Understanding and Researching Disability in Higher Education: Emerging Perspectives ACPA 2015 • Ellen Broido, Bowling Green State University • Kirsten Brown, The University of Wisconsin Madison • Edlyn Peña, California Lutheran University • Susan Rankin, Penn State (retired) • Lissa Stapleton, The University of Southern Mississippi • Katherine Stygles, Bowling Green State University
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Understanding and Researching Disability in Higher Education: Emerging Perspectives ACPA 2015 Ellen Broido, Bowling Green State University Kirsten Brown,
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Understanding and Researching Disability in Higher Education: Emerging Perspectives
ACPA 2015
• Ellen Broido, Bowling Green State University• Kirsten Brown, The University of Wisconsin Madison• Edlyn Peña, California Lutheran University• Susan Rankin, Penn State (retired)• Lissa Stapleton, The University of Southern Mississippi• Katherine Stygles, Bowling Green State University
In this program we will:
Explore challengesConsider implicationsInterrogate assumptionsExamine positionalityDiscuss techniques for inclusive assessment and research
Checking in
Please tell us who you are? Include information about your institution and position.
What do you hope to learn in today’s session?
Why Research Disability?
11% of college students have a disability. This number is growing.
Although the data about faculty and staff with disabilities is not systematically collected, it is also believed to be rising.
There is not enough information about the experiences of disabled people in higher education.
Kinds of DisabilitiesThe next three slides present demographic data from Raue and Lewis 2011 regarding kinds of disabilities.
The purpose of these slides is to illustrate how formatting with small print can be difficult to read and how collapsing disability categories changes data interpretation.
Kinds of Disabilities• Learning disabilities = 31% of students with disabilities
• ADD and ADHD = 18% of students with disabilities
• Mental illness, psychological or psychiatric = 15% of students with disabilities
• Heath and chronic conditions= 11% of students with disabilities
• Mobility or orthopedic = 7% of students with disabilities
• Hearing = 4% of students with disabilities
• Seeing =3% of students with disabilities
• Cognitive or intellectual = 3% of students with disabilities
• Brain injury = 2% of students with disabilities
• Autism = 2% of students with disabilities
• Speaking = 1% of students with disabilities
Kinds of Disabilities
In this slide, we demonstrate how taking the above categories and trying to narrow them down by collapsing into “other” creates problems.
If we define “other” as any disability less than 5% combined into one lump. Here we have: hearing, seeing cognitive or intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, and speaking.
The “other” category is 15% of the student population and researchers lose detail.
Kinds of Disabilities
Another approach that researchers use is to drop categories that do not have a “enough” students.
In this slide we drop all types of disability that do not have more than 5%. This results in a concept of students with disabilities where hearing, seeing, autism, speaking, etc are absent.
Purpose
The purpose of this presentation is to1) Identify methodological considerations for doing disability research
2) Describe challenges, suggest strategies, and propose solutions
We Are…
A mix of disabled and temporarily-able bodied women scholars.
We have studied campus climate, activism, and identity regarding disability within higher education.
Discussion Question
How would you develop a survey or interview protocol that was inclusive of people with disabilities?
Methodological Issues in Disability Studies Research
Empirical research is scarce
Disability studies is typically theoretical
Methodological issues are not given much attention
This has negative consequences
Divergent Theoretical Paradigms
There are 4 Theoretical Paradigms 1) Medical Model2) Minority Model3) Social Constructionist4) Social Justice
Four Methodological Concerns
These concerns are:
1) Researcher’s positionality,
2) Language and labeling,
3) Accessing participants,
4) Working with human subjects review boards
Researcher’s Positionality
Five components of positionality
1) Biases, values, and experiences
2) Own and participants’ social identities
3) Power or privilege
4) Lived experience
5) Intersectionality
Language and Labeling
Four options:1) People first language. For example Student with
Disability
2) Identity first. For example autistic person.
3) Participants’ preferred language. For example, Kirsten is dyslexic.
4) For collective references, disabled/people/with disabilities
Accessing Participants
Cultivating trust is imperative.
Gatekeepers can assist and include disability coordinators or disability organizations.
It is imperative to build rapport.
Human Subjects Review Boards
Vulnerable populationsScope and focusReputational recruiting
Research Design Considerations: Qualitative
Data CollectionEither Synchronous or Asynchronous
Trustworthiness
Research Design Considerations: Quantitative
Operational Definitions
Survey AccessibilityBoth Design and Assistive Technology
Data Cleaning
Recommendations:
Universal Research DesignRespects participantsInvolves participantsIs fully accessibleConsiders privilege and oppressionHas meaningful practical outcomes
Explore identity intersections and influence of researcher positionality
Small Group Work
At this time we are going to spend 15 minutes working in small groups.
We will divide into two groups.
Practitioners are in group 1 and researchers or graduate students are in group 2.
Small Group Questions
How could you use these concepts to shape your assessment or research efforts?
What challenges are you facing/do you anticipate facing as you conduct your research/assessment?
Which model presented is useful in your work with people with disabilities? What are the strengths and limitations?
What questions remain for you?
Report Back
Summarize your study
Common themes across studies
Areas for improvement
Questions
Access our PowerPoint, articles, and resources at: