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Disabled Academic Collective

30 Mar, 9 tweets, 2 min read

My grad school is collecting data on grad student feelings towards the program. I have lots of feelings. But today I want to focus on mental health assessments in higher ed and disability. 1/9

The survey asked if grad students knew how to access services on campus, and if we knew where to go for counseling/where to apply. I want to refute the notion that knowledge is the issue. 2/9

I'm not receiving adequate mental health support because the clinic is severely overburdened. I'm not receiving support because I asked if any therapists on campus dealt with chronic illness and it's interwoven relationship with depression and anxiety and was told no. 3/9

There are real physical symptoms inherent to my disability that contribute to my anxiety and depression. My autonomic nervous system doesn't function, so my fight or flight instincts are perpetually messed up. And my depression worsens with chronic pain. 4/9

I need a therapist who acknowledges that these issues are not necessarily fixable through therapy. That therapy can offer sustainable long term tools and a space to vent, but accept that I will not magically get better. 5/9

At my uni you're allowed 5 sessions. 5 sessions and then you're told to find someone locally. That's not sustainable care. The issue is not that I don't know how to request services. The issue is that the services are inadequate. 6/9

The services apply cookie cutter approaches that don't fit my ongoing health issues. The services in the community are too expensive to afford. The services offer brief care before cutting students off. The services offer counselors who don't deal with disability. 7/9

You can't slap a bandaid on a leaking pipe to fix it. The whole system is flawed. And for those of us with multiple compounded disabilities, navigating the system is even more complex. The issue isn't information, it's the whole structure of mental health in higher ed. 8/9

Temporary counseling isn't enough. Wellness checks aren't enough. Self-care seminars aren't enough. We need real, sustained, long term care. And we needed it a long time ago. 9/9 #AcademicChatter #DisabilityTwitter

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More from @DisabledAcadem

Disabled Academic Collective

@DisabledAcadem

28 Mar

As terrible as VAPs, postdocs, and other contingent labor positions are in academia, disabled academics often have to take these positions to secure health care. On the other hand, disabled academics may also have to turn down positions bc they DON'T promise healthcare. 1/4

One or two years of healthcare is survival for us. And an academic job, with flexible work hours, is an incredible privilege, especially for those of us who need time for Drs appointments/physical therapy/infusions/etc. 2/4

Sometimes it feels like we don't have much of a choice. Higher education increases our likelihood of getting hired, and navigating accommodations in academia gets easier and easier over time. It is incredibly stressful to think of switching careers. 3/4

Read 4 tweets

Disabled Academic Collective

@DisabledAcadem

28 Mar

I really wish grad programs began asking "does this serve our students?" Does this assignment teach necessary skills for a broad job market? Do students have time to develop skills during coursework? Or is the program asking students to learn these outside of class hours? 1/6

What is the program directly preparing students for? What connections does the department maintain with the federal sector and other business sectors? Are students being introduced to worlds outside of academia? 2/6

To ask the hard question - why should a student go to grad school in a certain program? What is the incentive? When the job market looks like this and real career training is non-existent? 3/6

Read 6 tweets

Disabled Academic Collective

@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

Disabled Academic Collective

@DisabledAcadem

18 Mar

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

Read 4 tweets

Disabled Academic Collective

@DisabledAcadem

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

Disabled Academic Collective

@DisabledAcadem

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

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