Presentation developed for a part of course work in Student Development Theory II, Fall 2014, Western Illinois University, CSP.

1. ABILITY AND IDENTITY
DEVELOPMENT
Katie Mey
Western
Illinois
University

2. OVERVIEW
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Participants
Overall Themes
Application To Theory
Points to Consider
Limitations
Closing Thoughts

3. PARTICIPANTS
 Inter viewee 1
 White, female, traditional age college student, full time status at a 4 year
institution, mid to low mid SES, small town/rural context
 Physical impairment- utilizes a manual wheel chair for mobility
 Inter viewee 2
 White, female, just above traditional college age, non -student, mid to low SES,
small town/rural context
 Intellectual impairment- sub average intellectual ability/intelligence level for
same age peers without disabilities
 Inter viewee 3
 White, female, traditional age college student, part time status at a 2
year/technical institution, small town/rural context
 Physical impairment- utilizes a manual wheel chair for mobility
 Inter viewee 4*
 White, male, traditional age college student, full time status at a 4 year
institution, mid to high mid SES?, small town context?
 Traumatic brain injury - difficulty learning mathematics, sub average executive
functioning skills & sub average executive functioning level for same age peers

4. Abelism- “pervasive system
of discrimination and
exclusion that oppresses
people [with]…disabilities
on…individual, institutional,
and societal/cultural levels”
(Evans, N. J.,
Fo r n ey, D . S . ,
G u i d o , F. M . ,
P a t to n , L . D . , &
Re n n , K . A . ,
2 01 0 , p . 1 9 8 )

5. OVERALL THEMES
 Keen awareness of themselves as different, to come extent
 Social acceptability of attribution of “less than”
 Acceptable rationale for discrimination still, broadly speaking
 “I was told that the only way to go into forensics was to go into law
enforcement and be a detective, and I can‟t do the physical requirements of
that because…‟what if somebody gets killed on a mountain?‟” (Interviewee 1)
 “The advisor was pretty straight with me…she pretty much told me she didn‟t
think the state would let me take my certification exam… The only place that
will hire me is camp. I tell people that I am in a wheelchair because it is very
important to me…Its like oh, we can‟t help you, click .” (interviewee 3)
 Limited experience with others who share their social identity at
even the broadest level
 “For the longest time I thought I was the only person out there with a
disability. Camp changed that…it was confusing for me” (Interviewee 3)
 I was the only person in my environment like me

6. OVERALL THEMES
 Treatment as undesirable, inconvenience, child -like, or
inspiration frequently interchangeably
 [When I first started using the chair]”…people used to ask me if they
could help me…push me over there or do things for me…it was like an
every day thing” (Interviewee 1)
 “People see me do things and they tell me I‟m an inspiration… I don‟t
even have time to shave my legs in the winter, I don‟t have time to be an
inspiration.” (Interviewee 1)
 “My upper body is more adult…my legs are smaller…I am short, but I am
clearly an adult…Parents often assume I am a camper, even in a staff
shirt” (Interviewee 3)
 I don‟t like it when he tells me what to do…he‟s so bossy…I am a good
player (Interviewee 2)

7. APPLICATION TO THEORY:
ASSIGNED READINGS
 The “Simultaneity” of Identities ( H o l v i n o , 2 01 2 )
 Multiple, mutually influencing, simultaneously experienced
identities.
 Interviewee 1- Multiple identities are present, none primary
 Interviewee 3- Some people “Let their disability run their life. They should
run their life because its their life .”
 Disabled Students in Higher Education; Negotiating Identity
(Riddell, Tinklin, and Wilson, 2005)
 Stigma associated with social identity
 Avoidance/non-acceptance of the label despite selfidentification.
 Interviewee 3- does not identity with most others who have disabilities
 Interviewee 2- identifies with her friends, wants to be treated as „normal‟

8. APPLICATION TO THEORY:
OTHER MODELS
 LGBT identity theories
 Not typically a group that is born into a family that shares identity
 D‟Augelli‟s Model of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Development (1994)
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Exiting heterosexual identity
Developing a personal lesbian/gay/bisexual identity
Developing a lesbian/gay/bisexual social identity
Becoming a lesbian/gay/bisexual offspring?
Developing a lesbian/gay/bisexual intimacy status
Developing a lesbian/gay/bisexual community?

9. APPLICATION TO THEORY:
OTHER MODELS
 Latino/a identity theory
 View relationship to identity group as non-hierarchical and related to
individual needs/survival
 Latina and Latino Ethnoracial Identity Orientation (Ferdman and
Gallegos, 2012)
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Latino-integrated
Latino-identified
Sub-group-identified
Latino as other
Undifferentiated/denial
White-identified

10. POINTS TO CONSIDER
 Broad umbrella social identity
 Vast, vast different in the characteristics that „place you‟ in this group
 Unique status of social identity
 My own realization of the indoctrination I still harbor

11. LIMITATIONS
 Small, unrepresentative data set
 Length of interviews
 End-point oriented or typicality based premise of theory

12. CLOSING THOUGHTS
 What does the pervasiveness of negative representations of
this identity and the level of acceptability of discrimination
mean for the identity development of individuals who might
identify with this group? About the development of theories
related to this social identity?
 What does it mean for institutions that this group of
individuals to be gaining increasing access to higher
education?
 What kind of things might the recognition of this presence of
this social identity group change about how you practice?
What might it change about our campus( es)?

13. REFERENCES
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A .
(2010). Student development in college: Theor y, research, and practice .
Sanfrancisco, CA: Jossey -Bass
Ferdman & Gallegos. (201 2) . Latina and Latino Ethnoracial Identity
Orientation. Wijey & Jackson. New per spectives on racial identity
development . 2 nd ed. New York: NYU Press .
Holvino. (201 2). The “Simultaneity” of Identities. Wijey & Jackson. New
per spectives on racial identity development . 2 nd ed. New York: NYU Press .
Johnson, H. M. (2006). Too late to die young: Nearly true tales from a life .
Macmillan.
Riddell, S., Tinklin, T., & Wilson, A . (2005). Disabled students in higher
education: per spectives on widening access and changing policy .
Routledge.