SXSW EDU 2022 Session by Cawthon to Address Ableism in Education

SXSW EDU announced Dr. Stephanie Cawthon’s solo session, The Tyranny of Low Expectations: Ableism in EDU, is scheduled for the 2022 annual conference that fosters innovation and learning in the education industry. It will be on March 8 at 11:30 a.m. in Salon J at the Hilton Austin Downtown.

>> Watch the full session on SXSW EDU’s YouTube channel!

As part of the Future20 format in the Equity & Justice track, the session will:

• Explore how sympathy and our desire to “help” can lead to ableism and a disempowerment of disabled students and coworkers.

• Address the tyranny of low expectations and its lifelong impact on disabled people reaching their full potential.

• Provide strategies to empower and learn from disabled students, increasing equity through meaningful engagement.

The session is an ideal opportunity to learn about Dr. Cawthon’s groundbreaking research and evidence-based strategies that educators, employers, and families can apply in their work and lives — to empower disabled people to achieve greater success at school (and life), overcome systemic barriers, and reach their full potential..

Dr. Cawthon explains her session in this video (which includes a transcript in the description). Follow the topic on Twitter with the hashtag #AbleismInEducation.

Featured speakers for SXSW 2022 on March 7-10 include Chelsea Clinton, Run DMC, and Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell.

Dr. Cawthon is familiar with the international conference and festival in Austin, Texas. She co-presented a popular, over-capacity session at 2021 SXSW EDU on reaching students with disabilities online during COVID-19.