Are you curious about disability history?
Wonder why people feel disability pride?
This series of events, honoring Devva Kasnitz, will take you on a wondrous journey through time. People of all ages are welcome- young activists to current and retired academics.
Devva’s Room occurs every second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. EST
Jointly created by Disability History and Culture Collective and I Love You – Lead On Community. MindFreedom International is a partner.
This was a dream of Devva’s to expand disability studies from homes of everyday people. There will be several parts to each evening, learning about disabilities studies and the history of disability, with time for questions, networking, and fun.
ASL and Zoom captions are always available. Transcripts and recordings will be created shortly after each session. Additional accommodations are provided when requested.
Registration is required to prevent Zoom bombing and other antagonists from disrupting our time together. Register!
View the playlist of past events: Devva’s Room Playlist on YouTube.
Become a member of Devva’s Room reminder email list- Join list now!
Support Us!
This is a voluntary endeavor, in celebration of Devva’s life, but there are still overhead costs to be paid. Your support assures accessibility, up-to-date technology, and technology support.
Donate
UPCOMING SESSIONS
January 14, 2026
Who was Henry Viscardi, Jr.?
The Disability History Museum at the Viscardi Center – A history of the Museum
Virtual Tour by Natalie Reyes, Director
Register here!
February 11, 2026
Grover Hogan, Rick Berry, and Clifford Heath are going to discuss a medley of topics: Lois Curtis and the Olmstead Act; outsider art, including Lois’s; and the long road to a National Disability Museum.
Register here!
PAST SESSIONS
December 10, 2025
Elaine Gerber: Building Disability Culture on College Campuses. Elaine discussed her research with undergraduate students in New Jersey. They described the need for disability culture, in addition to accessibility to make a campus truly welcomimg.
Nirmala Erevelles: Discussed the implications of how disability is perceived and constructed alongside other categories of difference in current times. Afterwards the two had a very engaging discussion about how their topics overlapped.
Watch the video – Season 1, Session 7
October 8, 2025
Ashten Vassar-Cain: Discussed intersecting histories of Queer and Disabled communities. Answered compelling questions about conversion therapy and gender confirming care.
Watch the video – Season 1, Session 6
September 10, 2025
Anthony Tusler: “Disability Representation in Music”
Anthony’s vast contributions to the disability movement include over 20 years as director of disability services at Sonoma State University, documenting the 504 sit-ins through his photography, drawing attention to the higher rates of alcoholism and drug use in the disability community, and his website AboutDisability.com. This night, he will regale us with stories and clips that tell us about the lived experience of disability through music.
Kim Nielsen: “The Story of Disabled Women Suffragettes” Historian Kim Nielsen uncovers the often-overlooked role of disabled women in the fight for voting rights, revealing how intersectionality and activism formed the bedrock of both the suffrage and disability rights movements. Kim is the author of A Disability History of the United States, and several biographies about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan Macy.
Watch the video – Season 1, Session 5 – Tusler & Nielsen
August 13, 2025
Jennifer Mankoff: “Disability Studies, Informed Perspectives on Disability” Jen shared how lived experience and academic insight work together to shape more inclusive, user-centered technology design—from assistive tools to AI bias—grounded in disability justice frameworks. She is a professor at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington.
Kim Nielsen was unable to join us, but did in September.
Watch the video – Season 1, Session 4 – Jen Mankoff
July 9, 2025
Rosemarie Garland Thomson, Georgina Kleege , and Brenda Brueggemann , pioneers in disability, discussed “No Longer the Only Person in the Room”.
Rosemarie is a bioethicist, author, educator, humanities scholar, and thought leader in disability justice and culture. She wrote “Freak Inheritance” documenting how the freak show and early eugenics era influenced how we came to perceive people with disabilities.
Georgina writes essays and memoirs in disability studies on blindness and teaches creative writing and disability studies at Cal Berkeley. She wrote “Sight Unseen”, where she compared her view of the world to the world’s view of blindness.
Brenda helped conceptualize the field of Disability Studies. She is a prolific writer, including nine memoirs in the “Deaf Lives” series she created.
Lucy Barnhouse introduced us to the lives of disabled people during the Middle Ages. She teaches classes in premodern, women’s, and medical history.
Watch the video – Season 1, session 3 – Thomson, Brueggemann, Kleege, and Barnhouse
June 10, 2025
Mark Friedman discussed “Disability Studies in a Time of Chaos: Why It Matters More Than Ever”. Mark explores how Disability Studies is more than a theory—it’s a movement. Learn how it challenges ableism, transforms institutions, and centers disabled voices.
Laurel Daen discussed the first American disability rights movement in the decades just after the American Revolution. During this period (approx 1775-1840), disabled people used the powerful language of liberty, equality, rights, and citizenship, which had gained power and purchase in the recent conflict, to demand greater access and autonomy.
Watch the video – Season 1, Session 2 – Friedman & Daen
May 14, 2025
Who Was Devva? and “Disposable Humanity” by the filmmakers; Cameron and David Mitchell
Who was Devva? is a recap of remembrances shared at her shiva by the people closest to her in the disability community. 
Disposable Humanity, the long awaited film produced by Cameron S. Mitchell and David T. Mitchell. (Trailer) They discuss how their documentary reveals how 300,00 disabled individuals were the initial victims of the Third Reich, paving the way for the atrocities that followed. Cameron began visiting the sites depicted as a child with his parents. Interviews and photos tell the story of the chilling legacy of the Nazi Aktion T4 program. “…A compelling film that brings this devastating history home.” –Jim Lebrecht, Oscar-nominated director of Crip Camp. This film is “The most important disability documentary that I’ve ever seen”–Andrew Gurza, Host of the Disability After Dark Podcast
Watch the video- Season 1, Session 1- Devva’s Shivva Excerpts & Disposable Humanity
Watch Disposable Humanity on YouTube.