Exploring the Lived Experiences of Racial/Ethnic-Minority College Students With Psychiatric Dis/abilities

• In Event: Race, Gender, and Class: Examining Student Agency and Assets

Abstract

The number of racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) college students with psychiatric dis/abilities continues to increase across the United States; however, little research has focused on how these students’ identities intersect to foster vulnerability and oppression. The current study utilized an interpretive phenomenological qualitative design to understand how REM college students with psychiatric dis/abilities describe and make meaning of the intersection of their racial and dis/ability identities. Findings highlighted emergent themes related to students’ lived experiences and personal meaning-making surrounding racial identity, dis/ability identity, and the impact of perceived discrimination on identity development. These findings yield important implications for practice and policy to better support positive and healthy outcomes among REM students with psychiatric dis/abilities.

Authors

• Kyesha Isadore, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Amber M O'Shea, Pennsylvania State University

• Angelica Galvan, Tennessee Technological University