Ableism in academia: where are the disabled and ill academics?

Abstract

Recent coverage in higher education newspapers and social media platforms implies that chronic conditions, illnesses and disabilities are becoming more prominent amongst academics. Changes to funding structures, increased globalisation, marketisation and bureaucratisation of higher education have resulted in a performance-driven working environment where teaching workload and pressures to publish are further intensified due to excellence exercises in teaching and research. The result is low morale and an everrising number of reported mental health issues, burnout and stress-related illnesses within academia. This article explores some of these issues in the context of higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. We draw on our research and our experiences as speakers regarding ableism in academia to provide food for thought, stimulate a debate and raise awareness of those academics experiencing chronic illness, disability or neurodiversity, whose voices are not heard.

The insider view: tackling disabling practices in higher education institutions

“…More generally, in the USA and UK at least, the marketisation of higher education (Cribb and Gewirtz 2013; Martin 2016) creates a targetdriven culture where departments rely on their ability to recruit students, to gain high scores on 'student satisfaction', and simultaneously to produce academic papers which are graded by panels of 'experts' in order to reward those institutions where research excellence is demonstrable. In that culture of commodification, it is maybe unsurprising that the experiences of disabled staff within universities have generally been shown by research to be problematic (Brewster et al 2017;Brown and Leigh 2018;Corlett and Williams 2011;Inckle 2018;Waterfield et al 2018;Williams 2011). Despite some positive 'coping strategies' reported, a dominant theme is the normative 'ableism' which is embedded unconsciously in the academy, from recruitment practices (Chan 2005) to physical access (Titchkosky 2008), and the pressure placed on disabled academics (Raymaker 2017).…”

“…Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (2018) suggest that approximately 4.1% of academic staff and 5.8% of non-academic staff in universities self-identified, or declared, as disabled in the academic year 2016/17. As Brown and Leigh (2018) point out, this represents a 'stark under-representation of disabilities, chronic conditions, invisible illnesses and neurodiversity amongst academic staff' (p. 985), given that approximately 15-16% of the overall UK adult population are estimated to have a disability. Yet higher education policy in the UK has strongly emphasised both the 'widening participation' agenda for students, as well as increasing diversity amongst staff.…”

Disability cultural centers: How colleges can move beyond access to inclusion

“…Many students, particularly those with invisible disabilities, do not disclose their disability status. Brown and Leigh (2018) describe ableism in academia as endemic, in particular for staff, in that productivity is emphasized to the degree that overwork is expected. In such a setting, students may feel pressured to hide their disability due to internalized negative beliefs about their disability.…”

Searching for the Voice of People with Disabilities in Peace and Conflict Research and Practice

“…Given the nature of conflict and displacement and the impact of ableism, it is unsurprising that most, if not all, of the reviewed academic and anecdotal evidence has focused on the challenges and barriers experienced by people with disabilities within these contexts. However, research also shows that globally, even during times of "peace," the disability community continues to experience oppressive ableist ideologies and disablism 57 and is still amongst the most marginalized. 58 I write the word "peace" in inverted commas for the reason that the question remains: Can "peace" that excludes anyone be considered to be peace at all?…”