Care does not just belong at home: inclusion in doctoral supervision for a student with traumatic brain injury

Abstract

This paper presents an examination of the first author’s experiences and unique positioning as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI hereafter) survivor in doctorate supervision. Autoethnography was used to connect her personal to her cultural experience in this environment where the voices of both supervisors and student enrich doctoral supervision practices. We explore the complex intersections of the first co-author’s experience relating to neurodiversity, disability/ability, care, assumptions and disclosure. This paper illustrates that while being personally embodied, her experience also intersected with overlapping external factors which prevented or supported her inclusion. This paper demonstrates that it was necessary to perceive, trust and appreciate the care being offered before being able to fully disclose and progress successfully with her studies. Oppong’s (2014) integrated model of human action and conditions offers the use of an integrated approach to explain her experience to the reader and proposes a more respectful approach to inclusion. Points of interest This article is written from a stand -point perspective and explores the experiences of the first author as a person with TBI navigating the increasingly neoliberal environment of higher education (HE). This article illustrates how inclusive policies within the HE system that advocate inclusion, in reality, neurodiverse students are not fully understood, and their needs are not adequately met. An ethics of care and empathy are advocated that recognizes the individuality of the first author and understands the complexity of her experience. Disclosure was a reciprocal process in this supervision process. Higher education needs to be more inclusive of disability by providing a more flexible approach to doctoral supervision, while not reducing the standard of a doctorate. Universal design for Learning (UDL) principles may offer a useful framework for making doctoral research more accessible.