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Disability Studies is an emerging academic field that explores disability and society through the lens of overlapping perspectives, including social sciences, humanities, science, and the law. The BA in Disability Studies online degree program provides a ‘person-centered’ approach to the study of disability. As the first undergraduate program of its kind in the country, the program provides graduates with the skills to improve the lives of people with disabilities and with an educational credential to advance their careers.

The BA in Disability Studies program offers both a strong foundation in disability theory and history as well as opportunities for in-depth study in one of four concentrations:

• Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Mental/Behavioral Health
• Arts, Culture, and Design

Students in the BA in Disability Studies:

• Learn the history that many textbooks overlook
• Develop strategies and skills to support children and adults with disabilities
• Learn how to interpret disability law and policy
• Acquire concrete skills to remove social and physical barriers to full inclusion and integration
• Read first-hand experiences of people with disabilities
• Learn new ways of thinking about disability and society

Career and Academic Prospects

Graduates of the BA in Disability Studies program gain the knowledge, values, and skills that are sought by agencies providing services to individuals in community programs. Graduates are also prepared for graduate work in disability studies, social work, rehabilitation counseling, physical and occupational therapy, education, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and liberal studies.

Articulation Agreements

Articulation agreements are formal agreements between CUNY School of Professional Studies, (CUNY SPS) and two-year colleges and universities, allowing students to transfer the maximum number of credits with ease to our BA in Disability Studies program from institutions with which we have an established transfer process in place.

• Borough of Manhattan Community College - AS in Human Services (PDF)
• Hudson Valley Community College - AS in Human Services (PDF)
• Hudson Valley Community College - Certificate in Disability Studies (PDF)

Scholarship Opportunities

• Human Services Advancement Scholarship

Meet Our Faculty

• Mariette Bates
• Ruthie-Marie Beckwith
• Maureen Belluscio
• Emily Brooks
• Sheryl Burgstahler
• Daniel K. Chan
• Kristen DuMoulin
• Cassandra Evans
• Mark Friedman
• Margaret J. Gould​
• Anne Haberer
• Neil Harbus
• Stephen Ippolito
• Devva Kasnitz
• Anne Kelsey
• Bethany LaLonde
• Brian Le Lay
• Jacqueline Leber
• Martha Mock
• Karen Nielson
• Raymond Perez
• Soudabeh Shayesteh
• Jitka Nelb Sinecka