Inclusive Practices – Blog 1

I started the work on this blog by reading Kimberle Crenshaw’s 1991 article “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color”. While I have been discussing intersectionality in my teaching, I hadn’t engaged with Crenshaw’s work in depth. Particularly eye-opening in her writing, was the clarity with which she conveys the implications of different structures of domination. She powerfully shows that intersectionality is not just an abstract theoretical concept, but that it has real, tangible consequences in everyday life. As she writes: “The struggle over which differences matter and which do not is neither an abstract nor an insignificant debate among women. […] In the context of violence, it is sometimes a deadly serious matter of who will survive – and who will not.” (Crenshaw, 1991, p.1265)

While reviewing these resources, I could see Crenshaw’s thinking echoed through each video: through calls to truly address structural inequalities around race and disability in the first video; through discussions of visible/invisible identities in the second video; and in the last video by emphasising the fact that the needs of disabled people should not be an afterthought. Each of these videos also highlighted, though not explicitly, how supposedly inclusive spaces – queer spaces, Paralympics, arts organisations – are often not inclusive for people with disabilities, or people of colour, or women, further reinforcing the need for an intersectional approach to addressing inclusivity.

The resource that stuck with me the most was the second video, documenting the work of the artist Christine Sun Kim. By exploring different aspects of communication through her experience as a deaf person, Sun Kim raises wider issues about the visibility and invisibility of disabled people in society, linking that to other aspects of her identity as a woman, as a mother, as an artist. These aspects are subtly woven in her storytelling,  for example, when she speaks about living in Berlin where childcare is free and where she has a degree of financial security or is able to access suitable studio space, she is highlighting the way structural, social factors enable her to work and live as an artist.

In my own teaching, I have mostly encountered what may be called non-visible disabilities (though I recognise this term is contested). The most direct way in which that disability is made ‘visible’ through the university’s systems and structures, is with ISA documents. While ISAs stipulate how we should approach our teaching and assessment, I have too often found that these are treated as almost as a ‘bonus’ and teaching is not structured to be inclusive as a baseline approach. This is evident with teaching materials which are often not inclusive, are shared late, and are often not accessible in format. The second issue in terms of ISAs that relates to intersectionality is the fact that despite very large numbers of international students in our cohorts, most students with ISAs seem to be home or EU students. This may indicate that there is a barrier in terms of accessing the support system, in particular for our Mandarin-speaking students that I think would be worth exploring in more detail in dialogue with the disability service. It’s important that we consider questions such as: What understanding do our students have of disability service and support it offers? How might we address the potential stigma attached to disability? How can language development and disability service work in dialogue to support international students? What other barriers and challenges might those students be facing (issues of class, race, gender-based discrimination)?