Let's Talk Disability Ep8 - The Challenges of being a deaf academic (subtitled)

Описание: eaturing Laura McLeod & Professor Claire Alexander | Hosted by Professor Jackie Carter

In this powerful and thought‑provoking episode of Let’s Talk Disability, Professor Jackie Carter is joined by Senior Lecturer in Politics, Laura McLeod, and Head of the School of Social Sciences, Professor Claire Alexander, for a rich and honest conversation about disability, identity, research culture, and the invisible labour disabled academics must navigate.

Laura shares her experience of being born with a profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss—diagnosed late, misunderstood early, and continually shaped by a world designed for people who can hear. She offers striking insight into the everyday work of lip reading, the cognitive exhaustion it creates, and the emotional and logistical burden of arranging access support, from speech‑to‑text transcribers to Access to Work processes. Her reflections illuminate both the beauty and the cost of navigating academia as a deaf scholar.

Claire listens deeply and responds as a leader, reflecting on the realities Laura describes, the blind spots in academic culture, and the need for more informed, compassionate and practical support for disabled colleagues. Her willingness to interrogate assumptions—about access, representation, identity and inclusion—gives this conversation a rare blend of honesty and humility.

Together they explore powerful themes, including:
the difference between hearing loss and navigating a hearing‑oriented world
the emotional labour of “fitting in” and the pressures to stay silent
the burden of representation and the complexity of identity categories
the invisible cost of organising support as a disabled academic
the gaps between institutional policy and day‑to‑day experience
how research time—not teaching—often pays the price of inaccessibility
the need for leadership training for managers, not just disabled staff
why sharing experiences can reveal structural patterns hidden in plain sight

This episode is also a call to action: Laura and Claire reflect on the need to gather, understand and act upon the collective experiences of disabled staff in Social Sciences, to create better systems, not just individual adjustments. Their commitments at the end of the episode are practical, grounded and full of purpose.

This is an insightful, moving and deeply human conversation about what it really takes to thrive as a disabled academic—and what universities must do if they are serious about equity, inclusion and genuine support.

A must‑listen for anyone in higher education, leadership, EDI work, or who wants to understand the reality behind the statistics.

Send us your questions or comments to [email protected] with the subject 'LTD' or connect with Jackie on Linkedin at   / drjackiecarter  

Listen, learn, and help drive real change—because disability inclusion benefits everyone.