The Epic and the Tragedy: Narratives of a Disabled Physics Student

Abstract

In this paper, we present a case study with a disabled physics student to draw attention to his experiences in the physics community, and the barriers and supports that he experienced as he advanced through his physics career. Using a methodology of narrative analysis, we identify themes and genres within the stories told by the participant. Narratives are often created to explain the unexpected and to solve a problem. In the physics community, disabled students find their “differences” (i.e., disability/impairments) are often positioned as unexpected and a problem to be solved. We use narrative analysis to humanize disabled physics students and to highlight their lived experiences of progressing through the physics community over their perceived deviation from the physics “norm.” From this, we create resources for physics mentors to increase their knowledge of disabled physics students’ experiences and how to support accessibility and inclusion in the physics community.