Workshop for Accessible and Inclusive Language Education: “Crip Linguistics for Accessible and Inclusive Language Education" by Prof. Robinson Octavian
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
We are excited to share the inaugural workshop for the Workshop for Accessible and Inclusive Language Education (WAILE), a new workshop series sponsored by VPGE and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. WAILE is a workshop series for professional development of language educators, focusing on inclusivity and accessibility. It engages with the broader hegemonic structures of institutionalized language education through critical, decolonial, gender-inclusive, and accessibility-centered pedagogies. Each workshop covers a theme: Decolonizing Language Education, Gender-Inclusive and Affirming Language, and Accessibility in Language Education. The series targets language TAs, coordinators, education students, instructors, and the public. Workshops are planned to be hands-on and interactive, led by invited experts, enabling participants to immediately apply new skills and knowledge in their classrooms and beyond.
Our first speaker in this year’s series will be Dr. Robinson Octavian, Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University. The workshop is titled “Crip linguistics for accessible and inclusive language education.”
The event will be held on Thursday, November 13, 3:00-4:30PM (Pacific, USA) via Zoom. For those interested in attending, please fill out the RSVP form or email me at ikedot [at] stanford.edu (ikedot[at]stanford[dot]edu) by Tuesday, November 11 at noon (Pacific, USA). Registered participants will receive a Zoom link on the morning of the talk.
Robinson Octavian (Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University)
“Crip linguistics for accessible and inclusive language education.”
- Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
- Time: 3:00-4:30pm (Pacific, USA)
- Location: Zoom (Link to be sent to registered participants on the morning of the event)
Below, please find more details of Prof. Octavian’s workshop.
Abstract: Octavian Robinson invites us to explore the intersections of language, identity, and pedagogy in today’s diverse teaching landscape through the framework of crip linguistics.
The overarching question in this workshop is how our perceptions of body, mind, and language shapes our teaching practices, assessments, and outcomes.
Our activities ask us to consider strategies grounded in disability wisdom to empower students to become efficient communicators while affirming their unique linguistic experiences and diverse lives. The aim is to offer inspiration for furthering inclusive education.
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Speaker Bio: Octavian E. Robinson is a trained historian with fields in women, gender, sexuality, and African-American histories who has emerged as a leading scholar in disability studies. Best known for his work with Jon Henner on crip linguistics, his research focuses on language attitudes towards signed languages within academia and linguistic protectionism among deaf communities at the intersections of gender, disability, race, and sexuality.
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Thank you very much, and we look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
The next planned workshop will be on January 16th with Dr. Ashley Moore. Mark your calendar and subscribe to our emailing list!