Disabled Faculty: Disclosure, Identity, Access

1. Disabled Faculty: Disclosure, Identity, Access A Report on a Study in Progress Margaret Price Spelman College

2. What does it mean to have a mind that is different, impaired, atypical, unusually sensitive, or distressed when working within an institution devoted to the life of the mind?

3. Mad at School approached that question mainly from a theoretical standpoint, and focused on mental disability. • The current study, Disabled Faculty: Disclosure, Identity, Access … • Uses both quantitative and qualitative methods (anonymous survey followed by in-depth interviews). • Is focused on the experiences of faculty. • Samples faculty with disabilities of any/all kinds, not just mental disability.

4. Available research on disabled faculty • National Science Foundation data (tracks only persons with doctorates in sciences and engineering). • Mary Lee Vance (ed.), Disabled Faculty and Staff in a Disabling Society: Multiple Identities in Higher Education. AHEAD, 2007. • Kimberly Myers (ed.), Illness in the Academy: A Collection of Pathographies by Academics. Purdue UP, 2007. • Selected articles: for example, Suzanne Abrams’s “The ADA in Higher Education: The Plight of Disabled Faculty” (2003). • In-house studies such as the one published by North Dakota State University’s FORWARD initiative (2011).

5. “Once a faculty member has raised a disability issue, the essential functions of the position have been identified, and the nature and extent of the disabling condition have been established, the process of discussing and structuring accommodations begins.” — “Accommodating Faculty Members Who Have Disabilities,” AAUP report released January 2012, p. 6

6. A two-phase study: survey + interviews Participants: Disabled faculty. The survey focuses on participants with mental disabilities; interviews focus on disabled participants more generally. Researchers: Margaret Price (Spelman College, composition/rhetoric); Stephanie Kerschbaum (University of Delaware, composition/rhetoric); Mark Salzer (Temple University, psychology). Themes of inquiry (so far): The rhetorical situation of disclosure; naming and identification; barriers and supports; the meaning and practice of “accessible methodology.” Number of participants (so far): 211 surveys completed, with 36 follow-up emails (about 17 percent) expressing interest in the interview phase.

7. Faculty members … • may not know where to go to request accommodations. • may be reluctant to request accommodations due to stigma or fear of stigma. • may be reluctant to request accommodations because the very existence of some disabilities—such as autism, fatigue, or depression—might be construed as an announcement that the faculty member cannot fulfill “essential functions” of the job. • may need to operate on crip time.

8. In response to the question, “At your institution, who/what is responsible for managing faculty accommodation requests related to disability?” 61 percent of respondents selected “Unsure.” “We do not currently have a clear chain of communication around requests for accommodation by faculty, which creates a situation in which the individual has to negotiate with the department chair and an HR rep, using the services of the Disabilities Services office. This does not work.” —Survey participant

9. “Procedures for managing faculty accommodation requests, while used less frequently [than those for students], are equally important. Sample procedures for handling faculty disability issues appear in Appendix A. … If a faculty member believes that a disabling condition impedes his or her discharge of professional responsibilities, it is incumbent on the individual to bring the matter to the attention of appropriate institutional authorities.” — “Accommodating Faculty Members Who Have Disabilities,” AAUP report released January 2012, p. 3

10. In our survey, 83 percent of participants reported that they have not requested accommodations at their college or university. This group was then asked, “Why not?” • 51%—Do not need them • 34%—Possibility that the information might be revealed to others without my consent • 31%—Was not aware such modifications were available • 25%—Possibility that people might avoid me, not talk to me, or treat me badly (Respondents could choose more than one response option for this question.)

11. Contact information for the Faculty Disclosure Project Margaret Price price.spelman@gmail.com (404) 849-8593 (v) Stephanie Kerschbaum kersch@udel.edu Mark Salzer msalzer@temple.edu Survey can be accessed at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/facultydisclosureproject