Devva Kasnitz, a prominent figure in disability studies and cultural anthropology, passed away on January 26, 2025[4]. Her contributions to the field of disability studies and advocacy were significant and far-reaching.
## Career and Contributions
Kasnitz was a cultural anthropologist who dedicated much of her career to disability studies and advocacy. She trained as a cultural geographer at Clark University and later as a medical anthropologist at the University of Michigan, with postdoctoral work at Northwestern University and the University of California, San Francisco[1][3].
**Key Accomplishments:**
– Founding member of the Society for Disability Studies, where she later served as Executive Director[3][7]
– Co-founder of the Anthropology and Disability Research Interest Group of the Society for Medical Anthropology[1]
– Directed research at the World Institute on Disability, an organization co-founded by Ed Roberts[1]
– Mentored a generation of disability studies scholars in the US, Australia, and Guatemala[1]
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## Connection to Berkeley and Independent Living Movement
While not directly associated with the Ed Roberts Berkeley Independent Living Center, Kasnitz had strong ties to the Berkeley community and the independent living movement:
– She was involved with the World Institute on Disability, which was founded by Berkeley alumni including Ed Roberts[1]
– Kasnitz worked closely with other prominent figures in the disability rights movement, many of whom were connected to Berkeley[1]
– She contributed to the development of disability studies programs and curricula, including at UC Berkeley[1]
## Legacy and Impact
Kasnitz’s work bridged the gap between academic disability studies and practical advocacy. She was known for:
– Promoting the idea that disability studies should inform and underpin global disability rights and justice movements[2]
– Advocating for the use of ethnographic approaches in policy development and social change[5]
– Encouraging the integration of disability perspectives into various academic disciplines[1]
Her passing was mourned by the disability community, with organizations like CommunicationFIRST expressing grief at the loss of this “monumental contributor to the disability community”[6].
Kasnitz’s work continues to influence the field of disability studies and the broader disability rights movement. Her emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches and the importance of lived experiences in shaping policy and research remains a cornerstone of contemporary disability studies.
Sources
[1] At 20, Berkeley’s Disability Studies shines with renewed energy https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/10/02/evolution-of-disability-studies-at-berkeley/
[2] Devva Kasnitz – Wordgathering https://wordgathering.com/vol17/issue1/judy-heumann/kasnitz/
[3] Devva Kasnitz, PhD. – The American Anthropological Association https://americananthro.org/people/devva-kasnitz/
[4] Devva Kasnitz 1950-2025 https://lnk.to/kasnitz
[5] Introduction: Anthropology in Disability Studies https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/289/327
[6] CommunicationFIRST on Instagram: “Our hearts grieve the passing … https://www.instagram.com/communication_first/p/DFWGCyjxlzN/
[7] Devva Kasnitz – CUNY School of Professional Studies https://sps.cuny.edu/about/directory/devva.kasnitz
[8] AnthroBites: Disability | Society for Cultural Anthropology https://culanth.org/fieldsights/anthrobites-disability
[9] The Strange Case of Anna Stubblefield (Published 2015) https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/magazine/the-strange-case-of-anna-stubblefield.html
[10] Honoring Judy Heumann’s outsized impact – UW CREATE https://create.uw.edu/honoring-judy-heumann/
[11] Devva Kasnitz https://workered.academia.edu/DevvaKasnitz/CurriculumVitae