ADCET Webinar: Disability Justice in Higher Education

In this webinar Emily Gaspar, Ph.D., a visiting Fulbright Scholar at Deakin University, whose home institution is Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina shared her research focused on the lived experiences of 8 disabled white women disability services directors working in disability services in higher education from across the U.S.

This webinar provided an overview of disability services in the U.S. context and then focused in on the research about lived experience of practitioners who are disabled who work in disability services. Eight disabled white women disability services directors shared their experiences working in disability services in higher education at universities across the U.S. The ten principles of disability justice provided the framework for this interpretative phenomenological analysis and individual interviews were used to understand the lived experiences of the participants. Participants were found to experience ableism and oppression, along with a broad and nuanced spectrum of interpersonal and identity related experiences. Implications for student affairs practitioners and researchers were identified.  

Six Themes

1. Disabled, women-identified disability services directors regularly experience the burden of systemic and individual oppression and ableism on campus.
2. Both the special and troubling relationships disabled, women-identified disability services directors have on campus are illustrative of the broader campus community.
3. Mixed messages disabled, women-identified disability services directors receive concerning the value of disability identity on campus.
4. Coping strategies and disability management necessary for disabled, women-identified disability services directors to navigate campus.
5. The on-campus experiences of disabled, women-identified disability services directors require acts of resistance regarding normative productivity coupled with conflicting preferences to maintain productivity.
6. Identities that intersect with disability create nuance and add depth of understanding to the lived experiences of disabled, women-identified disability services directors.

Recommendations

• Normalise disability as an identity, not a diagnosis to be cured. 
• Include disability and access in institutional strategic plans and missions. 
• Expect full access and inclusion from all campus members, not compliance.
• Proactively identify inaccessible built spaces, policies, and practices and make modifications instead of relying on the retroactive use of an accommodation. 
• Identify and promote disabled leaders. 
• Incorporate the ten principles of disability justice into practice and research.

Presenter

Emily Gaspar, Ph.D., serves as interim assistant vice president for University Belonging and Student Affairs at Coastal Carolina University. Her professional experience includes roles at the University of North Carolina, University of Arizona, and Colorado State University. She earned her a Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University, Master of Science from CSU, and a doctorate in education sciences with a specialisation in higher education administration from CCU. Deakin University is hosting Gaspar during her Fulbright research while she explores the employment experiences of disability services practitioners, who identify as disabled, and work at institutions of higher education in Australia.

(March 2025)

ADCET is hosted by the University of Tasmania