Common Misconceptions of Disabled Students: The Construction of Ableism in Higher Education

• In Event: Dismantling Ableism in the Academy: Challenging Exclusionary Practices and Pedagogies

Abstract

This study centres the voices of 50 disabled students in higher education institutions in North America, to unpack systemic ableism and its manifestation in misconceptions toward them. Drawing on the field of critical disabilities studies the paper discusses overt and subtle manifestations of ableism in higher education by challenging four prevalent misconceptions toward disabled students. These include disabled students as absent, deficient, burden/lazy, and tokens. The students’ counter-narratives call higher education institutions to move away from individual accommodations, toward addressing systemic barriers and creating inclusive environments that recognize and value the diversity of experiences and positioning. They suggest an inclusive epistemology of education that stretches the norm to the margins.

Author

• Lilach Marom, Simon Fraser University