37th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability & Diversity (February 28-March 1, 2022)

Mobilize
for action!

Join us in this unique moment to move forward together. Come reconnect and renew. Celebrate achievements, share lived experiences and lessons learned. As we explore innovative strategies for advocacy and activism, you are invited to weave in your voice. Together, we’ll magnify our collective power for meaningful action. Let’s mobilize!

Pre-Conference Virtual Events: Saturday, February 26, 2022 (HST)

Virtual Conference Dates: Monday and Tuesday, February 28 – March 1, 2022 (HST) – Timezone Converter

Judy Heumann sitting in a wheelchair on the cover of Time magazine.

Keynote Speaker: Judy Heumann

The civil rights leader featured in the Oscar-nominated Crip Camp (2020) will be keynote speaker at Pac Rim 2022. In this extraordinary year when the whole world has turned its attention to the body and social justice like never before, we are delighted to share that Disability Rights Legend Judy Heumann will be among the prominent speakers at this year’s Pac Rim conference.

Discover!

About Pac Rim and CDS
2022 Strands and Topics
2022 Call for Proposals - Extended to Dec. 12
2021 Highlights
Themes for Pac Rim: 2020 = Connect, 2021 = Innovate, 2022 = Mobilize

About Pac Rim

The Premier International Gathering on Disability - Our 37th Year!

Hosted by the Center on Disability Studies (CDS), College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa since 1988, Pac Rim has evolved into an international conference that has welcomed thousands of presenters and attendees from across Hawaiʻi, the nation, and the world. 

Learn more about our virtual Pac Rim 2021 conference or view our program archive from 2018-1989. 

Meet the Pac Rim 2022 Team
Graphic of sun rising over waves - Pacific Rim Conference Mobilize 2022

About the Center on Disability Studies

The Premier International Gathering on Disability - Our 37th Year!

As one of 67 national University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD), the Center on Disability Studies supports a national vision of inclusion. We assist thousands of people with disabilities and their families, as well as Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and other underrepresented populations. We do this through research, training, and demonstration activities, and sharing our work with community members, professionals, students, and policymakers.

Learn More About CDS
CDS - Center on Disability Studies logo

Pac Rim 2022 Strands

01. Communities

Communities offer a sense of belonging and are central to the human experience. Communities can provide: knowledge; connections; inspiration, resources; and support. An engaging community allows us to share and relate with one another and to learn and develop new ideas. 

The Communities strand will offer opportunities for presenters to share knowledge on the following four community areas: Autism & Neurodiversity; Deaf Community; Family Engagement; and Indigenous and Cultural Diversity.

Communities Strand - 5 icons of people

02. Education

The Education strand focuses on the experiences and outcomes of people with disabilities in education. We seek proposals that address barriers to access and participation as well as innovation and success in reimagining education across early childhood education; elementary education; secondary education; higher education; and informal and alternative education and proposals that examine disability as a core component of diversity.

Topics include: Higher Education, Disability, & COVID-19; PreK-12 Education, Disability, COVID-19; and Social-Emotional Learning. 

Education Strand - Graduation cap

03. Employment & Career

The progress of workers with disabilities in finding inclusion and success is represented in the Employment and Career Strand. We must mobilize to combat the challenges and seize the opportunities of a turbulent global economy. 

Strand topics will include: Accessibility and Employment Issues; COVID-19 and Employment; Innovations and Challenges in Workforce Development; and Postsecondary Transition to Employment.

Employment Strand - Pencil and paper.

04. Health & Well-being

In light of recent events in our nation and across the world, health and well-being are more important than ever. Much more intricate than the absence of disease or “dis” ease, well-being includes the presence of positive multifaceted factors including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. 

This strand provides opportunities for presenters to share knowledge in the following three areas: Disability and Health; Mental and Emotional Health & COVID-19; and Well-being and Flourishing. 

Health and Wellbeing Strand - Growing plant

05. Disability Studies & Diversity Issues

What is disability? How do the ways we as cultures answer this question impact access and equity? This strand invites contributions to the rich, diverse conversations that make up the interdisciplinary dialog of Disability Studies and Diversity Issues. The strand provides an exciting forum to explore some of the central questions animating Disability studies and inquiries into diversity issues. 

Identified topics this year include: Disasters and Emergency Preparedness; Disability Policy and Advocacy; Creativity, Media & the Arts; and Disability Studies & Intersectionality.

Disability & Diversity Issues - Megaphone

Pac Rim 2021 Highlights!

Screenshot of Zoom attendees smiling rom Pac Rim session
Screenshot of Zoom attendees smiling rom Pac Rim session