Report
Project week Ableism the dis/ability binary and beyond in Vienna
The project team for the FWF Esprit Project 414 Ableism: the dis/ability binary and beyond, consisting of the collaborators Marjorie Aunos, Marlene Krubner, Maria R. Palacios and Ingrid Palmer as well as project lead Rahel More, met at the University of Vienna from September 27 to October 2, 2026, for a joint project week.
On the first day, we held a discussion and a workshop to explore ableism in greater depth, moving beyond a narrow focus on disability; during this session, we developed and discussed examples that effectively illustrate the wide-ranging mechanisms through which ableism affects all people.
On the second day, we planned the third and final project phase for 2027, whilst also reflecting as a team on the research process to date and the work currently underway. The focus was on both the challenges and the mutual empowerment and care within the research process. We also visited the HDGOE and were given a guided tour of the Disability History Project as part of the main exhibition.
After a day off, we finally continued our planning and reflection work on the project and prepared for a video shoot carried out by a film crew from the University of Vienna on our project findings. The video portrait will be available on the project website, amongst other places. We then rounded off the day with a cosy dinner in a traditional Viennese setting.
On our final day together, our research event took place, featuring five presentations and a discussion with participants, both in person and via Zoom. The speakers were:
Magda Leitner (Vienna): Feminist anti-ableism in practice: voices, experiences and perspectives
Marjorie Aunos (Montréal): Resisting Ableism in Parenthood by highlighting what our children see in us
Ingrid Palmer (Toronto): “Dear disabled Black women” – Racist ableism against women in the workplace
Marlene Krubner (Vienna): Disability pride and joy in an ableist world
Maria R. Palacios (Houston): A disabled woman’s manifesto on body ownership & radical intimacy
Many thanks to everyone involved: the speakers, the participants and the support staff. Special thanks to Sabrina Podlaha and Maximilian Schadler, who provided us with enthusiastic support during the project week.