Disability In Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach

This comprehensive, theory-to-practice book examines the topic of disability in higher education through a social justice lens. This approach is intended to eliminate “ableism”--the pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people with disabilities on individual, institutional, and societal/cultural levels--and to redefine and expand what is considered normal so that all types of physical, mental, and sensory differences are accepted and appreciated.

Written for both student affairs and academic affairs professionals, Disability in Higher Educationaddresses the experiences of faculty and staff as well as students. It focuses on the whole student experience, not just access and accommodation, academics, and/or disability services. Specifically, it offers strategies for various settings, including in the classroom, residence life, admissions and orientation, student organizations, career development, and counseling.

Books on students with disabilities tend to focus on concerns regarding access and accommodation to the exclusion of other topics. Existing books tend to explore disability from singular perspectives (legal issues, theoretical constructs, single populations) and often reinforce a perspective of people with disabilities as helpless, needy, and not capable of making decisions about their own lives. This book is unique in that it addresses disabilities through a lens of social justice, i.e. the idea creating an egalitarian society or institution based on equality, inclusiveness, and human rights, that recognizes the dignity of every human being. Rather than viewing people with disabilities as objects of pity and as inherently limited, the authors present an argument that higher education environments have been constructed to designate some forms of assistance as "normal" (for example, assistance with choosing one's major, getting to the fifth floor by using an elevator, or at arranging a study abroad experience) while other forms (for example, assistance with accessing printed material or gaining entrance to a service-learning site) are designated "special" and are stigmatized.

NANCY J. EVANS is a professor in the School of Education and former coordinator of the master's program in student affairs at Iowa State University. She is the coauthor of Student Development in College, Second Edition and Foundations of Student Affairs Practice, both from Jossey-Bass.

ELLEN M. BROIDO is an associate professor of higher education and student affairs at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

KIRSTEN R. BROWN is a student affairs professional at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a part-time faculty member at Madison College.

AUTUMN K. WILKE is assistant dean of disability resources at Grinnell College, in Iowa.