1. Land-Grant
Leadership Impact:
Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion of
Persons with
Hidden Disabilities
LEAD21 Alumni Association Annual
Meeting
March 10, 2021
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.
Copyright © 2021 Table SALT Group. All rights reserved.

2. Finding
Purpose in
Times of
Uncertainty
What does DEI look like and how does it feel?
What drivers steer future directions of diversity and
inclusion?
What models can be replicated?
How DEI is manifested in our classrooms, on our
campuses, and in our workplace culture?
What is working and not working?
How can you be a part of a DEI solution?

3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
The Masked Among Us
What does it look like and how does it feel?
• Non-disclosure among persons with hidden
disabilities due to history of stigmatization
• High sensitivity to others’ conscious and
unconscious biases
• Inferiority, unintelligent, and incapable
• Untrustworthy, cheating the system
questioning status and accusations of unfair
advantage
• Performance improvements occur slowly
overtime
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

4. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
The Masked Among Us
What drivers steer future directions of diversity and inclusion?
• Students with disabilities are enrolling in public universities and career professionals in the
workplace entering at increasing rates
• Learning disabilities comprise most disability types in higher education and the workplace
• Lack of attention to a growing population of persons with unique needs creates a leadership
challenge
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

5. Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion:
The Masked Among Us
How it is manifested in our classrooms,
on our campuses, and in our workplace
culture?
• College Students with HDs become
Career Professionals with HDs
• Ongoing criticism for graduation and
retention rates of underrepresented
students and faculty from minority
groups
• Black students with disabilities
continue to lag behind their White
counterparts.
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

6. Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion:
The Masked
Among Us
Ethical Considerations
• Social justice for marginalized groups
• Balancing community values, needs,
and identity
• Essentialism and identity politics
• Re-stigmatization
• Availability and distribution of
resources and existing competencies
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

7. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
The Masked Among Us
What is working and not working?
• Theory of Self-Determination
• combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that
promote goal-directed, self-regulated, and
autonomous behavior
• involves problem-solving and making independent
decisions about personal activities
• Lack of self-determination often results in passive
integration into higher education and the
workplace
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

8. Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion:
The Masked Among Us
Models that can be replicated promote individual Self-Determination
• Organizations have experienced many benefits with a neurodiverse workforce
• Expand, support, and fund awareness training and professional development
• Accommodate vulnerabilities and gain greater improvements
• Encourage informal networks
• Provide clear, caring, and flexible lecturers and tutor
• Center approaches around the individual
• Embrace personalized life and career coaching
• Give people time
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

9. Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion:
The Masked Among Us
Models that can be replicated promote individual Self-Determination
• Wealthier individuals, out-of-state and off-campus students are more likely to seek accommodations
and support
• More interaction with faculty, administrators, and peers
• Less difficulty with assignments and projects
• Instructors and advisors are a major factor the success of persons with hidden disabilities
• Increase awareness
• Honor discretion
• Seek feedback
• Show empathy
• Nurture a sense of belonging
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

10. Diversity,
Equity, and
Inclusion:
The Masked
Among Us
How do we as leaders in the land-grant system ensure we build a
more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment?
• Public institutions’ performance in this focus area has not been
clearly explained, particularly land grant universities with the
specific mission of providing access to education for all citizens
and funded to advance and promote teaching, research, and
service in practical education.
• Observe the lessons of our past and be intentional about our
evolution into the present and future - a unique segment of the
U.S. land grant education system exists in pairs -- a historically
Black college and university and a predominately White
institution -- due to historical segregation in the United States'
southern region.
Reframe the question!
• How land-grant university leaders describe strategies for
persons with learning disabilities to be self-determined, so they
succeed in their academic progress, retention, and persistence.
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

11. Research
Methodology
Collective Case Study Design
• Compares multiple cases within the land-grant
system in order to provide insight into the issue of
diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Cross-case analysis bound within the Southern
region of the land-grant system
• Guides the exploration through a deep dive
into the historical context of educational
segregation in the South
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

12. Research
Methodology
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

13. Research
Methodology
Collecting the DATA for the making the CASE
• Web conference interviews from at least four to
six sites within the system
• Aggregate data from pairs and save unique data
for comparison in future research
• Review policy documents, print and digital
publications, posted announcements, and other
forms of materials for strategic approaches to
inclusiveness
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

14. Let’s Continue the Conversation
• Hold an administrative position and are responsible for students with learning
disabilities?
• Represent either a historically black college or university (HBCU) or a
predominately white institution (PWI) land grant university in your state?
• Possess at least 5 years of experience in the role at your land grant institution?
• Not a personal or professional acquaintance of the researcher?
• Do not have immediate family members (parents, siblings, children) who have
learning disabilities?
Table SALT Group. BE BETTER. DO BETTER.

15. Closing Thoughts
Diversity in the modern world is
more than just skin color – it’s gender,
age, disability, sexual orientation,
social background – and most of all as
far as I’m concerned, diversity of
thought.
-Idris Elba

16. Thank You
References
Ju, S., Zeng, W., & Landmark, L. J. (2017). Self determination
and academic success of students with disabilities in
postsecondary education: A review. Journal of Disability Policy
Studies, 28(3), 180-189. doi:10.1177/1044207317739402
Knight, W., Wessel, R. D., & Markle, L. (2018) Persistence to
graduation for students with disabilities: Implications for
performance-based outcomes. Journal of College Student
Retention: Research, Theory Practice, 19(4), 362-380.
doi:10.1177/1521025116632534
Lovett, B. J., Nelson, J. M., & Lindstrom, W. (2015) Documenting
hidden disabilities in higher education: Analysis of recent
guidance from the association on higher education and
disability (AHEAD). Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 26(1), 44-
53. doi:10.1177/1044207314533383
Mitchell, J. J., & Gansemer Topf, A. (2016) Academic coaching
and self regulation: Promoting the success of students with
disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education Disability,
29(3), 249-256.
Wehmeyer, M. L., & Little, T. D. (2013) Self Determination. In
The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Disability (pp.
1-40). Oxford UniversityPress.