When I joined grad school I was so excited by the prospect of the Mellon Foundation's Public Fellows program. This year a new program, the ACLS Leading Edge emerged. I just read through every fellowship listing. Out of over 40 apps, only two mention disabled individuals. 1/4
Even though multiple fellowships are focused on improving access, equity, inclusion, and diverse representation. reaching disabled people still isn't explicitly stated as a goal. Where is the funding for disability rights nonprofits? Where is the money for disability justice? 2/4
I'm so tired of being the one in the room asking "but what about actual accessibility?" Access doesn't just mean something is affordable. I am so tired of asserting that disability is diversity. That it's language needs to be normalized. 3/4
That it matters to list it on job apps. That it matters to target disability rights issues in project planning. That it matters in funding choices. That it matters in higher ed. That it matters in American civic life. 4/4 #AcademicChatter #DisabilityTwitter

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More from @DisabledAcadem

20 Mar
Normalize acknowledging that everyone, regardless of disability status, has care needs. Normalize talking about them, enforcing them, and demanding them. It's ok to need things. It's not ok to act like those needs are a drain on relationships. 1/5
I need those around me to wear fragrance free products. I like going for coffee, but that's my only safe food to have out. I can't spend much time out in direct sunlight. And I need spaces for rest at museums/art collections/etc. 2/5
These aren't really big asks. But very few non-disabled people are comfortable providing these. We need to talk about why. Planning outings or meeting up with disabled people doesn't need to be stressful or complicated. We know our needs. 3/5
Read 5 tweets
20 Feb
What is the reality of living on a PhD stipend for disabled/chronically ill students?

A long thread 1/18
Living on a stipend looked like turning down care, leaving meds at the pharmacy counter, prioitizing some health needs above others. It looks like losing countless hours to phone calls with hospital financing and insurance companies. It looks like refusing to go to the ER 2/18
I wonder all the time if it was worth it to lose doctors, care networks, and treatment options all to go to a top ranking program. In terms of income? No. In terms of benefits? No. In terms of future career options? No. 3/18
Read 18 tweets
17 Feb
To everyone in #highered acknowledging that the pandemic has put undue stress on students and our expectations need to change - that is how disabled students feel fighting systemic ableism on campus every single term. 1/5
The precarity of being disabled in the academy is especially high for those undiagnosed or seeking a dx as they cannot access formal accommodations without a doctor's recommendation. And yet we often expect them to perform perfectly with no support. 2/5
Universal Design for Learning matters. It can help remove SOME barriers to access for students struggling to secure medical care, accommodations, and belonging on campus. We cannot expect students to perform well while coping with trauma. 3/5
Read 5 tweets
17 Jan
During graduate school I worked a second job as an RA, compensated at $20 an hour with flexible hours. Without that pay I would not have been able to
1. Buy safe allergen free groceries
2. Pay for a car, which I needed for accessible transportation
3. Afford medical care 1/4
I also worked as a research assistant in undergrad, and I made more than $10 an hour back then. When you purposefully pay students low wages you bar first gen students from the field. And you most definitely bar disabled students from the field. 2/4
If you want us there to support diversity measures, pay us wages we can survive on. Disabled students graduate with far more student debt on avg bc they take longer to degree (bc they've been refused accommodations). Why would you brag about making it more inaccessible? 3/4
Read 4 tweets
13 Jan
I hope all profs realize that your chronically ill students are not doing well right now. My hospital is so focused on vaccination and COVID that important tests (one to measure if I'm digesting food, the other to see if I'm getting proper blood flow to my brain) 1/4
Have been scheduled for July. So I'm finishing my dissertation while pretty sick without some vital organs working. And my meds for these issues have been on prior authorization for over a month bc the pharmacy is also trying to figure out vaccination and bc insurance sucks. 2/4
Your chronically ill students aren't getting their normal care. And some may not be able to afford their normal care routines right now bc of the pandemic. The healthcare crisis extends far beyond COVID-19 itself. 3/4
Read 4 tweets
10 Jan
I'm tired of hearing "well people are uncomfortable with disability bc they're not exposed to disabled ppl." If disability matters then invest in us. Make it a point to hire us. Make it a point to give us platforms. 1/7
There are so many of us wedged out of the academy from undergrad to grad school and beyond. So many of us who are highly qualified to teach in disability studies related fields. So many of us that WOULD expose students to disabled scholars/mentors/advocates. 2/7
Fight to add Disability Studies departments, minors, and majors at your university. It infuriates me that roughly 20 percent of undergrads are disabled and they don't get to learn about their culture, history, or people. If I had taken #DisHist and #DisabilityStudies courses 3/7
Read 7 tweets

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