Author Archives: bjbrueggemann

In the Quest for a “Diabetic Aesthetic”: Where Ramadan and Diabetes Meet through Sculpture

Written by Elisa Shaholli with support from the DAC team For the past few months (Spring semester 2023)  at the University of Connecticut, I have been working on my undergraduate senior thesis. My thesis, titled, “Religious Identity and Diabetes: A Muslim American Perspective” explores the experience of Muslim diabetics specifically within the United States, butContinue reading “In the Quest for a “Diabetic Aesthetic”: Where Ramadan and Diabetes Meet through Sculpture”

Negotiating Disability and Spirituality in Netflix’s Zeytin Ağacı

Written by Elisa Shaholli with support from the DAC team When I was scrolling through Netflix, the show Zeytin Ağacı, referred to as Another Self on the platform, caught my eye.  Zeytin Ağacı, literally translated to “Olive Tree,” is a Turkish miniseries with the description of “three close friends set off on a journey toContinue reading “Negotiating Disability and Spirituality in Netflix’s Zeytin Ağacı”

What *IS* the DAC Blog?

Written by the DAC team Brenda Brueggemann: The DAC blog is a place to feature not only academic but also advocacy-activist and community work, starting with the UConn campus.  And perhaps, in the future, growing outside the Storrs city limits.  Not only to UConn’s regional campuses (wouldn’t that be great?) but even to other collegeContinue reading “What *IS* the DAC Blog?”

Learning that I’m Not Invincible: My Time in Shinjuku

Written by Elisa Shaholli with support from the DAC team When it comes to my diagnosis with type one diabetes, as much as I hate to admit it, I tried to embrace the dreaded “Supercrip” archetype growing up: yes, I have diabetes. And? Why should that be a precursor to any action I take? IContinue reading “Learning that I’m Not Invincible: My Time in Shinjuku”

Dragon Scales: Tackling the Stigmatization of Body Image / Body-Shaming and Embracing the Value of Body Positivity

Written by Hannah Dang with support from the DAC team   Back when I was a kid, I used to believe I was secretly a dragon. On both sides of my shoulders and my lower back, small, itchy, red bumps grew. As time passed, the bumps grew larger and larger until the bumps started toContinue reading “Dragon Scales: Tackling the Stigmatization of Body Image / Body-Shaming and Embracing the Value of Body Positivity”

Miss Fritz and Norm Mate – The Love Story

Written by Brenda Brueggemann with support from the DAC team This short video-composition, “Miss Fritz and Norm Mate” –  represents what “doing Disability Studies in the Humanities” is about.  I often share it in my disability studies courses as a way to anchor and acclimate our critical and creative work ahead with “doing disability studies.”  Continue reading “Miss Fritz and Norm Mate – The Love Story”

A Crow’s Eye View into “Transcripting”

Written by Hannah Dang with support from the DAC team Hello fellow crows ~ My name’s Hannah, and I’m one of the Disability Access Collective’s (DAC) student blog moderators! Recently, I was tasked with transcripting our interview with UConn Professor Kimberly Bergendahl from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) about their role inContinue reading “A Crow’s Eye View into “Transcripting””

A Recap of the 3/27/23 Interview with UConn Professor Holly Fitch

Written by Madison Bigelow with support from the DAC team. Recently, the DAC blog sat down with Professor Holly Fitch, the third and last 2023 CLAS Accessibility Fellow at the University of Connecticut, to discuss her work. Like Professor Bergendahl and Professor Scanlon, who we’ve been lucky enough to interview about their research, Professor FitchContinue reading “A Recap of the 3/27/23 Interview with UConn Professor Holly Fitch”