Discussion with Ashley Shew, author of Against Technoableism

4 March 2024

The book Against Technoableism explores what we think about disability and technology, and how we can change the discourse surrounding technology. Please join us for a discussion with author Ashley Shew, Associate Professor of science, technology, and society at Virginia Tech, and specializes in disability studies and technology ethics.

In a warm, feisty voice and vibrant prose, Ashley Shew shows how we can create better narratives and more accessible futures by drawing from the insights of the cross-disability community. To forge a more equitable world, Shew argues that we must eliminate “technoableism”—the harmful belief that technology is a “solution” for disability; that the disabled simply await being “fixed” by technological wizardry; that making society more accessible and equitable is somehow a lesser priority. This badly needed introduction to disability expertise considers mobility devices, medical infrastructure, neurodivergence, and the crucial relationship between disability and race.