Viewing academia as an exclusionary career ecosystem: threats to the career sustainability of disabled scholars

Abstract

As a scholar confined to my home due to disability, academia often feels like an exclusionary career ecosystem that threatens my career sustainability. Sadly, such experiences, although not always talked about openly for fear of repercussions, are highly prevalent among the disabled community. In this short article, I begin by introducing the notions of a career ecosystem, a sustainable career, and their integration into a sustainable career ecosystem. Next, the focus shifts to considering three threats to the career sustainability of disabled scholars supported by insights from my lived experiences. Finally, I close with a call to action and some pragmatic suggestions that we can all undertake in the hope that academia can shift away from an exclusionary career ecosystem towards a more inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem.