Virginia Tech philosophy Professor Ashley Shew will present “We Can Rebuild You: Disabled Bodies and Technological Imagination” in Philips Hall in the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.

Disabled people are often test cases for new technologies that could become widely used by non-disabled people. For instance, exoskeletons developed to help those with paralysis walk again also help workers and soldiers lift and carry heavy equipment over greater distances. News reports suggest that bionic technologies, including wearables and implantables, are set to radically alter life in the very near future. However, some individuals with disabilities also challenge popular narratives about technology and disrupt common ideas about how to treat disability.

Shew, a recent amputee, will contrast this pop discussion against the reality of actual, lived experiences.