As a Biology major I found the article “The Dark Side of CRISPR” to be both interesting and  terrifying. While advancements in science are always exciting, the ways in which these advancements can be applied for corrupt agendas is scary. CRISPR has “the ability to eliminate from the gene pool what medical science identifies as faulty or abnormal genes that cause differences in individual people.” Therefore, scientists could use CRISPR to eliminate people with genetic differences based on the ground that this is a “good thing” for society. This then starts to feel a bit eugenics-like. There has to be an understanding that it’s not okay to edit people out of existence in order to form a more genetically perfect future.

It was such a wonderful experience to work with the artists at CCW. The exhibition was one of the highlights of my semester; I enjoyed it so so much! Working with Allen Yu was such a pleasure. He is very talented, and it was fun to get to know him. I was especially excited to meet Allen’s family at the exhibition and to see Allen’s reaction to his works being displayed. Through chatting with Allen at the exhibition, I learned which Santa was his favorite on his piece entitled “Santas.” I also learned that his mother’s favorite hot air balloon was Bugs Bunny and that she asked Allen to include that in his “Home Air Balloons” piece.

To me, disability culture is a celebration of perhaps the most diverse community there is: the disability community. Further, disability culture is about visibility and self-value- it’s about taking pride in the condition of disability. It’s about transforming the challenges that come with living in an able-bodied world and celebrating the human responses to these hardships. Kupper argues that disability culture is “more like a process than a state.”  I really appreciate this definition as it suggests that disability culture is dynamic and not static. When reading Kupper’s piece, I had difficulty navigating through Kupper’s writing.

I was really horrified to hear about the story of Carrie Buck and three generations of her small family: Emma, Carrie, and Vivian. The idea that three generations of “genetic flaws” presented a strong case for sterilization is so disturbing and difficult tocomprehend. Especially since eugenicists ignored any facts that did not fit this “feebleminded narrative.” Specifically, the podcast mentioned that they ignored Carrie’s normal school record. Two of the main reasons why Carrie and Emma were described as “feeble-minded” were since they were supported by charity and living in the worst neighborhoods.

During the week we had the option to watch a film, I rewatched Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution  a Netflix documentary film that recounts the history of the U.S. disability rights movement: a raucous revolution that eventually lead to the Americans With Disabilities Act. The film begins in 1971 at a Catskills summer camp, Camp Jened, and follows several camp alumni that become pivotal leaders in the disability rights movement of the ‘70s. Through detailing experiences at Camp Jened and the historic events of the disability rights movement, this film celebrates activist culture, which is largely sustained by moral caregiving. At first, I only recognized the caregiving relationship between Camp Jened campers and counselors.

Here's my final project! Thank you all for a great semester!

reflection: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19xPfN7DzZ7A78T5GP6PL-sBwl5Q6xOoU38fg4-7Fft8/edit?usp=sharing

thank you so much for this wonderful class & semester!

here is the link to my final project: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dVWTf9rJKdkzShy082OFHDqCmwGZTyX_ptdmj82p71c/edit?usp=sharing. as part of my accessibility feature for my project, i included a simple-language infographic with visual representations on the last page of my paper (after the citations).