November 6, 2019
On October 24, Prudence L. Carter (University of California, Berkeley), presented the AERA Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research. Her lecture, “A Shade Less Offensive”:
School Integration as Radical Inclusion in the Pursuit of Educational Equity, was followed by a discussion forum moderated by Lauren Camera (U.S. News & World Report) and featuring speaker commentators Ary Amerikaner (The Education Trust) and Wade J. Henderson (Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, retired).
The event was inaugurated in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court took into account scientific research in issuing its landmark ruling. The well-attended lecture and discussion forum raise awareness of the important role of research in advancing the understanding of equality and equity in education. The event was hosted by AERA and with support from Friends including the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), the Society for Research in Child Development, and SAGE Publishing.
On November 5, SPSSI held a congressional lunch briefing on Ableism: The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice presented by Dr. Michelle R. Nario-Redmond, Hiram College. According to the last census, one in every five individuals has either a physical or mental disability, creating the largest minority group in the United States. Most of the population will experience a period of disability at some point in their lifetime and it is a matter of “not if, but when”.
Dr. Nario-Redmond explained to the packed room that prejudices have evolutionary origins as a response to the vulnerability of the human body and a cautionary response to disease. Dr. Nario-Redmond spoke about how disgust reactions can inhibit the brain’s ability to perceive others’ humanity. She described the ABCs of ableism: attitude, behavior, and cognition. Attitude includes the emotions of contempt and jealousy that could lead to affective reactions. Behaviors are the actions, practices, and policies around disabilities, such as interventions of intergroup contact, challenging intergroup inequalities, and anti-discrimination legislation. Cognition is the ideologies and stereotypical beliefs contributed by media portrayals and societal stereotypes.
Watch a recording of the 16th Annual AERA Brown Lecture here.
Watch a recording of the SPSSI briefing here and learn more about the book, Ableism: The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice.
FABBS Comments on the NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan for 2026-2030