Bailey Pittenger, Phd is a high school English instructor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Bailey holds a BA and MA in English from Wake Forest University, an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, and a PhD in creative writing and literary studies from the University of Denver. Bailey is a care partner for her mother, who lives with younger onset dementia. Since 2020, Baily has been involved in building a care team to accommodate 24 hour care within her mother’s home so she can stay in the community.
Bailey teaches disability studies, care work, and disability justice in her English curriculum. She is a co-founder and organizer with the grassroots organization Triad Abolition Project, which supports disability justice community education programs and advocacy, in addition to abolitionist mobilizations, education, and community building. While completing her PhD in creative writing and literary studies in Denver, she focused her research and writing on dementia caregiving, and also designed and facilitated community writing workshops for disabled community members and caregivers.
Bailey wrote that “I enjoy being on DRNC’s board because I find joy and motivation in building our broader disability justice culture changes and civil rights through being in community with incredibly passionate advocates in the field. Through serving on the board, it is an honor to uphold the DRNC values in centering the voices of change in disability rights in North Carolina. I’m especially passion about the DRNC values in advocating for disabled students in our schools to be treated fairly and justly in their classrooms and in advocating for community-based care for disabled adults and elders.”