The Faculty and Staff Living with Disabilities Affinity Group (FSLD) is one of several campus wide affinity groups under the umbrella of the ALAAMEA Alliance. The purpose of ALAAMEA is to provide a place for Tulane faculty and staff from historically marginalized communities (e.g., Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, Mixed Race, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, people raised in working class and other marginalized class backgrounds, age) to connect and thrive together, fostering our own resilience and resistance to interlocking oppressions. We welcome our important allies, co-conspirators, and accomplices into ALAAMEA as important partners in creating nourishing and liberatory environments at Tulane.

The group started in spring 2021 and has held several virtual meetings.  It is open to all faculty and staff who identify as living with disabilities, both visible and invisible, and allies.  The group is focusing on advocacy, education, and celebration of faculty and staff who identify as or who support people who identify as having a disability. We will be collaborating with students and student organizations at Tulane who represent and advocate in this area.

The goal is to disable and eliminate "ableisim", beginning with our Tulane community.  Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than,’ and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities. 

The group is currently co lead by Dr. Cathy Lazarus, Professor of Medicine, and Benji Brubaker, Program Manager in the Center for Public Service.  We are actively seeking new members and input, and membership is open to all).

To sign up for the Faculty and Staff Living with Disabilities Affinity Group listserv, please send an email to FSDIS-L@listserv.tulane.edu. 

We need your voice, your ideas, and your action. 

More information can be found here: https://alliance.tulane.edu/