A social justice perspective on disability in higher education

A social justice approach to disability in higher education assumes all people can attend and benefit from higher education without their bodies or psyches needing to conform to the norms and expectations of society. A social justice approach presumes barriers to achieving success experienced by disabled individuals lie in the structures, organizations, physical climates, architectural designs, and attitudes of people associated with colleges and universities although it accounts for the ways in which individuals’ impairments affect their functioning. While a social justice approach would benefit all higher education institutions and the disabled students who attend them, the staff of most higher education institutions in the United States still base their understanding of disability on a medical/rehabilitation model. Drawing on current theory and research related to social justice and disability, we identify and provide examples of the elements necessary to address ableism in higher education and develop socially just policy and practices that enable disabled students, faculty, and staff to be successful.