What's (Dis)Ability Got to Do With It? Examining Ability Privilege in a Disability Studies Course

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Becoming a Disability Studies in Education (DSE) Scholar and Teacher: The Benefits of Adopting a DSE Philosophy

Abstract

This phenomenological study endeavors to answer the call for empirical research on ability privilege by exploring the question: What are the experiences that allow undergraduate students in an Introduction to Disability Studies Course to recognize and engage with ability privilege? Literature on ability privilege, ableism and disability rhetoric frames this study. Findings reveal that coursework and related partnerships provide participants with exposure to ability privilege, and participants utilize the constructs of ableism, rhetoric and accessibility in order to recognize advantages they are afforded on account of their ability status. The results of this study have direct significance in aiding the design of coursework that pushes students to engage with their ability privilege.

Authors

• Christa S. Bialka, Villanova University

• Danielle Morro, Villanova University