The right to be included: Ensuring the inclusive learning and work environment for people with disabilities in academia

Abstract

Purpose

In the spirit of the growing Time is Up movement in North America, this paper aims to focus on the human dimension of academic learning environments and delves into the reasons for the continuous oppression, discrimination and bullying (ODB) of faculty members with disabilities in academia, showing the particularly detrimental effect of ODB in the small professionally oriented field of information science.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptualizing of continuous ODB of people with disabilities in academia is done by carefully scrutinizing the state of affairs; presenting a nuanced survey of utilized terminology; providing a new and inclusive definition of everyday oppression; introducing a new model of an oppressive workplace environment experienced by people with disabilities; showing the centrality of information behaviours and phenomena in ODB; highlighting the high relevance of this discussion to learning science; and outlining potential detrimental effects of ODB on the psychological climate in and the process of professional higher education.

Findings

The model of an oppressive workplace environment experienced by people with disabilities is presented.

Originality/value

Unlike previous models of ODB at the workplace, the current model puts information phenomena as decisive factors in continuous ODB against people with disabilities; particular attention is paid to information avoidance behaviours; distorted or delayed information messages transmitted by managers to employees; gossip as an informal information-based tactic of ODB; the insufficient protection of privacy and confidentiality of information about disabilities and personal health; and vague information messages that diminish the usefulness of university policies on disabilities.

Citation

Dali, K. (2018), "The right to be included: Ensuring the inclusive learning and work environment for people with disabilities in academia", Information and Learning Sciences, Vol. 119 No. 9/10, pp. 486-513. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-04-2018-0032