‘Hey this is what disability can look like’: a duoethnography examining disabled PhD students’ disclosure

Abstract

In this duoethnography, we-two graduate students who identify as disabled/’crip’- reflect on our personal experiences disclosing disability in higher education. Though we have different diagnoses and relationships with our disabilities, we share similar positions of power as PhD students in disability studies-related fields. Through written reflections and ongoing conversations, we explore the question: How have we, PhD students with different orientations to disability, navigated disability disclosure in higher education? Using the frameworks of Figured Worlds and Third Spaces, we share two key shifts in our thinking. First, we discuss how we navigate different contexts where disclosure might be necessary- or risky. Second, we examine how disclosure is closely tied to feelings of belonging, often in complicated and contracting ways. We reflect on moments when we chose to disclose (or not), what shaped those choices, and how these experiences have either supported or challenged our sense of belonging in academia.