I (mistakenly) thought that I could make myself valuable enough to society by tacking on degree after degree, but the disappointing thing is that my accomplishments won't ever negate or dispel the overwhelming force of ableism and eugenics. 1/3
No matter what I achieve, I will always have to fear a medical system that devalues my life. I will always have to fear an insurance program that finds my care too costly. I will always face a work environment that finds accommodating me to be bothersome. 2/3
It doesn't matter at all that I teach hundreds of students each term. My publications don't matter, nor my advocacy, nor my service, when it comes to the mathematics of eugenics. Under a capitalist framework, no matter what I produce, it will not be enough. 3/3 #AcademicChatter
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Academic ableism is so wildly pervasive it is built into everything in the academy. And yet, once again, I've been asked to a meeting to describe its direct impacts and offer solutions. Ones that I know admin will not take. 1/5
Please stop asking disabled students/staff/faculty what is ableist. Everything is ableist. You could look at any uni policy and it would be correct to assume it's ableist. I shouldn't need to point them all out. That means you're not really looking. 2/5
I'm tired of meeting admin at the negotiation table with recommendations, notes, presentations, and data. Just to be told that this is just a discussion so they can understand better. 3/5
I gave a talk at my alma mater this weekend. And it was wonderful. No one at the conference asked why I needed to eat different foods. They offered seated and standing presentation modes. Whenever I was seated everyone who wanted to speak to me shifted to the same level. 1/4
When we went to a restaurant and I declined from eating there, no one asked why. And when I casually mentioned that I'm allergic to corn to a colleague, they asked what my favorite meals to cook are and how I like to spice my foods. 2/4
None of my former professors asked if I'm better. Even though symptomatically I can argue I am. No one asked how brain surgery went or if I'm healthy. They focused on me - as a historian - and my work. And it was so easy to be there. 3/4
Hi everyone - we have a request to reach out and ask the community "what accommodations have other individuals secured and used for ADHD and depression at the PhD level?" The individual is in evolutionary biology and they're wondering if they're missing out on useful supports
As always - feel free to reply directly to the post or message us and we'll keep the content anonymous! Safety first
One PhD student in English reported anonymously that they were given extra time on comps and extended deadlines for coursework/milestones.
Performative allyship is not activism. Just a reminder for everyone "celebrating" Disability Awareness Month without looking over their campus policies regarding faculty hiring, student recruitment, and retention of faculty, staff, or students. 1/5
If you're "celebrating" our existence in #HigherEd, you should also be listening to all of the stories where we've recounted barriers, discrimination, neglect, and abuse by academic systems. See #WhyDisabledPeopleDropout 2/5
And you should be doing the real work of implementing policy changes and investing money in disability culture. If you're an educator or admin - read about academic ableism. 3/5
For everyone teaching this term: do you recommend students to go to the Accommodations Office at your uni? If you do, are you aware of what that process looks like? Hint - the process is not good. It is not empowering. It is costly, time consuming, and demoralizing. 1/10
Have you looked up the paperwork your students are expected to fill out? Does that paperwork center them and their needs, or does it center doctors? Does it ask students what accommodations they'd like to see? 2/10
Or does it ask doctors to recommend a set of accommodations based on diagnoses? Does the paperwork give students room to voice their own needs, needs that a doctor may not anticipate or understand? 3/10
FYI it's actually a lot of work to explain when things are inaccessible for me, why that is, and what can be done. It's labor that takes away my time, enthusiasm, and patience. 1/7
And so when I point out inaccessibility, I expect the solution to be one of shared labor. I've already gone above and beyond, esp when intervening in things that should have been caught by basic accessible event planning. 2/7
It's work that forces me to disclose particularities of my disability to people I don't know, don't trust, and now have a marred relationship with. People assume that I have a mobility issue alone because I use a mobility aid. 3/7