Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #DisabledinSTEM
Most recents (22)
I was just thinking abt trying to keep hydrated yday & remembering how my last job was in a cleanroom so we couldn’t have food/drinks & many experiments were run solo & couldn’t be paused safely to go out for hrs which meant no food/water/bathroom & now I’m 😡 that this is norm
The only concession to health & safety was having a 12 hr time limit to be in the lab mostly bc when you’re that tired you make mistakes that can be v bad for v $$ & hard to replace equipment. Note that that wasn’t total time worked just in lab limit.
I def understand how difficult it is to write experiment procedures that can be paused bc I wrote procedures myself but the actual issue is staffing. Focusing on running solo shifts for efficiency means ppl can be stuck alone for hrs.
We should not only make research more accessible because it is the right thing to do, but because it provides more accurate results.
Listen to the full podcast on our website: bit.ly/3mdbcda
#AcademicChatter #DisabledInSTEM #DisabledinHigherEd @FractalEcho
Listen to the full podcast on our website: bit.ly/3mdbcda
#AcademicChatter #DisabledInSTEM #DisabledinHigherEd @FractalEcho
Video description: Purple background with a picture of Dr. Rua Williams: a person with light skin, brown hair to their shoulders, and wears circular glasses. They wear a white floral collared shirt, floral bowtie, and blazer/jacket. White text that reads:
Dr. Rua Williams discusses how accessible data collection methods provide better research results that are more comprehensive and valid.
Let's crowdsource! What are some ways faculty, your dean, department chair, HR, or whoever else has supposedly granted an accommodation
without actually granting an accommodation?
Supposed accommodation: Yes, you can work remotely!
Reality: We need 2 months notice.
without actually granting an accommodation?
Supposed accommodation: Yes, you can work remotely!
Reality: We need 2 months notice.
I can definitely think of a few from experience and what I often hear.
Supposed accommodation: Yes, you can work remotely!
Reality: You (and only you) need to give a detailed schedule of when you're on campus and you absolutely must adhere to it.
Supposed accommodation: Yes, you can work remotely!
Reality: You (and only you) need to give a detailed schedule of when you're on campus and you absolutely must adhere to it.
Supposed accommodation: Yes, you can attend part-time!
Reality: All of your funding depends on being full-time. You're not full time? Well then you're not funded.
Reality: All of your funding depends on being full-time. You're not full time? Well then you're not funded.
Anonymous Story #11 - Campus Tutor
We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that
CW: Sexual Assault, Suicidality
[blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/campus-tu… (1/6)
#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd
We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that
CW: Sexual Assault, Suicidality
[blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/campus-tu… (1/6)
#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd
My community college didn't have disability testing. They required doctor letters that have been written in the past 30 days. The only accommodation was 10 mins extra on test time, nothing else--no interpreters, notetakers, nothing. I'm Deaf. 2/
CW: Sexual Assault, Suicidality
I went to campus tutors constantly to help with notes, then was raped by 1 of them. No investigation. No sympathy. There were no counseling services. 3/
I went to campus tutors constantly to help with notes, then was raped by 1 of them. No investigation. No sympathy. There were no counseling services. 3/
Anonymous Story #10 - Removed from Campus
We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/october-2… (1/7)
#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd
We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/october-2… (1/7)
#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd
Content Warning: PTSD, Bipolar Mania
I want to let people know my story, but I wish to remain anonymous because of the stigma. I have bipolar 1, autism, C-PTSD, and a constellation of chronic physical illnesses. 2/
I want to let people know my story, but I wish to remain anonymous because of the stigma. I have bipolar 1, autism, C-PTSD, and a constellation of chronic physical illnesses. 2/
My first semester of college, the only mental health diagnosis I had was PTSD, so I had no idea I am bipolar. I was experiencing my worst ever manic episode for over four months my whole first semester, and although I remember very little, I can tell you the outcome. 3/
1/ Thread: This thread will discuss my journey into mental health, disability, and DEI advocacy in higher academia: it started because struggling with my mental illnesses as a Latina in a STEM degree felt alienating.
2/ Per my last thread: many marginalized folks involved with advocacy in academia speak out and do extra work because of traumatic experiences. For me, I needed an outlet. I pursued self-advocacy and advocacy to stay in my field and higher education.
3/ I also speak out to normalize mental illness and bringing awareness that disabled people deserve a seat at the table with DEI initiatives. Higher education was not built with mental health and disability in mind.
1/ CW: Mental illness + depression
Thread: This is my story about my hospitalization and recovery Fall semester of my Senior year October 2018: I had to put my life on hold, and I could no longer hide my struggles with mental illness anymore.
Thread: This is my story about my hospitalization and recovery Fall semester of my Senior year October 2018: I had to put my life on hold, and I could no longer hide my struggles with mental illness anymore.
2/ One thing I wish I learned earlier before recovery was that the system is the system was not built for folks that struggle with mental health + mental illness. I spent so much energy trying to fight it – a lot of it was due to internalized ableism.
3/ Hospitalization opened my eyes – I was going down a path overworking and perfection that was not sustainable and lead me to destruction. That week, I slowly transitioned from denial and self-hatred to acceptance of my conditions.
CW / mental illness, suicide
Thread: This is my story of being diagnosed with severe depression, bipolar (II), panic, and anxiety disorders in the middle of my undergraduate career while prioritizing my grades and work over my mental health and well-being. 1/
Thread: This is my story of being diagnosed with severe depression, bipolar (II), panic, and anxiety disorders in the middle of my undergraduate career while prioritizing my grades and work over my mental health and well-being. 1/
2/ I always struggled with anxiety and situational depression throughout my life and childhood. I was able to cope with these things and compartmentalize them because mental health and illness is stigmatized and is a ‘taboo’ in Mexican American culture. I hid it the best I could.
3/ Entering a math & physics-intensive major as one of the first in my family to pursue STEM, I felt like I was sinking before I was swimming. I had no idea what to do or how to do it. Based on my experiences in my culture, we believe working hard and doing it ourselves.
Discussion: How can Allies Tackle Their Ableism!
Hello to allies in the community! You may be wondering how you can participate in #DEHEM21 & support disabled students, staff, faculty, colleagues, and individuals in the community. 1 thing you can do is tackle your ableism (1/31)
Hello to allies in the community! You may be wondering how you can participate in #DEHEM21 & support disabled students, staff, faculty, colleagues, and individuals in the community. 1 thing you can do is tackle your ableism (1/31)
Ableism is the discrimination & social prejudice against disabled people. Everyone can experience ableism, but it is most prevalent for disabled individuals. It can be both explicit or implicit. What can you do to tackle your ableism? (2/31)
Here are some Don’ts for Disability as an Ally: 1) Don’t use disability as a punchline or to mock people with disabilities. Often, people use disability in jokes or use ableist language to describe others. This language harms disabled people & the disabled experience. (3/31)
"We're already here, so like make it possible for us to stay here. Make it possible for people to be out & open about all of their identities. Because, no one is doing their best work if they are not able to show up as themselves or get the supports that they need" - @the_tweedy
"We are supposed to collapse our identities into the work that we do...People being able to show up as themselves and be supported anywhere, makes for happier people doing more interesting things & being better to the people around them." - @the_tweedy #DEHEM21
I think that was probably the most impactful few statements from Corin (@the_tweedy) out of the whole interview. Thank you! @LindaCCor @DisInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd #DisabledInHigherEd #DisabledInSTEM
I think that trauma informed communication is not thought of enough with the disability community. @DeathCab4Callie, I appreciate your candor about 12 years of traumatic experience. Being abled, there is the privilege to just get lab experience. Yet being #DisabledInStem, so
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many of us are survivors of trauma. @StemDisabled @DisabledAcadem @Disabled_Docs @DisabledStem and many others call out the ableism and toxicity of being a disabled researcher in STEM. I started today talking about trauma anniversaries & I want to thank you for being here for
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my first trauma anniversary. It has been a hard day emotionally and physically, but it has been refreshing to see that I am not alone. I forgot to ask in my earlier polls, so here are some bonus polls and a question:
Do you have a trauma anniversary?
#DEHEM21
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Do you have a trauma anniversary?
#DEHEM21
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in honor of #DEHEM21, I want to remind everyone about the episode I did with the wonderful humans who run the @DisInGradSchool account -- @caitskirby & @KaydenStockwell (Kayden also now helps with podcast transcripts!!) 🧵
#AcademicChatter #phdchat #phdlife
#AcademicChatter #phdchat #phdlife
Before recording this episode, I had a very superficial idea of what I thought it meant to be a disabled grad student. That accommodations were readily available. That disabled students were honored with accommodations as long as they had the right documentation.
That the reason disabled students weren't in grad school was some unknown variable we all couldn't figure out.
How wrong I was.
Academia gatekeeps disabled students, faculty, etc. in a very purposeful, abusive, aggressive, ableist way.
How wrong I was.
Academia gatekeeps disabled students, faculty, etc. in a very purposeful, abusive, aggressive, ableist way.
I am officially no longer a graduate student. I was discriminated against because of my disability and forced to leave my program.
Academia, we need to talk
🧵1/13 #DisabledInStem, #AcademicChatter, #DisInHigherEd
Academia, we need to talk
🧵1/13 #DisabledInStem, #AcademicChatter, #DisInHigherEd
My former advisor’s lab was a poor fit for my ADHD and my advisor saw my symptoms and struggles as bad choices, not the result of my biology. Instead of getting the accommodations that would have allowed me to be successful, I was dismissed from the lab. 2/13
I haven't found a new lab after ~1.5 yrs. Though I’ve been publishing and generating novel research, without a committee chair, I cannot defend a thesis and therefore cannot get a PhD.
All I want to do is study cool lizards but it's hard when I have to deal with all of this.
All I want to do is study cool lizards but it's hard when I have to deal with all of this.
My academic TL is *thrilled to announce* that they are starting amazing new positions, winning awards, publishing papers, presenting at conferences...
In applying for disability I’m realizing just how badly my attempted career in academia has screwed me over.
#DisabledinSTEM 🧵
In applying for disability I’m realizing just how badly my attempted career in academia has screwed me over.
#DisabledinSTEM 🧵
I’ve been absent on Twitter (& DMs & email) lately because all of my energy has just been going to trying to survive.
But it is absolutely incredible just how badly the nature of grad & precarious academic contracts harm disabled and chronically ill academics
But it is absolutely incredible just how badly the nature of grad & precarious academic contracts harm disabled and chronically ill academics
I did my PhD at @UMassAmherst. The Commonwealth of MA does not pay into Social Security for its employees. But because I left and did not become disabled *to the point of needing to completely work* while I was there, I have no disability coverage from MA. And no SSDI credits.
Didn't get an award, which is ok, but it took so much energy to apply. Disabled scholars get significantly less grants, and I bet it is largely due to the fact that we are physically unable to apply to as many as our nondisabled colleagues #AcademicChatter
Comparing number of awards recieved vs those one applies for may be an interesting metric for #DisabledinSTEM as I know I apply for far fewer than most people. @AcademicChatter @AbleismAcademia
I have a stack of grants I'm interested in applying for, but I can pretty much exclusively write 2-3 small (under $4000) ones a year. Anything on the larger side would probably be 1 or 2 a year without the small ones...
The Norris lab is hosting a hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) summer research internship program on the campus of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).Those who are interested should look at the attached photos for eligibility requirements and description (1/3)
To apply, fill out an on-line application via: redcap.link/hEDSInternProg…
We hope those who are eligible consider applying. We need more research on hEDS and hope you will join us in our plight to discover causes of hEDS!
(2/3)
We hope those who are eligible consider applying. We need more research on hEDS and hope you will join us in our plight to discover causes of hEDS!
(2/3)
Eligibility and info can be found here or through the application link (3/3)
CW: Scary Diabetes & Brain Science (sly don't read if you are diabetic and prefer blissful ignorance)
So what's the deal with Type 3 Diabetes? 🧵
(also so sry I said I would do this two weeks ago but here we are 🤷🏼♀️)
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So what's the deal with Type 3 Diabetes? 🧵
(also so sry I said I would do this two weeks ago but here we are 🤷🏼♀️)
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You may have heard the phrase "Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is Type 3 Diabetes" & wondered what that meant. Whelp my diabuddies I'm sorry to say that Diabetes (esp w/ sustained hyperglycemia) is a risk factor for AD. But it's a two-way street, it turns out AD is a risk factor for T2.
Lemme explain how diabetes increases AD risk 1st:
-Hyperglycemia, or high-blood sugars wreak havoc on the tiny blood vessels that snake their way through your feet, eyes, & yes, your brain is full of them (this is why it's important to have your feet & eyes checked diababes!)
-Hyperglycemia, or high-blood sugars wreak havoc on the tiny blood vessels that snake their way through your feet, eyes, & yes, your brain is full of them (this is why it's important to have your feet & eyes checked diababes!)
Today, we are going to be discussing some aspects of US grad applications and interview aspects that you need to consider in advance!
*This is written from a general STEM POV so may not directly apply to other fields.
#DisInHigherEd #PhDChat #GradSchool #DisabledInSTEM
*This is written from a general STEM POV so may not directly apply to other fields.
#DisInHigherEd #PhDChat #GradSchool #DisabledInSTEM
STEM PhD and some STEM Master's programs in the U.S. are funded, but the stipend amount and source of funding vary among programs. Some require fellowship applications to be submitted alongside graduate applications.
While programs mention "guaranteed" funding for a certain amount of time, most funding for stipends after the 1st year are paid directly by your advisor, so you will want to make sure the advisor has the funds to pay you because the advisor may not clarify for you
Recently, I received an email from my school’s disability office basically saying that I “haven’t been downloading the notes regularly” for one of my class (which I just received accommodations for last month). I understand they specifically hire note takers for that class...
But also, considering I am not the only one in that class that uses the notes I don’t understand why they would send me a paragraph long email saying how they “expect students receiving these services to use them regularly”
Again, I understand why they do expect students to use them regularly but also send a whole essay about expectations is unnecessary and IMO inconsiderate. I think it’s fair to say that some accommodations you don’t find very useful as the semester..
Just a heads-up for those participating in #DisabledRollCall and #DEHEMRollCall, if you could try to make sure images are accessible with alt-text or image descriptions; videos with accurate captions, color-blindness friendly colors on images/graphics; and...
camel-case with the hash tags, where each word begins with a capital (e.g. #DisInHigherEd, #DisabledInSTEM), that would be much appreciated. We want to make sure our event is as accessible as possible. So, that everyone can join in and participate in the fun!
And if anyone else has any other suggestions to making posts more accessible, please let us know via DM!
This Friday September 11th, we're (@LindaCCor) presenting on universal design and why you should implement it in your daily life at @_scientistt's Virtual Networking Event. Please check out this event before next Month. It's free. Register using the link below.
Our contributor @LindaCCor has also posted this blog post on universal design already on @_scientistt. Check it out:
@LindaCCor is also running the @iamscicomm twitter account this week, where she is discussing disability accommodations, accessibility, and universal design. Check it out below:
Who wants to see the #Diversity data for @STFC_Matters, that was released by @UKRI_News last week?
The full data release is here, so if you want to see anything for yourself, go ahead: ukri.org/about-us/equal…
The full data release is here, so if you want to see anything for yourself, go ahead: ukri.org/about-us/equal…
@STFC_Matters funds research & training into astronomy, particle physics, space & planetary sciences & nuclear physics. This is important because @ukhesa only report STFC as #physics – it’s so much more!
STFC have a #equality & #diversity statement here: stfc.ukri.org/funding/promot…
STFC have a #equality & #diversity statement here: stfc.ukri.org/funding/promot…
So, let’s start with @STFC_Matters #ethnicity data.
Worth noting that @UKRI_News collate three categories; ethnic minority, white, not disclosed.
We can’t separate out different ethnicity, which is a problem in itself.
Worth noting that @UKRI_News collate three categories; ethnic minority, white, not disclosed.
We can’t separate out different ethnicity, which is a problem in itself.
