Intersectional Experiences Among Korean American Students With Autism Enrolling in College

• In Event: Important Issues in the Education of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Higher education can facilitate social mobility, and yet opportunities are limited for students with autism and especially those from nondominant communities. This study examines strategies that families utilize and the challenges they face during the transition to adulthood by delineating the post-secondary enrollment process for Korean-American students with autism, a growing but under-examined population. Intersectionality theory provides a framework to elaborate the transition process at the intersection of autism, race, and language. A multiple case study was used to describe both the individually situated cases and the common circumstances. Results show that the students’ experiences were shaped by the intersection of ableism, racism, and linguicism. This examination of their experiences has meaningful implications for educating broader populations of diverse learners.

Authors

• Hyejung Kim, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Andrea Ruppar, University of Wisconsin

• Diana Baker, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

• Sunyoung Kim, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Betty Yu, San Francisco State University