Imani Barbarin (Crutches & Spice) Keynote: COVID-19 as a Mass Disabling Event

Wednesday, April 27th from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM PST Click on the zoom link to register

The Disability Outreach Center is excited to host Imani Barbarin (also known on social media as 'Crutches & Spice') as our Keynote Speaker who will present on how COVID-19 has impacted us as a mass disabling event. This event is free and open to all Western Students, Staff, Faculty, and Alumni. Click the zoom link to register anytime before the start of the event. To request accommodations, please email as.doc@wwu.edu.

About the Keynote Speaker: Imani Barbarin is a disability rights and inclusion activist and speaker who uses her voice and social media platforms to create conversations engaging the disability community. Born with cerebral palsy, Imani often writes and uses her platform to speak from the perspective of a disabled black woman. In the last few years she has created over a dozen trending hashtags that allow disabled folk the opportunity to have their perspectives heard while forcing the world to take notice. #PatientsAreNotFaking, #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow, #AbledsAreWeird and others each provide a window into disabled life while forming community. Imani is from the Philadelphia area and holds a Masters in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, her published works include those in Forbes, Rewire, Healthline, BitchMedia and more. She runs the blog CrutchesAndSpice.com and a podcast of the same name. She currently serves as the Communications Director for a nonprofit in Pennsylvania.

[Image description: The keynote speaker is in a blue dress in front of a purple and peach graphic.]