University of Dayton students learned about the experiences of people with disabilities through a research project with Brighter Connections Theatre

Dillenburger, Bridgett

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University of Dayton

University of Dayton eCommons College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom College of Arts and Sciences Administration 5-4-2023 Students share disability research in collaboration with Brighter Connections Theatre Bridgett Dillenburger University of Dayton, dillenburgerb1@udayton.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cas_blog eCommons Citation Dillenburger, Bridgett, "Students share disability research in collaboration with Brighter Connections Theatre" (2023). College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom. 630. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cas_blog/630 This Blog is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Arts and Sciences Administration at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact mschlangen1@udayton.edu, ecommons@udayton.edu. 1/4Students share disability research in collaboration withBrighter Connections Theatreudayton.edu/blogs/artssciences/2023-stories/23-05-04-brighter-connect.phpThursday May 4, 2023By Bridgett Dillenburger ’23University of Dayton students learned about the experiences of people with disabilitiesthrough a research project with Brighter Connections Theatre, an inclusive and neurodiversesummer theater camp offered through UD’s Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technologyprogram. The students, from courses in the Department of Religious Studies and the Theatre, Danceand Performance Technology program, presented research posters March 24 before animprov show and fundraiser benefiting Brighter Connections at the Sears Recital Hall in theJesse Philips Humanities Center.Hope Anthony, a junior health science major from Sidney, Ohio, worked with four classmatesin the Foundations of Disability Studies course on their project, “Disability in the Workplace.”2/4“Our conversations and discussions throughout this course have allowed us and our peers togain a better understanding of the experiences of people with disabilities, including thechallenges they face and the ways in which they navigate the world,” Anthony said. “Byincorporating disability awareness into our research, we have had the opportunity to creatework that is more informed and comprehensive.”Meghan Henning, associate professor of Christian origins in the Department of ReligiousStudies, and Michelle Hayford, professor and program director of the Theatre, Dance andPerformance Technology program, both serve on the Brighter Connections board anddecided to have poster presentations for the improv performance.The Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology program has offered Brighter Connectionson campus since 2016. The nonprofit was founded in 2013 by Katie O’Leary, its president.Hayford became co-director of the camp and started offering UD students fellowships andinternships once UD and Brighter Connections became collaborators.“I am proud of the collaboration between UD and Brighter Connections Theatre because itrepresents a truly immersive and integrated performing arts experience for disabled and non-disabled performers,” Henning said.Students from Henning’s Foundations of Disability Studies course and Hayford’s SocialJustice and Dramatic Literature course presented research posters at the improv event,which allowed students to participate in a thriving disability-centered community and learnfrom its members.“Students get the opportunity to engage directly with an audience about their research anddisseminate their research to the public in the context of an event that is related to theirresearch,” Hayford said. “The event and the poster presentation reinforce the learning goalsof the class.”Brighter Connections board members and audience members engaged with studentresearch around disability before and after the performance, generating active conversationin the Humanities Center’s lobby area. Henning said her students told her they learned asmuch from audience members they met that night as they did in doing their research.“Audience members shared their own experiences of navigating life with a disability or as aparent of a disabled child and asked questions about each topic that invited students to thinkabout their projects from different angles,” Henning said. “When we came back to theclassroom on Tuesday the students were bubbling with excitement, wanting to tell me whatthey had learned about disability law in Ohio, about neurodivergence, and about disabilityand education.”3/4Devyn Mundy (pictured above), a sophomore business management major from Cincinnati,worked individually on her project “Disability and Performance: Alyson Stroker” for the SocialJustice and Dramatic Literature course. Stroker is a Tony Award-winning actress who uses awheelchair for mobility.Mundy said she learned about the importance of recognizing someone not just for theirdisability but for being a top performer as well. She was inspired by Stroker’s quote, “turningyour limitations into opportunities.” She said the course was interesting because it wasoutside of the typical coursework for her major. “It was very different and outside of my box, but I enjoyed it,” Mundy said. “It really expandedmy knowledge about people with disabilities because there are so many misconceptions andit's important to be able to learn more about how to address it.” Anthony said attending the performance helped everything she learned from the course“come to life” as she could now apply it to the real world.  Anthony’s group members included Courtney Hall, a junior health sciences major from St.Louis; Alexis Kantner, a junior health sciences major from Chicago; Grace Mohr, a juniorhealth sciences major from Mentor, Ohio; and Natali Trem, a junior health sciences majorfrom Willoughby, Ohio. 4/4Anthony said she and her group partners now have a deeper understanding of disability andsocial, historical and cultural contexts behind it. “One important takeaway from this course is that disability is not an isolated identity, andindividuals with disabilities may also experience discrimination or marginalization based ontheir race, gender, sexuality, or other identities,” Anthony said. “Disability study courses andfuture research can help to understand the importance of intersectionality and how to createa more inclusive environment for people with multiple marginalized identities.”For more information, visit the Department of Religious Studies; Theatre, Dance andPerformance Technology program; and Brighter Connections websites.Top Photo: (from left to right) Alexis Kantner, Grace Mohr, Hope Anthony, Courtney Hall andNatali Trem with their project "Disability in the Workplace," completed for the Foundations ofDisability Studies Course.1/4UD students presented research posters March 24 before an improv show and fundraiserbenefiting Brighter Connections at the Sears Recital Hall in the Jesse Philips HumanitiesCenter.  

Students share disability research in collaboration with Brighter Connections Theatre

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Students share disability research in collaboration with Brighter Connections Theatre

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