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DISABILITY INVISIBILITY IN ACADEMIA
should be accepted as part of participation. Consider a person’s communication preferences such as e-mailing, meeting by Zoom, in-person appointments, or phon- ing. It is important to remember that not everyone will disclose their disability to you, and what you may assume are preferences may actually be someone else’s accessibility needs.
If a faculty member is unsure on how to make a course the accessible, it is important to seek out accessibility training from your university’s accessibility resource center and/or get help from an IT department to help make the course accessible (Burgstahler, 2012). There are also many resources outside the university written by dis- abled people themselves that provide helpful information on how to mentor disabled students.
Conclusion
In conclusion, accessibility in research, classrooms, field sites (Healey et al., 2015), and many more is crucial to the participation of students, staff, and faculty with disabilities. Disabled people have the knowledge, pas- sion, and creativity to thrive in academia (Marks and Bayer, 2019). However, inaccessibility and the stigma of disability in society even today is a large barrier to being able to do so. Please consider openly welcoming disabled people, advocating for them, accommodating them, and believing in their needs and talents. When in doubt, ask the disabled person directly about what accommodations they need. It’s never too late to be more inclusive.
References
Adler, H. J., Ratnanather, J. T., Steyger, P. S., and Buran, B. N. (2019). Scientists with hearing loss changing perspectives in STEMM. Acous- tics Today 15(1), 66-70.
Brown, N., and Leigh, J. (2018). Ableism in academia: Where are the disabled and ill academics? Disability & Society 33, 985-989. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2018.1455627.
Burgstahler, S. (2012). Making science labs accessible to students with disabilities, Disabilities. Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technol- ogy. Available at https://bit.ly/3vdPHvO.
Duerstock, B. (2014). Tour of 3-D ABIL simulation. STEMEd HUB. Available at https://bit.ly/3hXrMwy.
Healey, M., Roberts, C., Jenkins, A., and Leach, J. (2002). Disabled students and fieldwork: Towards inclusivity? Planet 6(1), 24-26. https://doi.org/10.11120/plan.2002.00060024.
Marks, G. S., and Bayer, S. (2019). Our disabilities have made us better scientist. Scientific American. 321, 3. Available at https://bit.ly/3840Cy7.
Poe, K. (2018). Disability isn’t a bad word: A how-to guide for my college peers & administrators. Medium. Available at https://bit.ly/3fJc9q3.
Ramírez, K. M. (2019). Academic ableism: Fighting for accommoda- tions and access in higher education. The Disability Visibility Project.
Available at https://bit.ly/3vemwJ5.
Swenor, B. K., Munoz, B., and Meeks, L. M. (2020). A decade of decline:
Grant funding for researchers with disabilities 2008 to 2018. PLoS ONE 15(3), e0228686. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228686.
Contact Information
Ira Kraemer ikraemer@terpmail.umd.edu
Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences Program and Department of Biology
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
Elizabeth Kolberg elizkolberg@gmail.com
Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences Program and Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
ASA WEBINARS
The Acoustical Society of America has established a Webinar Series with the goal to provide ongoing learning opportunities and engagement in acoustics by ASA members and nonmembers throughout the year, as a supplement to content presented at bi-annual ASA meetings.
ASA Webinars will be scheduled monthly and will include speakers on topics of interest to the general ASA membership and the broader acoustics community,
inclu of
ding acoustical sciences, applications acoustics, and careers in acoustics.
Find a schedule of upcoming webinars and videos of past webinars at acousticalsociety.org/asa-webinar-series
78 Acoustics Today • Fall 2021