This post should have come last week, but better late than never. Because of my interest in autism I was asked to participate on the planning committee for SUU's Disability Week. It was a a great opportunity to work with some fantastic people. I was asked to participate on an autism panel with law enforcement, parents, and students with autism. I always enjoy informing the public about autism, and I'm happy to do this kind of service. The highlight of the week for me was when I had the chance to give a short introduction to the film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close on Thursday night. I tried to go in with a written text but ended up scrapping it in favor of a more informal presentation -- something like what I do in class. I talked about Emmanuel Levinas and his theory of Totality and Infinity. I love Levinas because while his theories are deep and broad, I can teach elements of his thought in just a few minutes and it changes the way my students read/watch/view art. I could tell during the the film that the audience was locked in, and I like to think that my intro had something to do with that, although the film is so good it hardly needs any intro at all.
All told, I think that Carmen Alldredge and her whole team did a great job with disability week. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next year.