UT Austin Establishes Disabled Faculty Equity Council; Cawthon Co-Leads Initiative
For the first time in its 139-year history, the University of Texas at Austin has established an equity council for faculty who have disabilities — a new initiative that joins other committees and councils that address racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Through the leadership and advocacy of its co-chairs — Drs. Stephanie W. Cawthon and Alison Kafer — the Disabled Faculty Equity Council was formed in 2021 to address, improve, and advance accessibility and equity for disabled faculty at UT Austin.
“This council is just one part of a larger conversation about including disability in diversity initiatives and cultivating a distinctive UT culture of equity and excellence,” said Dr. Cawthon. “This is especially important as UT Austin works toward a campus-wide strategic plan and a specific Strategic Plan for Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity.”
The Council’s Mission and Work
The Disabled Faculty Equity Council advises the executive vice president and provost on best practices and will serve as a catalyst for advocacy in campus accessibility, disabled representation, and equity. It works in collaboration with colleges/schools, departments, and programs to:
Support the development of programs and policies to improve the campus-wide climate and institutional reputation for equity relating to disability, access, accommodations, and ableism
Monitor progress and sustain successes through data collection and benchmarking
Develop actionable policies that academic leaders will implement
The Disabled Faculty Equity Council will complement other disability efforts on campus including student-led efforts to create a Disability Cultural Center, the Disabled Faculty Staff Association (University Resource Group), and the Disability Studies Program at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
And, like its equity council siblings — Council for Racial and Ethnic Equity and Diversity (CREED), University Faculty Gender Equity Council (UFGEC), and Council for LGBTQ+ Access, Equity, and Inclusion (Q+AEI) — the Disabled Faculty Equity Council will be fostering a university environment that addresses the needs and acknowledges the perspectives of underrepresented groups among faculty, staff and student experiences and ensures everyone has a clear path to success.
Creation of the Council
Organizing the Disabled Faculty Equity Council began when Drs. Kafer and Cawthon worked with then-Vice Provost of Faculty Diversity Edmund T. Gordon, Senior Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs Tasha Beretvas, and Provost’s office staff member Grayson Hunt to model the group after other strategic initiatives, with the approval of Executive Vice President and Provost Sharon Wood.
Together, they convened 25 disabled UT faculty in the spring of 2021 to discuss issues related to disability, ableism, and faculty experience at UT Austin. The group was overwhelmingly supportive of organizing a faculty equity council centered on disability.
Participants represented a broad range of departments and colleges across campus and with varying positions and time in service at UT Austin — mirroring the diversity of disability experiences at UT as a whole.
They shared experiences with mental disabilities and mental illness, mobility disabilities, chronic illness and chronic pain, memory loss, neurodiversity and neuroqueerness, sensory disabilities, and more.
Council Membership
Disabled Faculty Equity Council Co-Chairs
Stephanie W. Cawthon, Educational Psychology & Special Education – College of Education
Alison Kafer, Department of English – College of Liberal Arts
Council Members
Danielle A. Berg, College of Natural Sciences
Andrew Brodsky, McCombs School of Business
Michael J. Churgin, School of Law
Ken Fleischmann, School of Information
Debadyuti (Rana) Ghosh, College of Pharmacy
Jo Hsu, College of Liberal Arts
Peniel Joseph, LBJ School of Public Policy
Jung-Fu “Afu” Lin, School of Geosciences
Min Liu, College of Education
Christopher Moreland, Dell Medical School
Nico Osier, School of Nursing
Amy Kristin Sanders, Moody College of Communication
David Soloveichik, School of Engineering
Nick Winges-Yanez, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Vacant, School of Architecture
Vacant, College of Fine Arts
Ex-Officio Council Members: Christopher McCarthy, Office of the Faculty Ombuds; Tasha Beretvas, Faculty Affairs; Marquita Booker, Office for Inclusion and Equity; Andrea Gore, Committee of Counsel on Academic Freedom and Responsibility; Domino Perez, Faculty Council; Mark Smith, Graduate School; Del Watson, Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity; Latoya Smith, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement; and Grayson Hunt, Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity.