Can science be inclusive? Belonging and identity when you are disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent

Belonging and identity in any aspect of STEM education must be addressed intersectionally. In this chapter, we focus on how laboratories can, and should be managed to ensure that they are inclusive to students and staff who are disabled, chronically ill, and/or neurodivergent. In order to encourage greater diversity in STEM, it is vital that students feel that they have a place in the discipline and that they belong. This demands that they witness people like them succeeding and progressing in STEM careers. Disabled students can not truly belong in spaces where disabled staff are excluded, which is why in this chapter we address inclusivity for both students and staff.

Disabled people are part of every large and diverse community. The proportion of disabled people has increased since COVID-19, for example, in 2018 only 16% of the working population in the UK, and by 2021 this had risen to 22% of the total population (DWP 2022). The numbers of disabled people with a degree are rising, however the proportion is still much smaller (only about 1/3 of the number of non-disabled people who have a degree) (ONS 2022a), and they still face many barriers to access (ONS 2022b). Within academia, the numbers of undergraduate students with a known disability increased from 2018 (14%) to 2021 (17%) (HESA 2022a). During the same period the numbers of postgraduate students with a known disability also increased, from 9%-11% (ibid.) However, the number of academic staff with a known disability only increased from 4%-5% (HESA 2022b), despite the prevalence of disability increasing with age which might lead us to expect an increase in numbers of staff as compared to students (DWP 2022). It is easy to conclude that within academia there is widespread underrepresentation of disabled people (Brown and Leigh 2018b), and this underrepresentation is increased in disciplines where there is greater gender inequality such as those in STEM (HESA 2022b). Professional societies such as the Royal Society, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry are investigating the extent and consequences of underrepresentation and ways to address lack of diversity in science and marginalisation of certain groups. These include reports examining the diversity landscape (Royal Society of Chemistry 2018), women’s retention, progression, and barriers to publishing success (Royal Society of Chemistry 2019a; b), experiences of LGBTQIA+ scientists (Institute of Physics, Royal Astronomical Society, and Royal Society of Chemistry 2019), the lack of racial and ethnic diversity (Royal Society 2021; Royal Society of Chemistry 2022), the lack of progression for disabled scientists (CRAC 2020) and accessibility for disabled students (Joice and Tetlow 2021). Underrepresentation, being, and feeling marginalised at study or work, will impact on how much an individual feels that they belong there (Royal Society of Chemistry 2021)