Including dis/ability as an element of diversity in higher education: validating barriers and effective inclusion practices

Higher education institutions traditionally specialize in understanding and addressing human diversity and dis/ability through various applied fields such as medicine, social sciences, rehabilitation, special education, and other academic disciplines. Researchers like Lucchesi (2021) and Madaus (2011) have explored the dichotomy of American colleges and universities as both enablers and adversaries in the formation of dis/ability narratives, highlighting the ways that traditional narratives have shaped attitudes and institutional practices, and thus have made the journey toward full dis/ability inclusion both complex and multifaceted. Throughout the literature on dis/ability in higher education institutions, two salient levers for inclusion emerged: First, Disability Resource Professionals (DRP), the professionals who primarily have the responsibility to include people with dis/abilities in the higher education setting; and second is critical dis/ability studies, an emerging theoretical framework that offers a counter narrative to traditional higher education applied science disciplines and reframes dis/ability positively and as a celebrated identity group within the institution. One primary goal of this study was to have DRP validate existing dis/ability inclusion barriers so that other DRP could better prepare to understand how to mitigate the barriers that often result in the exclusion of dis/ability. This study validated several prominent attitudinal, environmental, and institutional barriers prevalent within colleges and universities and confirmed that people’s attitudes have a large impact on whether or how dis/ability is included in institutional diversity initiatives and discourse. Another goal of this study was to have DRP identify effective dis/ability inclusion practices beyond those traditionally carried out as functions of their compliance offices. This study also identified and validated five effective dis/ability inclusive practices: 1) institutional capacity building practices, 2) use of counter narratives, 3) use of a community of dis/ability champions, 4) use of dis/ability representation, and 5) making systemic changes in the institution. Also included in this paper is an introduction to seven dis/ability equity tenets. These tenets, along with the findings of this study, can be leveraged throughout higher education institutions to include dis/ability as a valued element of institutional diversity, thus fostering greater inclusive excellence.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Warren, Charnessa

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ward-Hood, Denice
• Mason, Curtis
• Huang, Wenhao David
• Pak, Yoon
• Bennett, Stacy

• Disability
• Diversity
• Inclusion
• Higher Education
• Disability Resource Professionals
• Ada Compliance
• Barriers
• Inclusion Practices
• Disability Equity Tenets
• Disability Equity
• Disability Inclusion

Statement dc:rights

• © 2024 Charnessa Warren. All rights reserved. If you use any copyrighted material in this dissertation, you must give full credit to the author and publisher of the work quoted. Explicit approval must be obtained prior to utilizing the survey instrument or the reported data in a separate research study.

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124535

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124535