A practical response to ableism in leadership in UK higher education

Abstract

List of figures and tables viii List of contributors ix Preface xiv Nicole Brown and Jennifer Leigh Introduction: Theorising ableism in academia 1 Nicole Brown 1. The significance of crashing past gatekeepers of knowledge: Towards full participation of disabled scholars in ableist academic structures 11 Claudia Gillberg 2. I am not disabled: Difference, ethics, critique and refusal of neoliberal academic selves 31 Francesca Peruzzo 3. Disclosure in academia: A sensitive issue 51 Nicole Brown 4. Fibromyalgia and me 74 Divya Jindal-Snape 5. A practical response to ableism in leadership in UK higher education 76 Nicola Martin 6. Autoimmune actions in the ableist academy 103 Alice Andrews CoNtENts vii 7. 'But you don't look disabled': Non-visible disabilities, disclosure and being an 'insider' in disability research and 'other' in the disability movement and academia Elisabeth Griffiths 8. Invisible disability, unacknowledged diversity

Disabled in academia: to be or not to be, that is the question

“…Assessors of grants or academic promotion cannot be expected to be experts in how every particular disability would affect performance. In addition, recent research [9] has reported that disabled academics can offer straightforward solutions to ableism, including changes to spaces; the use of assistive technologies for more inclusive teaching and learning designs; and modifying policies related to administrative workflows, recruitment, and promotion. Perhaps the recalibration that many universities have made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic can begin the process of deconstructing ableism and creating more flexible and sensitive practices [6].…”