Aging-Disability Nexus

The Aging/Disability Nexus ​Symposium was a 2-day gathering, ​February 16 & 17, 2017 at Toronto Metropolitan University. It is also an edited collection​ ​of essays edited by Katie Aubrecht, Christine Kelly and Carla Rice, published by UBC press in May 2020. The concept for The Aging/Disability Nexus emerged from our recognition of a surprising gap in critical scholarship, that is, scholarship specifically exploring the intersections of disability studies and aging studies. Surprising, we think, because there is significant conceptual overlap between the two fields. For example, both disability studies and aging studies grapple with able-bodiedness, acknowledging that most people will experience disability at some point in their lives. And yet, each field also interprets the meaning and significance of TAB in unique ways. Growing old into disability becomes a significant point of contact with respect to the aging process and where disability represents itself. An overall goal of the Symposium and this website is to serve as a hub about aging and disability. Our hub aims to facilitate the use of knowledge in decision-making and action.