by Sammy Hwang/ October 12, 2018

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 1 out of 5 people fit the broad definition of disabled. While accessibility and disability accommodations have recently become more prominent within discussions surrounding higher education, the diversity among those within the disabled community continues to be under-recognized. As Couser (2005) points out,

Disability is a fundamental facet of human diversity, yet it lags behind race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and class in recognition inside and outside the academy.

As an initial first step toward remedying this situation, it is helpful to see the range of disabilities that people live with. Doing so can encourage educators to empathize with more of their students and adjust their pedagogy in ways that can foster a more inclusive learning environment.

To humanize and more clearly understand the range of disabilities, it helps to visualize the four disability personas listed below. For each of these personas, I have included a short profile to show how, when encouraged, disabilities can often be turned into assets:

Visual impairment

A functional limitation of the eye, eyes or vision system.

Deaf or hard of hearing

Refers to an individual with a mild-to-moderate hearing loss.

Example: Rikki Poynter

Deaf Youtuber Rikki Poynter shares her experiences, while Tommy Edison shares his blind experiences.

Physical immobility

It is defined as a category of disability that includes people with varying types of limited physical mobility such as upper or lower limb loss.

Example: Christopher Hills

Christopher Hills has cerebral palsy, a group of body movement disorders. Despite his disability, he runs his own video editing company. He and his parents share their experience on inclusive technology in education.

Learning disability

An “umbrella” term describing a wide range of disabilities such as dysgraphia and dyslexia. This is the most complicated and comprehensive disability. More detailed information about learning disabilities can be found on the home page of Learning Disabilities Association of America.

Example: Clara Daly

Clara Daly’s story of helping a blind and deaf passenger on an Alaskan Airlines flight shows the power of harnessing a disability and using it to spur deeper and more authentic learning.

We briefly sketched four different types of disabilities because we think they are crucial in order to see the diversity of this large community. In an upcoming article, we will talk about a CLASS grant project related to disability, diversity, and accessibility.

References:
Couser, G. Thomas. “Disability as Diversity: A Difference with a Difference.” Ilha do Desterro 48 (2005): 95-113.

Featured image by: Alireza Attari