National Endowment for the Humanities Supports New Hastings Center Project on Disability, Technology, and Flourishing

People with disabilities are experts at navigating a world that is not built for them – often by turning to technologies such as voice recognition devices and cochlear implants. But which technologies, and under what circumstances, truly enhance a person’s ability to live the most meaningful, flourishing life? And which technologies, and in what cases, have the opposite effect? A new Hastings Center project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, will explore how technologies can be used to promote or thwart flourishing through conversations with people with disabilities.

The Art of Flourishing: Conversations on Disability and Technology will convene a series of six public events in New York City during 2019 to 2021, featuring a range of scholars, artists, writers, and thought leaders with disabilities to engage in conversation about how they use and why they refuse technology in their work and lives. Each conversation will focus on an art form, such as a dance or documentary, that explores how technology promotes or thwarts their flourishing and feeling at home in the world.