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The Paint Bucket Model of Dis/ability in STEM Higher Education: Axioms 1-3

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

June 26, 2024

Conference Session

Transformative Learning in STEM: Accessibility, Social Impact, and Inclusivity in Higher Education

Tagged Divisions

Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--48124

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/48124

Download Count

60

Paper Authors

biography

D. C. Beardmore University of Colorado Boulder Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-9900-9571

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D. C. Beardmore earned their Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. They are currently the Engineering GoldShirt Program Manager for the Broadening Opportunities through Leadership and Diversity (BOLD) center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Their current and historical positionality statements can be found at dcbeardmore.com.

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biography

Angela R Bielefeldt University of Colorado Boulder

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Angela Bielefeldt is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) and Director of the Integrated Design Engineering (IDE) program. The IDE program hosts a BS degree in IDE accredited by the ABET EAC under the general criteria and a new PhD degree in Engineering Education. Bielefeldt is a Fellow of the ASEE and a licensed P.E. in Colorado.

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Abstract

Dis/ability is a complex, evolving, and nuanced concept. Recognizing the absence of a clear definition of dis/ability, the first author proposed a “paint bucket dis/ability” theoretical framework through which dis/abled tertiary STEM student’s experiences can be examined. In this paper, we deductively map select experiences and conceptualizations of STEM graduate students to the first three axioms of the paint bucket dis/ability theoretical framework. The first three axioms state that dis/ability is: (1) temporary, episodic, transient, chronic, and permanent variations in mental, emotional, and/or physical functioning or appearance that deviate from society’s accepted norm; (2) the simultaneous (a) oppression of body/minds deviating from the norm and the (b) physical, material, and psychological pain, desire, impact, and fear of having a body-mind that is labeled as deviating from society’s accepted norm; (3) existing within a diverse and often fluid spectrum of apparentness, sometimes being readily apparent and sometimes not so readily apparent. This paper provides tangible excerpts from the experiences of dis/abled STEM graduate students to explore these axioms of the framework. This paper offers a common language from which to discuss dis/ability and illuminate factors that create and maintain marginalization, oppression, and violence by reducing ambiguity and opening dialogue on dis/ability and access needs.

Beardmore, D. C., & Bielefeldt, A. R. (2024, June), The Paint Bucket Model of Dis/ability in STEM Higher Education: Axioms 1-3 Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--48124

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