Margaret Price: Everyday Survival and Collective Action: What We Can Learn from Disabled Faculty in a Time of Unwellness
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has raised startling questions about everyday life—for example, “How is it possible that I am required to do a full-time job while also providing full-time care for my family?” or “How can I negotiate questions of ‘safety’ with my co-workers, my community, even my closest loved ones?” These questions surged into the limelight in 2020, yet few realize that they were already active topics of conversation in small, interdependent communities of disabled, BIPOC, queer, and otherwise marginalized people. In this talk, Margaret Price draws upon data from a survey and interview study with disabled faculty (https://margaretprice.wordpress.com/disabled-faculty-study) to highlight themes such as “time,” “cost,” “technology,” and “accountability.” These themes not only teach us more about the everyday lives and strategies of disabled faculty members, but also demonstrate that all participants in higher education will benefit from a cultural shift toward shared accountability and interdependent forms of care.