Work Student Organization. 

DePoy and Gilson, professors of social work at University of Maine, will discuss barriers to full participation and inclusion faced by individuals with disabilities in the current society and ways of addressing these barriers. In addition to their faculty posts, they are coordinators of the University of Maine's disability studies program, Senior Research Fellows with the Research Institute for Health and Medical Professionals in Israel, recipients of the 2009 Society for Disabilities Studies Senior Scholar Award, and authors of several books on disability theory and numerous articles on the barriers to social participation faced by people with disabilities.

From 6:15 to 7 p.m., there will be an information expo on internships, jobs and volunteering opportunities with various organizations that provide services for people with disabilities.