Assembly: Teresa Blankmeyer Burke
By: Lily Hagge, Sheala Iacobucci, and Selim Kim
Last Friday, assembly speaker Teresa Blankmeyer Burke took to her Zoom screen and spoke about her work with bioethics and deaf philosophy. Blankmeyer Burke began the assembly with an introduction in American Sign Language (ASL), spelling out her name with letters as well as with her name sign, a personalized sign that deaf community members use to address themselves. By sharing her identity and encouraging questions from Exonians, Blankmeyer Burke reminded our community of the importance of representation and inclusivity.
Blankmeyer Burke is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Gallaudet University, the world's only bilingual university where students learn in both ASL and English. There, she teaches classes that focus on deaf and disability studies along with bioethics. She also works to present academic papers at conferences and provide her expertise at governmental hearings. In 2019, Blankmeyer Burke was invited to speak at the UN to share her knowledge and perspective on the topic of genetic alteration. The year before that, Burke traveled to the National Council on Disability in the US as well as the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in the UK.
As the first deaf person in the world to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy, Blankmeyer Burke’s work discusses a range of topics, from intersectional feminism to the ethics of gene editing. Her goal is to reframe conversations about disability, such as what constitutes disability and how we treat people with disabilities. “Asking ethical questions about deaf and disabled people's experiences can reframe assumptions about what counts as a morally justifiable decision,” Blankmeyer Burke said.
With her work on bioethics and deaf philosophy, Blankmeyer Burke aims to encourage a much-needed discussion on the topic of disability. “My hope is that my work starts a conversation on assumptions about disability, and the importance of examining these assumptions,” she said. “There is an expression, ‘nothing about us, without us’ that is a rallying cry within the disability rights movement – I see my work in bioethics and genetics as being a part of this disability inclusion.”
The assembly incorporated ideas of presence, perspective and passion. Blankmeyer Burke explained why disability needs to exist in conversation, especially when talking about accessibility. She then discussed what it meant to have different perspectives of disability, especially when asking difficult questions in the bioethics field. Finally, she spoke of passion, describing her experience of establishing an inclusive lexicon and raising the question of what exactly deaf philosophy means. Her drive was evident at every moment. “A sense of curiosity and a sense of justice motivate me as a human being,” Blankmeyer Burke said. “I love learning, and I'm always curious about people's stories and how their experiences shape the way they create meaning in the world.”
By the end of her speech, Blankmeyer Burke’s goal of awareness and inclusion was achieved, according to students who listened in on Friday.
“I never realized how unaccommodating our world was,” prep Solei Antonia said. “Professor Blankmeyer Burke's presentation really lifted a blanket from over my eyes, as I didn’t realize how many things I didn’t have to worry about that others do.”
Prep Clara Peng agreed. “I'd say my favorite part is when [Blankmeyer Burke] was saying there's no reason to hold back your questions. There are a lot of stigmas around asking questions around disabilities, but in order to break those stigmas, we need to talk about it,” Peng said. “It's really eye-opening.”
The assembly also helped students see the lack of support at the Academy for people with disabilities. “I believe at Exeter there's a lot of internalized ableism,” senior and Exonians with Disabilities and Differences co-head Emmett Lockwood said. “We don't have people who are out and proud about their disabilities because, to be fair, Exeter was a school not designed with disabled people in mind. Many of our buildings aren't up to ADA compliance.”
Lockwood added that Blankmeyer Burke’s assembly speech highlighted the intersectionality of feminism and disability. “It's recently come to light that many of our testing criteria for disability, such as autism or ADHD are based on young boys,” Lockwood said. “The female population is also not what we think when we see a portrayal of disability. It's often...a cisgender heterosexual white man... as someone who is trans and grew up not seeing myself in disabled media...it was impactful.”
Blankmeyer Burke’s assembly introduced a different perspective to the concept of disability that many Exonians do not often consider. Yet, students hope that this is only the beginning of opening a conversation about disability.
Lockwood noted, “We've had a deaf speaker come in…[and] we've talked about these ethical issues... But Exeter, we can't stop talking about it after this talk. How would a deaf student participate in Harkness? How is Exeter structurally not built for disabled students? That's a conversation we need to keep having.”