Dismantling False Conflicts: Merit, Disability, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work in Higher Education

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eighteen
  In Roundtable Session: Building Justice-Oriented Communities in Education (Table 15)

Abstract

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives emerged in the last 10-15 years to counter disparate outcomes for minoritized groups in higher education; yet critical perceptions of ability and disability are often missing from these efforts. As higher education scholars and practitioners work to increase educational opportunities for minoritized groups, there is little inquiry into how disability is situated within this work. The entanglement of ability and white supremacy have long been defining forces in higher education. This critical qualitative research study examines the functions of ableism in maintaining inequality in higher education.

Author

• Lauren Shallish, Rutgers University - Newark
  Presenting Author