Disability Blog
Disability can happen at any stage of life, and it does not discriminate; anyone can become disabled by their environment regardless of age, race, gender, or social/economic status. However, the experience of being disabled, and the severity of disability can be affected by age, race, gender, or social/economic status. The resources shed light on how society and systems disables some of us more than others through additional intersecting discriminations of race and gender. An intersectional approach must be taken to fully comprehend the experience of the individual, and even more attentive approach is needed for those with ‘double disadvantages’.
Through the journey of my PgCert, I have re-considered my own ability to succeed in the university. When speaking to peers or to my students I hold no judgement on the support or learning conditions that they ask for, and often encourage and support students in advocating for what they need to be successful (in their own measure of what success means for them, and their purpose for attending university).
I found that when it came to my turn to ask for what I needed, it was much more difficult than I expected. The support I had from tutors and peers was fantastic and I found the paperwork and tutorial process to be a breeze; but taking a curious approach to my own long-term conditions without the lens of shame was a challenge.
When exploring the reasons why I find it harder to submit work on time, I noticed an internal voice saying that it was because I ‘just didn’t work hard enough’, or that I was ‘lazy’, ‘disorganised’, and ‘apathetic towards the work to be done’. This part of me was loud, annoying, and pretty convincing. I knew from the conversations in class and in further readings that this voice needed interrogating; it was sounding a lot like the dismissive and ableist opinions that didn’t hold the truth of what external factors I was coming up against in my studies and my life. Another thought occurred: was I ableist?!
Sitting down with a disability advisor talking through the reasons why I was struggling to keep up with assignments I stopped to write down all the ‘real and tangible’ things that were happening in my life making it unstable; a change in medication, moving out of London for a complete change of lifestyle, a change in my support system; I realised that my condition, in combination of my other social identities, actually had a lot more impact on my ability to sit down, attend classes, and submit work in the set timeline than I had ever given myself credit for. Living alone, independently supporting myself and all of my essential physical and emotional needs, attending to all the changes in my life, had maxed out my capacity to take on more. Being poor and estranged from family made it much harder to meet my essential needs and the additional needs of my condition. It takes me more time and effort to be in a space to reflect and take in new knowledge and without the chance to use a extension and extra time through my ISA, the conditions of the course would have made it impossible to succeed, disabling me from being able to learn and pass this course.; Writing this blog post now, 7 months after its initial due point, I am in a relatively stable period, it is still a challenge to find the time to complete PgCert work, but it is much more comparable to the experience of my peers.
On the course I coordinate and teach into (the diploma in professional studies / DPS), students are required to take on a placement of a minimum of 100 days over the course of the year. When reassessing the requirements of the placements with the lens of disabiling factors, clear flaws in its accessibility appear. I decided to run focus groups with students who had just completed the DPS, on what challenges they faces, and to collect the data on why students who were interested in taking on the course but ultimately decided not to, had made the choice to leave.
I found that many/ most placements are unpaid, which already puts students from lower incomes at a disadvantage, but for those who may require more costly living arrangements (living on their own, living with a care worker, medical costs, travel to medical appointments etc), this makes it even harder to make ends meet. Unpaid placements are often subsidised by students taking on a second paid job to cover their costs, for those who have a limited capacity for work, taking on a second job is not an option, forcing them out of a placement opportunity. Some placements will offer a small expense allowance for travel to and from the placement, normally around £5 – £10, fine if you can get the tube or a bus, but for students requiring a taxi, or to drive their own car etc this simply wouldn’t cover the additional costs.
Students are only allowed to work 50% remotely during placements, meaning that those who can work from home, from bed, or from another more accessible place, must find a way to work onsite 50% of the week. This isn’t enough of an adjustment to make placements achievable, nor does it follow modern models of working.
International students face further disabling challenges, with a further requirement of working a minimum of 25 hours a week to meet visa requirements. Compared to their home status students they must meet a higher minimum work week, creating an additional disadvantage.
I am working with a DPS student at CSM this year to quantify the data we collected into visuals. I am also continuing to speak to students about their experiences and their needs. This information was shared recently at the placement steering group and led to further conversations about how we can intervene with the current placement requirements and what supports we can put in place to support students disabled by our systems of working. Conversations about bursaries for students continue to happen. As Chey says in the 3rd resource, paying for the time and insight of students, asking what they want and need is one of the most affective and fair ways to transform access. I am hopeful that the collective action and research will lead to fairer chances of success for our diverse body of students at UAL, and a more inclusive DPS will be designed.