I'd like to address disability erasure in academia (a thread)

I'd like to do this without animosity, because it's a profoundly important teaching moment that highlights the obstacles disabled folks in lab spaces in STEM face-even from the people who are supposed to further our careers, or protect us. So with that in mind, I'd prefer

If after showing you these images, which are to serve an educational purpose, if nobody would like, send hate mail regarding the terms used to those who used them. This is a moment. This is a chance for abled folks to learn.

In July, I posted a thread about being disabled in STEM-about my day in the lab. It got a lot of traction, and @sexchrlab reached out immediately to ask if I'd like to do accessibility work w her. Of course, I said yes. It meant so much. Faculty are always really

Busy. I know she's busy. But still, she made the time, illustrating that in fact, it can be done. Subsequent to that, she reached out to the founder of http://protocols.io  , who had seen the protocols my PI provided for me. And we had a meeting to discuss accessibility, but

folks were super careful not to speak over my voice, and were clear that they understood disability to be dynamic, and wanted input from the community to figure out how to make protocols accessible for the disability community. This happened quickly. There was opportunity for

action, and I'm profoundly grateful to everyone involved who took it. I was then approached by another individual (who I will not name, for her privacy, because she did me a favor), asking if I'd like to do a podcast. She even permitted me to do it with my PI, which was a first

For them. And it was gracious of them to give us a platform-and so quickly. It was an action step that meant a lot. My department I guess said they'd retweet it, and to be fair, I followed up asking about it. I was initially really excited when I saw that they had...until I

saw the tweet. To say it was hurtful was...an understatement. And it's not ok, but it does provide us with a teaching moment. First of all, "unique abilities", just like "differently abled", is profoundly offensive, and you'll be hard-pressed to find disabled folks who refer

to themselves that way. It's a form of erasure, and a way of saying that "able" is the norm. It's othering us, and highlighting a barrier to accessibility we face. In this case, it's highlighting a barrier we face in academia that people have long ignored. And it was hard to see

Specifically because I addressed terminology in the podcast. But, accidents happen. As you can see above, a friend who is also disabled was quick to jump in. And I reasoned it must have been an accident. Ignorance. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

But he replied and said I call myself disabled. He's right, I do call myself disabled. And I advocate for using BOTH identity-first and person-first language. And I guess, what made this so hard, was that instead of using my own words or taking to heart what I said about terms

on the podcast...instead of learning...I was spoken over and erased-and about something really offensive. Had I had an unfettered experience here, this might not have been so painful...but I have painstakingly detailed the blatant discrimination I've faced here, so it was.

I originally intended not to say anything, but I think this sums it up. I guess I don't understand not reaching out to the person you're speaking about after they discuss offensive terminology specifically, to ask what to say. Instead, it was determined by people who don't

Face these challenges. And what makes it harder, is that there are a lot of conversations about equity that have taken place. And disability has been left out every time.

I've actually sent many emails about this. Most don't get responded to. There are no action items.

I've also sent emails about policies for my position. They're one year (although I didn't know that before I started here), and I've made it a point to say that this doesn't make sense, because the only people who will statistically be able to afford to uproot for a year for

A salary so low that you can't afford to move again, are people with means. So, white, affluent, and abled trainees. I mentioned that if people were serious about tackling white supremacy in research and higher ed, that policies that are fiscally detrimental specifically to

minorities in STEM should immediately be examined. I haven't received a single response to those comments. There are journal clubs and book clubs, though. And I asked, "why these?" instead of like, providing a financial pathway to success via a uni who can absolutely afford it

But I received no answers. I can only guess as to why that is, but I think it's a good one. I'll keep that to myself.

But this, friends, is a teachable moment. It illustrates what students with disabilities face every day in research. Because while admins engage in discussions

About erasure, and listening and "learning and unlearning"...these kinds of things are still happening.

And I'm specifically asking for people to not get nasty. What I want y'all to do is share this, and reflect. And I want you to ask yourself some important questions:

"Am I living the example of equity that I have purported to set?" "Have I done harm to marginalized community today?" "What policies does my institution uphold that directly perpetuate white supremacy?" "Am I serious about ableism in STEM?"

If the answer is "no", I'd appreciate you taking the time to really try to learn from that. Most disabled folks are unemployed, even after getting a college degree. We disproportionately comprise the homeless population. Unfortunate, to ignore and erase us is to be

(perhaps unwittingly) complacent and contributing to systems that actually do kill disabled folks-including your students. You know better than to talk over other URMs...and it isn't ok to do to disabled folks (in and out of the academy/ research)

I sincerely hope we all learn from this, and actually do better. Let's all learn together. Let's use this teachable moment to propel positive, actionable, meaningful change for disabled students in academia.

Share with a friend. Let's talk.

#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #ScienceTwitter #SciTwitter #Academia #Research #HigherEd #STEM #STEMEd #HigherEducation #GradSchool #Science #MedTwitter #DisabilityTwitter #DisabledinSTEM

I wrote a thread about this almost two months ago and it is very clear that tons of people prefer identify-first language. https://twitter.com/DeathCab4Callie/status/1292580818800517126

Neither are wrong.