We want you to be part of the campus conversation about how to embrace the classroom as an inclusive and diverse space. Diverse Learners Awareness Week, coming February 20-24, is your chance to share your experience and help raise awareness of diversity and inclusion needs across the university. With over 30 individual events happening over five days, you’re sure to find something that interests you.
Following are the featured events of Diverse Learners Awareness Week, but you can find the complete lineup on the website.
Identity, Crip Theory and Inclusion: Informal Roundtable with Dr. Robert McRuer
Monday, February 20, 2017
10 am - 11 am
Center for Community, S350N
Join visiting scholar Dr. Robert McRuer from The George Washington University in an informal discussion about interdisciplinary theories of identity, how they play out in the classroom, and how we might move forward toward greater inclusion and action.
Diversity Dialogues: An Interactive Performance with Affinity Arts
Monday, February 20, 2017
4 pm - 6 pm
Center for Community, JD Abrams Lounge
Learn different ways to navigate a sensitive discussion when things get awkward or a misunderstanding occurs. Affinity arts uses theater and dialogue to empower their audience with human understanding. You'll be glad you came!
Disability Studies: Transforming Access in the Academy with Dr. Robert McRuer
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
10 am - 11 am
UMC 245
This talk provides an overview of the ways in which the interdisciplinary fields of disability studies 
in the humanities and what has come to be called "crip theory" are transforming higher education. The talk will suggest that this curricular transformation functions at multiple levels, generating new forms of knowledge and making higher education more accessible to diverse learners in the broadest sense of the term "accessibility." The talk will also stress, however, that higher education and access for disabled people are currently in a moment of crisis both in the U.S. and more globally, and will consider some of the ways that activists, artists, and educators are responding to that crisis.
Inclusive Technology Expo!
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
10 am - 12 noon
UMC Aspen Rooms
How does technology shape your life? Come learn new tricks to things you already use, and see new tech you've never played with before. We'll be showcasing everything from smart phone screen readers to virtual reality headsets to 3-D printers to braillers.
Inclusive Recreation Forum
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
2 pm - 3 pm
Rec Center, Ice Rink Overlook
Join us for the Second Annual Inclusive Recreation Forum! Recreation is an important part of the 
student experience by building skills such as teamwork, persistence, and accountability that are directly transferable to the classroom environment. During this year's session we will highlight efforts by the CU Rec Center, Boulder Parks and Rec, and CU Disability Services to provide inclusive recreation programing and infrastructure in the CU and Boulder Communities.
Universal Design for Learning with iOS Devices
Thursday, February 23, 2017
9 am - 10:30 am
UMC 235
This session will discuss the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) philosophy in relation to the 
capabilities of iOS devices. In particular, the iPad is a powerful example of a device that incorporates the key tenets of the UDL philosophy, with a variety of built-in accessibility features available to users out of the box as standard options. While many of these features (such as text to speech and speech recognition) were originally designed for people with disabilities, today they can help all learners enjoy equitable access to information, communication and expression. You will leave this session with a toolkit for access and inclusion that will assist you in providing a more flexible learning environment where every one of your learners can succeed.
Cafe Pédagogique: Diversity in the Classroom... and Beyond
Thursday, February 23, 2017
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm, doors open at 5 pm
Twisted Pine Brewery (Advanced registration is required)
"Diversity in the Classroom... and Beyond" is the title of this year's Cafe Pedagogique, a unique un-conference opportunity to make connections and share ideas. In the classic tradition of the intellectual "salon," there will be food and drinks, but with a contemporary and playful twist... and we're not just talking about the Plinko board full of topics! Come join in the fun! Advanced registration is required with a cap of 50 people, so sign up now! Your $15 per person entry fee will go toward a scholarship for students registered with CU Boulder's Disability Services.
An Evening with Slam Poet Andrea Gibson
Friday, February 24, 2017
5 pm - 6 pm show; 6:15 pm - 6:45 pm discussion
UMC Aspen Rooms
Andrea Gibson is not gentle with their truths. It is this raw fearlessness that has led them to the 
forefront of the spoken word movement– the first winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam –Gibson has headlined prestigious performance venues coast to coast with powerful readings on war, class, gender, bullying, white privilege, sexuality, love, and spirituality. Join us for an hour-long performance on inclusion, identity and activism through the power of spoken word. FREE admission, though attendees must be affiliated with the University of Colorado community. Stay and enjoy some treats as we engage in a conversation with the artist.
Register or learn more about this and all the other events highlighting diversity and inclusion in the classroom at this year’s Diverse Learners Awareness Week. Registration is encouraged, but not required.
