Disability Unbound: A Lecture Series
Presented by New Disabled South Rising and New Disabled South, “Disability Unbound” is a powerful and thought-provoking free virtual lecture series dedicated to exploring critical topics in disability justice. With a particular focus on the unique experiences and challenges faced by disabled communities in the South and through a blend of expert speakers and thought leaders, we’ll delve into important subjects including:
Care Webs: Exploring the networks of care that sustain and support disabled lives
Transformative and Restorative Justice: Rethinking systems to heal and repair harm within disabled communities and all our intersections
Black Disability Politics: Investigating the intersection of race and disability, and the powerful politic for justice
Disabled Parenting: Navigating the complexities and challenges of parenting while disabled
This series offers accessible and engaging opportunities to learn, connect, and build a broader understanding of the disability justice movement. Whether you're a disabled individual, ally, activist, or community member, these conversations will provide valuable insights into building a more inclusive and equitable world for disabled people in the South and beyond.
Lectures will be live-streamed on both Youtube and via Zoom webinar.
We are committed to the accessibility of these lectures, and request that if you need any accommodations in order to participate fully, please note them when registering. Lectures will include CART and ASL.
You can register for each lecture separately through the linked registration forms below. Note: registration links will become available as lecture dates and speakers are confirmed.
Scheduled Lectures
“Mapping Our Care Webs: Strategies for Imperfect Survival”
Presented by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
(75 minutes)
Description: Care is a need and a right, for everyone but especially those of us who are disabled. However, care is also complicated- it's not always been safe or accessible for many of us to give, ask for and receive the care we need, and we often face conditions of scarcity. However, we know as disabled people we are creative and resourceful in figuring out how to get our needs met, even if it's in deeply imperfect conditions. This webinar will be a chance to map some of your current care needs and boundaries and create a care map to work towards getting care needs met. Participants will leave with a thick resource pack.
Purpose: To help folks understand care webs, why we need them, and how to create them. Emphasizing no crip left behind.
Goals: Combat isolation, build connection, seed communities with foundational knowledge about building care webs
Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 6:00pm EST until 7:15pm EST, Registration Link
Format: Zoom webinar & Youtube livestream [Note: Lecture will be recorded]
Cost: FREE
Accessibility: ASL, Certified Deaf Interpretation, and CART (live manual captioning)
About the Presenter: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (they/them) is a nonbinary femme disabled writer and disability and transformative justice movement worker of Burgher and Tamil Sri Lankan, Irish and Galician/Roma ascent. They are the author or co-editor of ten books, including The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs, Beyond Survival: Stories and Strategies from the Transformative Justice Movement (co-edited with Ejeris Dixon), Tonguebreaker, and Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice. A Disability Futures Fellow, Lambda and Jeanne Córdova Award winner, five-time Publishing Triangle shortlister and longtime disabled QTBIPOC space maker, they are currently building Living Altars, a cultural space space by and for disabled QTBIPOC writers.
