Exploring the Experiences of Postsecondary Students with Disabilities Who Have Multiple Oppressed Identities: A Narrative Approach

Abstract

This study gathers the experiences of students with disabilities who have multiple oppressed identities. Gathering the experiences of students with disabilities who have multiple oppressed identities contributes to developing multi-dimensional disability frameworks when providing meaningful services in postsecondary education. Research participants shared how salient experiences influenced their disability identity as college students at a Mid-Atlantic public university. The participants’ salient experiences were heavily influenced by family and support resources offered by their university. Additionally, this research study used narrative inquiry as its methodology and demonstrates the collaboration between the researcher and participants over time. The personal experiences of students with disabilities who have multiple oppressed identities were obtained via the facilitation of two rounds of interviews. Despite their other oppressed identities, this study used Critical Event Analysis (CEA) to focus on how the experiences of students with disabilities influenced their matriculation through college. Also, this research study’s analysis identified academic barriers encountered by its participants. Although universities are increasing their attention toward students with disabilities, I argue that there is a need for postsecondary institutions to utilize multi-dimensional frameworks when providing meaningful support services to students who have a diagnosed disability with another oppressed identity. Critical Event Analysis assisted with providing chronology and structure to the experiences of this study’s participants. Providing structure to the experiences of students with disabilities who have multiple oppressed identities allowed me to contextualize each participant’s experience by considering its temporality, place, and sociality. Ultimately, identifying and contextualizing these experiences of students with disabilities who have multiple oppressed identities contributes to the advancement of disability frameworks used by universities when providing support services.