{"id":44219,"date":"2026-06-24T22:19:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T22:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/?page_id=44219"},"modified":"2026-06-24T22:30:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T22:30:36","slug":"thrive-interfaith-disability-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/disability-advocacy-scholars-fellowship\/thrive-interfaith-disability-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Thrive Interfaith, Disability & Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Disability Advocacy, Interfaith Dialogue, and Student Leadership<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An Augsburg University project supported by Interfaith America\u2019s Supporting Student Leadership Grant.<\/h4>\n

About the Program<\/h2>\n

Disability Advocacy Scholars invites students into a relationship-centered learning community focused on disability, access, justice, pluralism, and practical advocacy. Students explore how disability is shaped by systems, environments, policies, beliefs, and community experiences.<\/p>\n

The program helps students practice bridge-building by engaging across religious, cultural, ideological, and lived-experience differences. The goal is not only to learn about advocacy but to practice it through dialogue, reflection, storytelling, civic engagement, and student-led action.<\/p>\n

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Who Should Participate?<\/h2>\n
\n
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Future Educators<\/h3>\n

Students preparing for teaching, special education, inclusive pedagogy, school support, or youth work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Student Leaders<\/h3>\n

Students interested in facilitating dialogue, building community, and leading across difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Advocates<\/h3>\n

Students who care about disability rights, access, belonging, civic engagement, and justice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Curious Learners<\/h3>\n

No prior experience is required. The most important qualities are openness, reflection, care, and willingness to learn with others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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How to Participate<\/h2>\n

Students can participate through the course, student-led events, panels, advocacy opportunities, and community conversations. Use the steps below as a simple guide.<\/p>\n

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Express Interest<\/h3>\n

Contact Dr. Sergio Madrid-Aranda or speak with your advisor about joining Disability Advocacy Scholars or participating in related events.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Attend an Information Session or Class Meeting<\/h3>\n

Learn about the goals of the program, expectations, accessibility practices, and upcoming opportunities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Choose Your Level of Engagement<\/h3>\n

You may participate through coursework, a panel, a dialogue event, Disability Day at the Capitol, an advocacy project, or a community partnership activity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Reflect and Lead<\/h3>\n

Students are invited to connect learning to lived experience, practice listening across difference, and contribute to spaces of dignity, access, and belonging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Upcoming and Signature Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Opportunity<\/th>\nWhat Students Do<\/th>\nWhy It Matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Student-Led Interfaith Panel<\/td>\nHelp plan, facilitate, or participate in a panel connecting disability, trauma, resilience, faith, immigration, and education.<\/td>\nStudents practice storytelling, dialogue, bridge-building, and leadership across difference.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Disability Day at the State Capitol<\/td>\nTravel to Saint Paul to advocate for disability rights, access, and belonging.<\/td>\nStudents connect classroom learning to civic engagement and public advocacy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weekly Reflections and Dialogue<\/td>\nEngage readings, class conversations, guest speakers, and personal reflection.<\/td>\nStudents build habits of critical thinking, empathy, and ethical responsibility.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Final Advocacy Project<\/td>\nIdentify an access barrier, learn from community voices, and take an action step toward change.<\/td>\nStudents translate learning into practical advocacy and community impact.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Accessibility note:<\/strong>\u00a0Students are encouraged to communicate access needs early. Presentations and events should be designed to be accessible, inclusive, and respectful of diverse communication and participation styles.<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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What Students Can Expect<\/h2>\n
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Supportive Learning Community<\/h3>\n

A space that values curiosity over certainty, listening over rushing to conclusions, and growth over perfection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dialogue Across Difference<\/h3>\n

Structured conversations about faith, culture, disability, migration, identity, trauma, and educational responsibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Real Advocacy Practice<\/h3>\n

Opportunities to connect course learning to community needs, civic engagement, and practical action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Leadership Development<\/h3>\n

Students build confidence as facilitators, advocates, future educators, and bridge-builders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Student Resources<\/h2>\n

Students participating in the program will use readings, dialogue guides, reflection prompts, community resources, and advocacy tools. Core learning themes include:<\/p>\n

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Disability and Access<\/h3>\n

Physical, informational, program\/policy, and interpersonal access barriers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pluralism and Bridge-Building<\/h3>\n

Listening, perspective-taking, respectful dialogue, and constructive engagement across difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Trauma-Informed Practice<\/h3>\n

Understanding how fear, uncertainty, migration, family experience, and community conditions affect learning and belonging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Advocacy Action<\/h3>\n

Moving from reflection to public, relational, and community-centered advocacy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Questions or Interested in Joining?<\/h2>\n

Contact\u00a0Dr. Sergio Madrid-Aranda<\/strong>, Assistant Professor in the Education Department.<\/p>\n

Email:\u00a0madrids@augsburg.edu<\/a>
\nOffice Hours: Wednesdays, 10:00 AM\u201312:00 PM<\/p>\n

Students are welcome to reach out with questions about participation, accessibility, advocacy projects, student-led panels, or Disability Day at the Capitol.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disability Advocacy, Interfaith Dialogue, and Student Leadership An Augsburg University project supported by Interfaith America\u2019s Supporting Student Leadership Grant. About the Program Disability Advocacy Scholars invites students into a relationship-centered learning community focused on disability, access, justice, pluralism, and practical advocacy. Students explore how disability is shaped by systems, environments, policies, beliefs, and community experiences. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":708,"featured_media":0,"parent":44171,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-44219","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/708"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44219"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44227,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44219\/revisions\/44227"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}