PLZ RT. On paths through grad school and employment in STEM, a thread: #DisabledInSTEM #DisabilityTwitter #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #Academia #Science #STEM #DisabledInSTEM #DisabledInHigherEd #Science #Biology #physiology #Help #Mentoring #DisabilityTwitter #SciTwitter

I've had to deal with a lot of pushback re: concerns about disabilities and STEM lately. A lot of invalidation. So I'll do what I always do, and tell y'all about what we face looking for jobs and choosing paths. Because the questions, especially those unique to disability (plz do

not read: "no intersecting identities", because that's not what I mean-I mean disability accessibility, and other identities on top of that r valid and have different experiences), are totally valid, especially in STEM.

One of the toughest lessons I've had to learn as of late is that people who aren't disabled in academia/ STEM will never understand the concerns we face in the same way we do, which means that concerns about homelessness, stability relative to basic employment opportunities and

accommodations etc., will always be viewed as resistance (again, read: the aforementioned struggles+disability). Folks don't want to admit or understand what we face, so they pretend that we can all just go to grad school, and everything will be fine. But questions about

stability and security are valid. It's just that able folks will never see it that way. And that's fine, but it means that expecting support instead of anger from people who don't face those same concerns, is futile. I guess the best thing to do is tell you about what job hunts

Are like for me. And I'm hoping this gets as much traction as my "day in the lab" thread, because it's important. It's life-or-death.

When I'm looking for a job, I have to think about WHERE it is because I'll never be able to drive. Not "can't afford a car or don't want one

at this time." but literally, because of circumstances beyond my control, I will never, ever be able to drive (I once hit a palm tree trying). So I have to think, "Is this location accessible? What do Lyft and Uber cost every time I want to do basic things?" Just to get to the

store here costs me about $175 a month that I can't really afford. And hell, that's cheaper than Instacart would be. And I can't help that. I'll never be able to. So, you're looking at cities, then. And not all cities are created equal. Some are...more dangerous than others.

Having cerebral palsy means I have some added safety concerns, and navigating public transit at night isn't a good idea everywhere, especially when disabled. I get guilted a lot for "limiting" myself to locations I can get safe transport to or from. EXCUSE me for being safe.

Not all cities are big, which limits walkability in terms of number of places there even are to walk to. New Haven has been a huge problem for me. So I have to live in a larger city and make sure transit is safe or that my working hours allow me to get home during daylight.

I also have to worry about workplace accommodations. If you're able and lose your job tomorrow, you might be able to go down the street and get temporary employment in retail. Is it STEM? No, but it's a job. I can't do that. Why? These places don't provide the accommodations I

need. Seriously. Ask me about how many times I've been called "retarded" for fine motor issues related to my CP at the various jobs I've had. It's a lot. And none of these places will provide accommodations. So I have to also choose somewhere, if possible, with multiple

employers. New Haven, for example, has one main employer: Yale. And tons of rules here for hire because of the unions. So I have to have a backup plan for when I inevitably get denied workplace accommodations. And then my backup plan needs a backup plan when it happens again.

I can't go home to mom and dad if I can't pay the rent, y'all. I WILL go homeless and I can't emphasize this enough. It's not that I don't want to-I literally can't. I don't have anywhere to go. Period. So I always need MULTIPLE contingency plans because EVERYWHERE I GO, people

refuse accommodations. I may not know this will happen for certain in the future, but I can certainly prepare. I should prepare. Because nobody is paying my bills if I don't. I HAVE to be ready because there are no other options. It's a privilege to have them. Be grateful.

Workplace accommodations historically take about 7-8 months to implement, if at all. By that time, it's likely my employer views me as useless, even if they're not implementing the accommodations I need. That means I'll need to start over somewhere else. Hence the contingency

plans. And, like I have repeatedly tried to tell y'all, telling people what you need ahead of time doesn't mean you're more likely to get accommodations. It's not just a bummer of a situation-it's a systemic problem that threatens my life. Repainting it is injustice.

Dealing with the trauma of the comments, and circumstances, that we live with EVERY day that abled people don't have as a result of disability, doesn't mean we're negative, it means we're worn down. It's not a mindset, it's fighting for the right to live in a world that actively

tries to kill us. That would wear anyone down and I won't apologize for this anymore. Period. And accommodations in labs...I mean...I've been over this. People try, but y'all usually get it wrong and don't try again, or blame us. And even if we overcome one academic

Obstacle, these same problems will face us at every juncture subsequent to that. It doesn't mean we don't want it, but it does mean we have to address concerns unique to disability that you as abled folks don't think about. Every single component of basic employment and existence

is always at risk of disintegrating, because of ableism. And by not discussing these concerns with disabled students, we fall through the cracks and again and again. It's asking us to take the blame for other people's failures re: accommodations in science and the workplace.

You can't hold diversity meetings and then tell disabled folks they're just resistant or difficult for bringing up accessibility concerns, or get mad at us for having them. It's not ok.

We shouldn't have to do the work either. But we do, because when people talk about

diversity, they're not talking about us. And accessibility struggles aren't choices we make-the opposite, in fact. They're choices abled folks make for us, that we're punished for. So please, don't punish us further, with more anger or erasure. Able academics don't have to

understand our concerns, but please know, it's very hurtful when you act like they're invalid because you don't experience them. And it's ableist.

It doesn't mean it doesn't come from a good place, but I think removing questions about long-term accessibility and stability or acting like they're bad, does us a disservice. It's not preparing us for the long-term, and it's a bandaid on a bullet hole. Achievement and

disability can't go hand-in-hand without acknowledging how our disabilities impact our pursuit of said achievements. Bringing attention to this isn't resistance, it is survival. Survival in a life most academics don't have to live.

But this is how most able academics view

our concerns. And that needs to stop. #ScienceTwitter #DisabledInSTEM #DisabilityTwitter #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #Academia #Science #STEM #DisabledInSTEM #DisabledInHigherEd #Science #Biology #physiology #Help #Mentoring #DisabilityTwitter #SciTwitter #ScienceTwitter

If academics don't examine their privilege and these views, our situation won't change. I don't have time to babysit someone else's pride.

And this isn't one specific person. This is to faculty, PIs, diversity coordinators, etc.