Disability Day of Mourning

Banner for Disability Day of Mourning

Date

- 7:00pm

Location

Viking Union 565 A/B/C
WIN Event Listing

Description

Disability Day of Mourning is observed annually on March 1 to commemorate disabled people who have died due to ableist violence. 

In recognition of this day, the Disability Outreach Center and Counseling and Wellness Center will be hosting a vigil and commemoration on Friday, February 27, 2026 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM in Viking Union 565 A/B/C.

This Disability Pride Flag will also be waving over campus at Flag Plaza from Friday, February 27 through Monday, March 2 in recognition of Disability Day of Mourning.

About Disability Day of Mourning

Disability Day of Mourning honors the lives of those lost to ableist violence. We will come together as a community to remember the lives of disabled people lost to filicide, state violence, institutionalization, and medical ableism. There will be speakers from the local disability community and an altar in remembrance of those lost that everyone is welcome to contribute to. 

Disability Day of Mourning is recognized on March 1st as a day for the disability community to mourn the lives of disabled people who were victims of filicide - killed by their family members or caregivers. This annual recognition was created in 2012 by Zoe Gross, the Director of Advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Honoring lives lost to ableist violence is a key part of disability community and justice. The Visually Safe Disability Pride flag emphasizes this by featuring a muted black background which represents “the anger and mourning over the eugenics and the neglect that disabled people have to fight against,” as described by Ann Magrill, the designer of the flag. Western’s Disability Day of Mourning will honor those lost to filicide, as well as those lost to state violence, institutionalization, and medical ableism.

Event Counseling Support from the Counseling and Wellness Center

Staff therapists from the Counseling and Wellness Center will be present to provide support, both in VU 565 and in VU 735 if you would like to receive support during the event. Attendees can request to meet with a staff therapist from the Counseling and Wellness Center by connecting with the staff therapists at the access desk, floating around the event, or located at a separate processing space upstairs in VU 735.

The processing space will stay open for half an hour after the event ends. We will also provide attendees with resources for crisis support and how to connect to the Counseling and Wellness Center and local resources at the event in case support after the event is needed.

Disability Community Altar

This event will have an altar to recognize the lives lost to ableist violence. This altar will create a tangible and loving representations of disability community, culture, and care, and include offerings, token and mementos, and written messages. Attendees are encouraged to contribute to the alter at the event. Attendees can take or leave items when leaving the event. 

If you would like to craft an offering for the altar, there will be a few crafting sessions throughout the week leading up to Disability Day of Mourning. These sessions will be in the Disability Outreach Center (WL 165) on Wednesday, February 25th from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM and Thursday, February 26th from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM, as well as in VU 735 on Friday, February 27th from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (right before the event).

There will also be materials available at the event to craft offerings for the altar. 

Accessibility Information

  • AA/EO. Accessibility Statement: This event is intended for all participants including those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities. For disability accommodation(s) (such as ASL interpretation or TypeWell transcription), please contact disability.outreach@wwu.edu. Advanced notice is appreciated and sometimes necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
  • Location and Directions: VU 565 A/B/C is in the Viking Union. Viking Union is an ADA accessible building. Button-activated entrances are located on the southeast side and northwest side of the building near Garden Street. Elevators provide access to all levels.
  • COVID and Contagious Illness Precautions: Masks, Air Purifier, Testing, and Illness :
    • Masks: Masks are strongly encouraged at the Disability Outreach Center. KN95 masks are available at the door and upon request. Help protect our community by wearing a mask. Masking makes in-person gatherings accessible for many, especially those in our immunocompromised and immunodeficient communities. However, we know that masking is inaccessible for some in our community.
    • Air Purifiers: The DOC has an air purifier that has four-stage hospital-type filtration with a true HEPA filter.
    • Testing: Visitors are encouraged to test for COVID prior to coming to the DOC, if possible. We will have a limited number of rapid COVID tests available upon request.
    • Illness Policy: If you are experiencing any symptoms of contagious illness such as cough, sore throat, fever, or nausea, we encourage you to please stay home and join us at another time as our community includes members who are immunocompromised or have immunodeficiencies.
  • Processing Space and Crisis Resources:
    • There will be a separate processing space available for attendees in Viking Union 735. Staff therapists from the Counseling and Wellness Center will be present to provide support, both in VU 565 and in VU 735 if you would like to receive support during the event. Attendees can request to meet with a staff therapist from the Counseling and Wellness Center by connecting with the staff therapists at the access desk, floating around the event, or located at the separate processing space upstairs in VU 735. The processing space will stay open for half an hour after the event ends.
    • We will also provide attendees with resources for crisis support and how to connect to the Counseling and Wellness Center and local resources at the event in case support after the event is needed.
  • Food and Refreshments: We will have food and refreshments available at this event. Catering will be provided by New Mexico Tamale Company. New Mexico Tamale Company's tamales are lard-, shortening-, and gluten-free. There will be meat, vegetarian, and vegan options available. While we aim to not have or provide alternative to the top 9 allergens (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame), if you have any airborne food allergies, please feel free to email us at disability.outreach@wwu.edu.
  • Seating: The chairs in this room are typically standard height chairs with no arm rests and minimal lumbar support. We will have some rolling chairs with arm rests and greater lumbar support available, if you would like to ensure one is reserved for you, please email disability.outreach@wwu.edu. Seating information is accurate to the best of our ability but subject to change.
  • Restrooms: ADA accessible and all-gender bathrooms are located on the 3rd floor (VU 351 and 353 are ADA accessible and all-gender) and the 7th floor (VU 714 and 717 are ADA accessible and all-gender and VU 715 and 716 are all-gender but not ADA accessible).
  • Low Sensory Space: There is a quiet Meditation Room on the 7th floor of the VU that you can use as a low-sensory space and/or for meditation or prayer purposes.
  • Fragrance-Free Space: Please refrain from wearing scented products such as perfume, cologne, and fragrant personal care products while using this space, as they can trigger serious health issues for those with fragrance allergies and/or chemical sensitivities. We appreciate your cooperation in making this area accessible! For more information, visit the Accessible Spaces: A Fragrance-Free Toolkit.
  • Parking and Transportation:
    • Parking is available after 4:30 PM at no cost in the C, 12G, 27R, and Lincoln Creek lots. For information about visitor parking, please visit the Transportation Services Visitors page. For information about accessible parking spots, please visit the Transportation Services Disability Access page.
    • Viking Union is accessible by several WTA bus routes:
      • Heading between downtown Western or Bill McDonald Parkway? Catch routes 105, 107, 108, 190, 196, or 197.
      • Heading between Lincoln Street or Lincoln Street Park and Ride and Western? Catch routes 190, 196, and 197.
      • Heading between 32nd Street and Western? Catch route 105.
      • Heading between the York neighborhood and Western? Catch the Blue Line at Billy Frank Jr. and Holly.
      • Heading between Happy Valley and Western? Catch route 14.
      • Getting to Western from anywhere else? Catch the bus to Bellingham Station and transfer to the Blue Line to Western or park at Lincoln Creek and catch routes 190 or 197 to Western.
    • The WTA bus stops immediately outside of Haggard Hall (right next to the DAC in Wilson Library and across the street from the PAC) is served by Routes 14, 14S, 105, 105S, 108, 190, 190S and 197 on their Northbound legs. There is also a WTA stop outside the Viking Union that services nearly all the same routes in the southbound direction (often arriving from Downtown Bellingham).
  • Campus Accessibility: Please refer to the Campus Accessibility Map for information about the nearest accessible doors, elevators, walkways, routes, and parking spots.

Image Description: The background is gray and the Disability Outreach Center and Counselling and Wellness Center logos are at the top. Below that blue text reads "Disability Day of Mourning" with a subheading that reads "Honoring the lives of those lost to ableist violence". Below the title text reads "Friday, February 27th 5 PM - 7 PM". The next line of text under that reads "VU 565 A/B/C". Under this, three framed portraits of different individuals sit on a muted black table with candles in front of them. The portrait on the left is of a person in green with short brown hair. The portrait in the middle is of a person with a cream colored shirt, a beard and short brown hair. The portrait on the right is of a wheelchair user with a black bob, an olive top and blue jeans. The candles are red, yellow, white, blue and green, the colors of the stripes of the disability pride flag. At the bottom of the flyer there is a blue rectangle with black text that reads "AA/EO. Accessibility Statement: This event is intended for all participants including those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities. For disability accommodation(s), please contact disability.outreach@wwu.edu. Advance notice is appreciated and sometimes necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs."