Festival of Ideas and Curriculum Integration | February 10 -14, 2020
Festival of Ideas
Mandy Harvey
Harvey is an American jazz and pop singer/songwriter who overcame profound deafness to become a contestant on America's Got Talent . Using her musical gifts, she headlines a series of concerts to benefit Hearing the Call , a non-profit organization that sends audiologists around the world to help people access proper healthcare. She lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS), the malady that caused her hearing loss. Harvey was the winner of a 2015 Inspiration Award from Invisible Disabilities Association.
Students often learn more if they can connect emotionally to the theory, concepts, and ideas they are studying. One way to create an emotional spark in your students is to connect them to people who feel passionately about the issues your are exploring. For this year's festival of ideas, we're encouraging faculty to integrate these public lectures into their spring courses. Below you'll find additional, readings, films, interviews and activities that can supplement the Mandy Harvey's performance and lecture.
Readings and Assignment Ideas | Performance and Lecture - Februrary 11, 7:00 pm
Martha Street Culp Auditorium
Read
This eBook is a collection of essays that explores the intersection of the words "performance" and "disability."

A qualitative study of the application data from VSA Arts finalists. Findings from the study describe how identity formation is informed by disability and by artistic expression.

Listen
An interview with Mandy Harvey detailing her experiences with losing her hearing while pursuing an undergraduate music degree.

A Fresh Air interview with Rodney Evans, a filmmaker who has lost much of his vision and continues to make movies. Evans has created a documentary about how visually impaired artists do their work.

A first profiling people with disabilities and the bias and aggression that affects them in their daily lives.
ACT
A film case study of the Glastonbury Festival who has worked to improve quality access to the festival for people with disabilities. The website includes access guides for venues and festivals.

Learning modules created by the IRIS center at Vanderbilt University. The module encourages students to examine their beliefs and opinions about individuals with disabilities.