2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Exploring Identity Negotiation within Disabled, International Women of Color Pursuing Undergraduate Engineering Degrees

Presented at ERM WIP II: Equity & Accessibility in Engineering Education

This Empirical Research, Work-in-Progress (WIP) paper explores intersectionality within the disabled community, utilizing narrative accounts to highlight the complex and layered experiences of these individuals who navigate multiple marginalized identities in engineering education. Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within engineering education often overlook the experiences of disabled students, treating them as a monolithic group. This study seeks to disrupt this narrative by foregrounding the nuanced ways in which disabled students negotiate their identities within ableist environments. The broader research study investigates how disability is often isolated as a singular aspect of identity without adequate consideration for how it intersects with other axes of identity. Through narrative inquiry, this study examines how disabled, international Women of Color in undergraduate engineering negotiate and recognize their disabilities within higher education. This WIP paper presents the narrative of Leah, a disabled, international Woman of Color enrolled in an engineering undergraduate program.

Authors

Dr. Rachel Figard http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1524-5778 University of Georgia [biography]

Dr. Rachel Figard is an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI) and the Department of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering (ECAM). Her primary areas of research include disabled student experiences, design justice, the impact of institutional policy and practice on student experience, and accessible user experience design. She received a Ph.D. in Engineering Education Systems and Design from Arizona State University (ASU), an M.S. in User Experience from ASU, and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Jennifer M Bekki Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus [biography]

Jennifer M. Bekki is an Associate Professor in and Associate Director of The Polytechnic School within The Fulton Schools of Engineering. Her research aims to understand and address inequities arising from racism and sexism within STEM graduate education.
Dr. Samantha Ruth Brunhaver http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8607-5959 Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus [biography]

Samantha Brunhaver is an Assistant Professor of Engineering in the Fulton Schools of Engineering Polytechnic School. Dr. Brunhaver recently joined Arizona State after completing her M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She also

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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