One in four people experience some type of disability at any given time, whether it’s outwardly apparent or not. In her new book, “Disability is Human: The Vital Power of Accessibility in Everyday Life,” Dr. Stephanie W. Cawthon, the Catherine Mae Parker Centennial Professor in Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the College of Education, shares the real stories and experiences of others to help create a working guide for people with disabilities.
”There are stories everywhere,” she said. ”Once you start paying attention, it’s much easier to be in tune with these daily experiences.”
For Dr. Cawthon, her writing is personal. She lives with congenital hearing loss, physical disabilities and mental health issues herself.
She has worked as a professional educator and researcher for over 25 years to promote awareness and understanding in communities while dispelling myths and raising expectations about disabled people.
She is also an internationally renowned expert for her in-depth research examining the multiple factors which can help deaf and disabled people succeed in all aspects of their lives. In 2023, Dr. Cawthon founded the National Disability Center for Student Success to improve inclusion of disabled students, boost degree completion efforts and increase readiness for the workforce.
In “Disability is Human” and its accompanying workbook, Dr. Cawthon uses relatable stories, personal experiences and actionable tips to provide the building blocks to tap into the power of accessibility and boost understanding of disability.
”Disability can be intimidating – and often scary – and so accessibility is either avoided or ignored,” she said. ”But accessibility does truly have the power to make our lives much more rich, vital and welcoming for all.”
A majority of her research and writing explores issues of equity and access in education, accommodations and accessible learning environments, and systemic standards that can hold people back. Another theme she explores in her book is how to identify and confront ableism, the pervasive discrimination and prejudice against people with physical and mental abilities. And ableism can be easy to miss.
“When we think of the Paralympic Games, sometimes you will see commentators refer to the athletes not as competitors but as participants,” she said. “That is a subtle but key shift in how we view the athletes.”
Some of the practical tips laid out in the book for disabled people in the workplace and schools, for example, include making social media more accessible through using alt text for images, turning on auto-captions on video calls and taking breaks during long meetings and classes.
Everyday life in the larger community and society, however, can provide significant challenges for people living with disabilities, whether it’s accessibility or general skepticism.
“There’s an underlying suspicion that many people are lying and cheating when they ask for accommodations,” Dr. Cawthon said “The stigma associated with disability is still overwhelmingly negative, particularly for those disabilities that are not readily apparent. We’re less practiced in how to respond to the kinds of requests that may support people with these conditions compared with, say, someone using a wheelchair.”
In writing “Disability is Human,” she hopes to give back to everyone who has shaped her own disability journey and reach out to people who want to make a difference in their own lives or the lives of others. Through her book and continuing research, Dr. Cawthon remains committed to creating an accessible world where all people can thrive.
