An Ethnography of Disability in Academia: Stories of Crip Time, Cripping Independence and the Cognitive Load of Disability

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Bibliographic Details
Title: An Ethnography of Disability in Academia: Stories of Crip Time, Cripping Independence and the Cognitive Load of Disability
Language: English
Authors: Kevin Darcy
Source: ProQuest LLC. 2024Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder.
Availability: ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 166
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Disabilities, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Normalization (Disabilities), Students with Disabilities, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Self Disclosure (Individuals), Higher Education, Cognitive Processes, Difficulty Level, Access to Education, Time Factors (Learning), Independent Living, Experience
ISBN: 979-83-468-7789-9
Abstract: This dissertation examines the experiences of people with disabilities in academia. It is oriented autoethnographically by my own experiences, and those of other students and faculty, to make vivid the phenomenological realities of living on crip time, navigating independence, the cognitive load of disability, and disclosure management. I argue that contemporary policy and practice intend to improve access for people with disabilities, but actually perpetuate the inequities they proport to ameliorate. Ethnographic stories illustrate how living on crip time is constraining in the ableist spaces of academia. The concept of independence has an outsized role in the lives of people with disabilities compared to non-disabled people, and popular discourses of independence shape decision making and impact the well-being of people with disabilities. Disability also adds to a person's cognitive load--the burden of constantly navigating inaccessible places and technologies--affecting a person's well-being and potentially worsening access barriers. While Universal Design for Learning is often represented as a panacea, I argue that it creates a good foundation, but some individualization is still necessary. Throughout, I show how people use a combination of disability expertise and interdependence to creatively navigate inaccessibility and ableism. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Access URL: https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:31637218
Accession Number: ED664717
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This dissertation examines the experiences of people with disabilities in academia. It is oriented autoethnographically by my own experiences, and those of other students and faculty, to make vivid the phenomenological realities of living on crip time, navigating independence, the cognitive load of disability, and disclosure management. I argue that contemporary policy and practice intend to improve access for people with disabilities, but actually perpetuate the inequities they proport to ameliorate. Ethnographic stories illustrate how living on crip time is constraining in the ableist spaces of academia. The concept of independence has an outsized role in the lives of people with disabilities compared to non-disabled people, and popular discourses of independence shape decision making and impact the well-being of people with disabilities. Disability also adds to a person's cognitive load--the burden of constantly navigating inaccessible places and technologies--affecting a person's well-being and potentially worsening access barriers. While Universal Design for Learning is often represented as a panacea, I argue that it creates a good foundation, but some individualization is still necessary. Throughout, I show how people use a combination of disability expertise and interdependence to creatively navigate inaccessibility and ableism. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ISBN:979-83-468-7789-9