Engaging With Eco-Ability ~ First Annual Conference

[Carolyn Bailey]

Engaging With Eco-Ability

First Annual Conference

On April 27 and April 28 2013, the first annual conference "Engaging with Eco-Ability: A Politics of Disability, Animal Liberation and Queering" took place at Binghamton University, New York. This conference was hosted by Anthony Nocella and Joe Lesson-Schatz, and included presentations from many other advocates, all of which can be found HERE. 

Eco-ability, in the words of Dr. Nocella, refers to and examines the connections between "ecology, dis-ability, and animal advocacy, couched in terms of interlocking social constructions and the interwoven web of interdependent global life." In this recent ARZone podcast episode, we were joined by five other advocates to explore eco-ability, and the role of language in oppression, what "othering" consists in, and how advocates for the oppressed can be more effective through an appreciation for intersectionality.

Below is part of Dr. Nocella's presentation, in which he addresses the problematic language often used in the animal advocacy community, and how the language we use can be a form of oppression and discrimination in itself. 

All presentations from the conference are available

HERE.