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The experience of being a disabled woman in a world that is not designed or equipped to include me is one I have had since I began to lose my hearing. Disability is the one systemically minoritized group that crosses all other identities and is the only one you can join at any time, without your consent. Many people acquire disabilities and the older a person gets, the more likely they are to acquire a disability.
Even with all of that being true, disability is often an afterthought, a few pages in the back of a textbook, a footnote in DEI conversations. But, here is the amazing thing: the University of Cincinnati isn’t doing things like everyone else is doing them. The formation of and work being done by the DEI in Research Advisory Council is transformative and not the only work happening at UC that provides space for the disability experience. The value placed on the experiences, perspectives, and ingenuity of disabled faculty, staff, students, and community members can significantly impact outcomes for disabled people.
Including disabled voices in DEI conversations can change someone’s world: the disabled faculty and staff who have never felt safe disclosing their disability, the disabled students who have never met a disabled professional, or the disabled prospective students who worry about whether they will be able to fully participate in the college experience. Including disabled voices gives people hope. It lets people see that we value the myriad of identities, cultures, experiences, and interests of all our UC community.
I recently came across a quote by Arthur Chan that says, “Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. Belonging is an outcome.” We make the choice for equity and do the actions of inclusion so that members of the UC community can feel that sense of belonging. We are not perfect, no one is, but we are doing the work. Diversity is a fact. Disabled people are here and deserve to be heard. The DEI in Research Advisory Council has a much broader scope, but disability is my focus. We will see more from others about their passions and focus in the months and years to come, but I can only speak from my own experiences while truly listening and respecting the experiences of others. Together, we can do great things.
(If you are curious about why I intentionally choose to use the word disabled, read more about the use of identity-first language)
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