SDS 2010 conference is upon us! attend and/or follow via web 2.0

The Society for Disability Studies' annual conference, "Disability in the Geo-Political Imagination," kicks off Wednesday, June 2, on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year's will be the largest SDS conference ever, with a day-long inclusive education preconference on June 2, and five concurrent streams of papers, as well as a film festival in a dedicated theater, running Thursday, June 3 through Saturday, June 5.

The conference kick-off is not to be missed: Wednesday evening's gala conference kickoff, to be held in Temple University's beautifully restored Baptist Temple (photoset), featuring performance, comedy and tributes dedicated to the life and career of Teddy Pendergrass, a Philadelphia resident who, during his lifetime, fought for the rights of all people, including people with disabilities.

The rest of the conference talks and events will be held at Temple University's recently renovated Gittis Student Center (photo). The conference will close, according to long-standing tradition, with the celebrated SDS Dance, featured in Simi Linton's book My Body Politic (University of Michigan Press, 2007) - Amazon - and Sharon Snyder and David Mitchell's Cultural Locations of Disability (University of Chicago Press, 2006) - Amazon.

There are number of options for conference registration available on the SDS website, including a special pass for the film program. While the Society has long been a mecca of scholars, activists and artists, this year's conference promises to push the envelope and recognize the contributions of Philadelphia and the midAtlantic region to the modern disability rights movement. Don't miss this opportunity to participate, celebrate, and rebuild disability community spirit.

Those who want to follow conference developments can use the official hashtag #2010sds and the SDS Conference 2010 Discussion group on Facebook. Go to Twitter Search and enter #2010sds (you do not need a twitter account to use this function). I will also be updating my own twitter account @mdorn and my flickr photostream with information, gossip and other juicy bits from the conference.