A major conference examining disability entitled ‘Genetics and Difference: Politics and Poetics of the Representation of Disability’, is being held at Coventry University on Wednesday, 3 March.

Organised by Dr Bob Bennett and Peter Playdon of the University’s Communication, Culture and Media Subject Group, the conference is being supported by Coventry Business School. In addition the local branches of Barclaycall and Axa Assurance are providing bursaries for local disabled delegates on request.

It will examine the themes of genetics, eugenics and difference with a contribution from Tom Shakespeare, of the University of Leeds, co-author of The Sexual Politics of Disability, and a major figure in the field of disability research.

"With disability advocates contributing to government policy, talk of genetic testing in the workplace and public outrage over the comments of Glen Hoddle, issues relating to disability have never had a higher public profile", comments conference organiser Dr Bob Bennett. "There has rarely been a more appropriate time to bring people together to discuss how disability is represented in the media and beyond."

The conference will break with the traditional idea of a purely academic event, and will include video screenings, photography and mural-making sessions which will all examine issues of the representation of disability.

Coventry University’s Disability Officer Helen Bogusz said: