In 2024, Michigan State University hosted its first Disability Summit and since it has become an annual part of the university's landscape. We are excited to announce the theme of this year’s Disability Summit as the Future of Disability in Higher Education. In years past we have examined the history and current lived experience of disability in higher education and now we shift our focus towards the future. We look forward to providing a space for the MSU community to come together and discuss possibilities for a future that is truly disability-centered.
This year, we will gather in the MSU Union for a full day of programing on Friday, October 2, 2026, and will offer virtual sessions from 12:15-1:00 pm EST each Friday in October following the Summit. The Summit will include a keynote presentation and a panel featuring disabled student, faculty, and staff. We will also be featuring accepted presentations, flash talks, poster presentations, panel discussions, and workshops. The keynote and many of the breakouts will be offered in a hybrid format. We hope these varying sessions will encourage broadened dialogue across the MSU community.
Here's the full agenda for October 2, 2026.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Sami Schalk (she/her) is a Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her BA in English (Creative Writing) and Women’s Studies from Miami University, her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from the University of Notre Dame, and her PhD in Gender Studies from Indiana University.
Dr. Schalk’s interdisciplinary research focuses broadly on disability, race, and gender in contemporary American literature and culture. She has published on literature, film, and material culture in a variety of peer-reviewed humanities journals. For a detailed list of publications and awards, see Dr. Schalk’s CV (PDF).
Dr. Schalk also writes for mainstream outlets. She identifies as a fat, Black, queer, disabled femme and a pleasure activist.