Permission, Pleasure, and Power: Consent as the Foundation for Disability and Reproductive Justice (Carrie Buck Lecture)

https://heller.brandeis.edu/lurie/news/index.html

Join us for our 3rd Annual Carrie Buck Distinguished Fellowship Keynote event, “Permission, Pleasure, and Power: Consent as the Foundation for Disability and Reproductive Justice," featuring our Distinguished Fellow, Laura Millar, and Rebecca Cokley of the Ford Foundation. A light reception will follow the conversation. Reproductive Justice and Disability Justice are deeply connected, and honoring that connection strengthens individuals and communities. Laura Millar is an independent consultant and the co-executive director of the Blind Sexuality Access Network, whose work is focused on how blind and disabled people are systematically denied access – not just to sexual healthcare or education, but to autonomy, pleasure, relationships, and even basic conversations that should never have been out of reach in the first place. Access doesn't begin with ramps or braille, it begins with permission. Permission to ask questions, to understand and hold boundaries, to name desires, to be curious, and to exist as sexual beings without shame. Access is often shut down before those conversations even start. It’s denied by systemic, internalized and sexual ableism; and the microaggressions disabled people experience every day. Laura will discuss how consent is not just a yes-or-no moment, but a core component of Disability and Reproductive Justice. Laura recognizes that consent is a collective framework for how we relate to one another: with clarity, care, and cultural humility. For disabled people, consent culture can lead to true, holistic access and a richer, more fulfilling life.

Location: Zinner Forum and Virtual Accessibility: We will be providing ASL interpretation and Zoom automated captions. For those attending in person, free face masks will be provided, and please avoid wearing perfumes and fragrances. For any other accommodations, please contact us at Lurie@Brandeis.edu as soon as possible. The presentation will be recorded and available for later viewing.

Each year, the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and the Ford Foundation put on the Carrie Buck Distinguished Fellowship, a program that selects one activist, scholar, or community organizer with a disability whose work draws national attention to systemic ableism in reproductive health policy. This year’s Distinguished Fellow is Laura Millar, a leading sexual health educator, researcher, and consultant with a focus on the blind community.   The Fellowship honors Carrie Buck from the infamous Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision, which still legally allows disabled people to be sterilized without their consent. The Court’s majority decision was endorsed by Louis Brandeis, namesake of Brandeis University. This Fellowship aims to acknowledge the far-reaching negative impact of this court decision.