Towards an Understanding of the Interactions of Disability and Queer Identity in Undergraduate Students

• Nico Tomic, Anthropology, University of Delaware

• Jennifer Trivedi, Anthropology, University of Delaware

This project records the stories of undergraduate college students who identify as both queer and disabled, using a survey and a series of interviews with participants about their life experiences, known as oral histories. The survey collects information from people identifying as either queer, disabled, or both to get a broader understanding of the experiences these groups face and to be able to compare the responses from each of the three groups. The survey asks more general questions about their experiences with their identities and different communities, both online and in-person. The survey is also used to gather participants for the oral histories. A smaller number of oral history interviews will be held with individuals who wish to participate and provide their contact information. These oral histories will help explore their stories, perceptions, identities, and communities in greater depth. The goal is to make these  publicly available in the future to aid researchers in gaining a better understanding of the experiences of queer and disabled college students, a group underrepresented in literature and research. The availability of this  oral history collection will help fill a gap, and may help other students with these same identities by providing stories they can relate to or learn from.

For my work, both physical and mental disabilities will be considered, but with a focus on specifically invisible disabilities, including but not limited to chronic pain, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, autism, and long COVID, and how that intersects with a wide spectrum of identities related to the term “queer.”