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2026 Disability Summit

In 2024, Michigan State University hosted its first Disability Summit and 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 planned disabled student, faculty, and staff panel. 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. 

Photo of Dr. Sami Schalk a Black woman with curly hair, eyeglasses, rainbow earring and a big smile

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.  

Dr. Schalk also writes for mainstream outlets. She identifies as a fat, Black, queer, disabled femme and a pleasure activist.

  • Schedule of Events
    9:00 - 9:30 am Check-In at Union Ballroom
    9:30 - 10:00 am Welcoming Remarks
    10:00 - 11:00 am Keynote
    11:00 - 11:15 am Break *Opportunity for book signing
    11:15 am - 12:00 pm Roundtable Discussion: Disabled students, staff, & faculty
    12:00 - 1:10 pm Lunch *Opportunity for book signing
    Union Ballroom Lake Huron
    1:10 - 2:00 pm Unmasking Student Success Value Based Career Decisions
    2:00 - 2:10 pm Break Break
    2:10 - 3:00 pm Disability Communications Ethics Every Voice, Every Word
    3:00 - 3:10 pm Break Break
    3:10 - 4:00 pm Disabled Futurity Teaching Disability History
    4:00 - 4:10 pm Break
    4:10 - 4:30 pm Closing Remarks
  • Registration for Friday, October 2, 2026 event

    Registration opens on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 9:00 am.

    The 2026 Disability Summit kicks off with a live/virtual keynote presentation by Dr. Sami Schalk at the MSU Union Ballroom, you can start checking in that day as of 9:00 am.  The presentations will begin at 9:30 am.  The first 150 people to check-in will receive a free copy of  "Black Disability Politics" authored by Dr. Sami Schalk. Our in-person capacity at the MSU Union Ballroom is 150 people.  If you register for this event, but are unable to attend in person, please email ocr.evalynyanna@msu.edu so we can contact someone on the waitlist.  Coffee and Tea will be available all morning, and lunch will be served. 

    A Zoom option is available for all activities in the Union Ballroom.  Black Disability Politics is available free open access. You can also purchase the book for 30% when you order directly from Duke University Press using code E22SCHLK.

    REGISTRATION for the IN PERSON event on Friday, October 2, 2026.  

    REGISTRATION for the VIRTUAL event on Friday, October 2, 2026 including the afternoon sessions held in the Union Ballroom.

  • Location/Parking

    The 2026 Disability Summit will be held at the MSU Union (49 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI) in the Ballroom and the Lake Huron room (afternoon only).

    Parking can be found on the MSU Campus Map, Ramp 6 is the closet parking lot (next to Olin Health Center) right off of E. Grand River Ave.

  • Accessibility

    The accessible entrance to the MSU Union is located on the Abbott Road (west) side of the building. There is a ramp located to the right of the main doors and an elevator directly to the left once inside the building. There is a circular driveway drop off area on Abbott Road close to the ramp.

    Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and ASL Interpreters will be available for all sessions held in the Ballroom and Lake Huron room.  Please let us know if you will need any additional accomodations.  

    A sensory space will be available all day in the MSU Room for your comfort.

  • Friday Webinar Series

    This year, we are offering virtual sessions from 12:15 - 1:00 pm EST each Friday in October following the Summit. Click on the date of the webinar to register.

    1. October 9 Webinar- Beyond Compliance: Disability Justice, Dignified Supervision, and Building Workplaces Where Everyone Can Do Their Best Work; Swapna Hingwe
    2. October 16 Webinar- A Question of Visibility: Being “Out” about Madness and/or Distress in Music Education; Juliet Hess
    3. October 23 Webinar- Disability in Med School: Supporting Medical Students in the Boards Accommodations Process; Hannah Huey-Jones & group
    4. October 30 Webinar- Embracing Slowness for Our Futures of Disability Justice; Chloe Grigsby

     

  • Disability News Updates
    Stay informed by joining the Disability Connection email listserv. To subscribe, send an email to listserv@list.msu.edu and include the command below in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank):  SUBSCRIBE MSU-DISABILITY-CONNECTION

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