Transgender College Student Equity and Inclusion Program

Abstract

Understanding the inequities experienced by Transgender college students on university campuses is fundamental to promoting the occupational engagement of Transgender individuals. The Transgender community in the United States (U.S.) today is more widely varied and accepted than ever before in the recorded history of post-European colonialization of this country (Beemyn, 2014). Dowers, White, Kingsley and Swenson (2019) explain the risk for increased occupational injustice for Transgender college students due to their complex experience of occupations and the influencing factors. Current research has significant gaps in our understanding of how to counteract the effects of occupational injustice for Transgender college and university students. This project analyzes the needs and experiences of Transgender students and utilizes them to synthesize a program to promote occupational and educational equity. This program focuses on creating equitable and inclusive university campuses by providing suggestions on how to eradicate systemic transphobia and increase education and awareness of Transgender student needs. A mixed-method project design was utilized as a needs assessment, which included quantitative and qualitative data collection via anonymous surveys with both Likert scale ratings and short answer questions. Three themes emerged from the findings: existing Transgender resources, systemic transphobia, and physical and psychosocial environment. Needs assessment findings were developed into a ten-section Transgender Student Equity and Inclusion Program which is being implemented at Dominican University of California.