Blog Post 1 – Intersectionality
Whilst Kimberle Crenshaw’s paper on Intersectionality focus on violence against women of colour (1993), it’s themes and findings can be applied for discussion around many genders and communities that feel marginalised by society. It was an influential reading that has allowed me to reflect on intersectional and identity politics on a deeper level.
Crenshaw’s study of women of colour seeking refuse at women’s shelters was particularly fascinating, where she explains ‘Many women of colour, for example, are burdened by poverty- , childcare responsibilities, and the lack of job opportunities’ (Crenshaw, 1993) which in turn causes these women to remain with dangerous partners due to lack of opportunities outside of their relationship – which could be argued is caused by society’s bias and marginalisation of these women. I will reflect further on this later where I discuss my own experience with intentionality working with BAME students from impoverished backgrounds.
When reviewing the interviews, I continued to notice this pattern of societal obstacles. Perhaps an unconscious bias that has been created and continual obstacles that are created by society – and how even in wealthy progressive countries like the Uk create continue systematic obstacles for marginalised communities disabling them from an inclusive and accessible life.
Let’s look at Paralympic athlete Ade Adiptan who praises the Paralympic movement for giving a platform and place to shine for those with a disability. But countering that, Ade argues that in poorer areas of the UK and indeed the world, those disabled people in communities – often black communities – are being denied pathways to things like Paralympics purely through lack of access to facilities. Lack of wheelchair access, lack of sports facilities that have specialist coaches, lack of equipment, lack of facilities that allow them to be invited. This is obviously more prevalent in poorer nations where there is simply no access. not just limited. Without basic physical access such as step free, transport, specific sport facilities, there simply is no opportunity.
This pattern continues with Chay Brown, a trans disabled man. Chay discusses bias and marginalisation in the LBGTQ community and how again, access to safe spaces is also restricted by simple things as access, facilities.
When reflecting on intersectionality in my own teaching practise, I’m drawn to the cases of several of my students with mental health considerations from the BAME community. One BAME student in particular is an exceptionally talented student but she is continually faced with intersectional disabilities. The student has a problematic family with low income but also parental relationship breakdowns. Low family income has required the student to seek two part time jobs whilst studying. This is resulting tin the student feeling exhausted and overwhelmed when faced with classes and assignments. Low income and lack of family relationships has also meant the student has been going through childhood and early adulthood with no diagnosis for her mental health disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD – which have now since been diagnosed thanks to the disability service at LCF. BAME attainment is something that I am determined to close the gap on. But we must adapt our own teaching to accommodate this and switch to a more student first approach in order to support those with intersectional disability barriers. This means a more personal and individual approach where students have a flexible learning approach and tutors willing to adapt. They must be included, and we must not as institutions, place unnecessary barriers to that. However, as LCF moves so a more aggressive recruitment drive, student cohort sizes are growing, and this approach becomes harder to sustain as our student numbers increase. Physical access and facilities is one barrier we can fix. But also, we must plan for the infrastructure of the diverse needs of our growing cohorts from bame and lower income students.
References
Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color , Kimberley Crenshaw, 1993
You make some interesting observations, Lucy, but I’d like to explore a little more the student you give some details of in your final paragraph. What I find genuinely shocking is that their dyslexia and ADHD were not detected earlier, or if it was, why no support was given. I wonder if they were schooled in the UK and how old the student is—I assume not that old, as you mention going through ‘early adulthood’ before diagnosis.
I am prone to be a little protectionist in regards to dyslexia (a learning disability, not a mental health disability) due to having a younger brother with this disorder. He is 52 years old now, so was at school at a time when dyslexia wasn’t recognised. His teachers simply said he was ‘slow’, but when our parents paid to have him formally assessed, he was confirmed to be strongly dyslexic and with a significantly higher that average IQ. He was failed by his secondary school, but being from a stable white family I don’t suspect intersectionality to be at play.
So why was your student failed? Did they have the “problematic family with low income” whilst at school? If so, was discrimination a factor in the failure to identify their dyslexia and ADHD? And if so, was it due to their family situation, or being of the BAME community? Praise to the LCF disability service, but how long did it take before this student was referred to them? It also means that all staff should have some awareness training so as to be able to detect potential problems such as these, so that students can be referred for professional diagnosis as soon as possible.
These are not questions I expect to be answered in regard to this student, but your example illustrates some very serious systemic failings that may well relate to issues of intersectionality.
Hi. thanks for taking the time to comment. It was actually me that referred her to the team for testing. It was then me that spent weeks chasing the team at LCF and making her a priority. She moved from parent to parent as a younger adult so there was much disruption . I believe this part of her life is one of the most stable she has ever had. But her previous issues continue to plague in terms of confidence and also obstacles.
Then we can be proud as an institution that we have been able to have such a positive effect on this person’s life, and proud to have proactive staff such as you that made it happen.
Thank you for sharing your insights and your experience with a student who has multiple factors affecting their learning experience and is in need of an intersectional approach to teaching. You highlighted a significant challenge: the high number of students in class compared to the number of staff members. I’m glad to hear that this student received a diagnosis from the disability service, but I’m curious about what support they are offering beyond the diagnosis. While the diagnosis is crucial, I feel that as teaching staff, we are not receiving sufficient guidance on how to accommodate these students effectively. As a member of the staff development team now, I understand there is a high demand for support for teaching staff when it comes to adapting to neuro-diverse students.