Perspective of inclusion in the academy navigating the environment: autoethnographic reflections of a disabled graduate student

Abstract

This study contributes to a growing depth of literature utilizing self-reflection and disability in higher education. It discusses the dynamics of concepts including academic ableism, racism, socio-cultural barriers, and environmental factors impacting the experiences of disabled students. The main objective of the study examines the level of social inclusion in the environment of the University of Manitoba. The methodological process uses analytic auto-ethnography for exploring the experience of a disabled graduate student in the academy. Findings of the study highlight several barriers which are obstructing the development of an inclusive environment for disabled students. These include the apparent lack of thoughtful physical planning for the inclusion of disabled students, presence of discriminatory socio-cultural assumptions, and over reliance on an accessibility team lacking in representation for inclusive procedures. Because centers like universities are made up of people and part of the larger society, the study proposes the model of inclusive consciousness for everyone as a way of promoting inclusion at all levels. Consequently, the study recommends that the way forward for the inclusion of disabled students is to create a framework that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion for disabled people, promotes the participation of disabled people in all aspect of the academy, ensures inclusion of disabled people in all forms of communication and makes accessibility issues a matter of general interest in the academy among others.