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Honest and Uncomfortable: A Loving Look at My Exclusive Campus

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Feminism and Intersectionality in Academia
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Abstract

Ableism is alive and well on my campus and, I suspect, on your campuses, too. Assumptions about, desirability of, and privileging of able-bodiedness are the norms in US society, and campuses tend to reflect societal constructs, at least in part. So ableism is probably where you are, as well. This chapter calls out the exclusion borne of ableism I regularly experience as a person with a dis/ability who works on a highly able-bodied campus. I highlight that it is past time we change our exclusive ways with several narratives that explain and illustrate my experiences here. Finally, I make three “simple” suggestions for ways to interrupt and change exclusion grounded in ableism, they are: (1) ensure safety, (2) own that inclusion is everyone’s work, and (3) be willing to change.

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References

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Dembouski, L.M. (2018). Honest and Uncomfortable: A Loving Look at My Exclusive Campus. In: Shelton, S., Flynn, J., Grosland, T. (eds) Feminism and Intersectionality in Academia. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90590-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90590-7_10

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90589-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90590-7

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