Being Ourselves: Narratives of Disabled College Students' Interpersonal Experiences with Campus Community Members

Abstract

This study focused on nine disabled college students' interpersonal interactions with their campus community. Study participants discussed the meaning they took from their interpersonal interactions. Critical disability studies theory and Disability Justice Principles provided a conceptual framework for this study's design. Using narrative inquiry methodology, this study explored the following research questions: (1) How do disabled college students describe their interpersonal interactions with those in their campus community (e.g., staff, faculty members, peers)? (2) What meaning do disabled college students ascribe to their interactions with those in their campus community? (3) How do disabled college students describe their participation in, if any, student organizations at their institutions? Inductive analysis from 18 semi-structured interviews revealed five themes: lower(ed) expectations for support and connection, experiencing oppression, coping with oppression, experiencing interdependent friendships, and in-group friendships. Findings affirm the insufficiency of compliance with disability laws, disabled college students' resiliency in response to ableism, and the need for administrators to foster belonging for disabled college students. Study implications emphasize the urgent need for higher education administrators to foster a sense of belonging among disabled college students with multiple marginalized identities as well as disrupt systems of oppression within higher education institutions.