Disability, Intersectionality, and the Experiences of Doctoral Students

Abstract

Assuring diversity of faculty in graduate school programs continues to be a focus of practice and research because of the need to ensure inclusion for all students seeking higher education. Women, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with other traditionally underrepresented cultural group identities are all underrepresented at the doctoral level in higher education, in tenure-track, full professor faculty positions, and in administrative leadership positions such as dean and president. This study is one of the first to document how doctoral program students with disabilities, who also have other traditionally underrepresented cultural group identities, experienced the successes and challenges of earning a doctoral degree. An intersectional framework was used to explore access and inclusion at the doctoral level in academia. Four major themes—defining personal cultural identities, navigating systems and situations, resources and motivation, and leveraging lived experience as a skill set for work in a chosen field—emerged from the data. Recommendations to increase access and inclusion are offered.