Institutional Interpretation of Faculty Disability: Policy Analysis of the Americans With Disability Act in Virginia

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Authoring Dis/ability: Meaning-Making, Lived Experience, and Discourse

Abstract

While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) represents landmark legislation for eliminating workplace discrimination against individuals with disabilities, its interpretation through local institutional policies can exacerbate or create new problems for these individuals. This policy case study of faculty disability examines and critiques how federal law is interpreted at two universities, creating unintended consequences. We selected relevant published policy documents, analyzing them discursively. We found that a discourse of individual responsibility and disclosure requirements created potential conflicts for employees that could position the ADA coordinator as more of a gatekeeper than an arbitrator. This study adds to the scarce research on faculty disability, explicating how particular local policies may unintentionally affect faculty opportunity and experience.

Authors

• Earle Reybold, George Mason University

• William Harry Rodick, George Mason University

• Abigail W Konopasky, George Mason University