SIC’s Career Spotlights: Dr Erin Pritchard
Dr Erin Pritchard is a lecturer of Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University. She’s also a published writer and activist for the rights of people with dwarfism.
Why did you choose a career in academia?
I have always wanted to teach, as it is something I enjoy. But teaching Disability Studies is more personal to me as I find that it is a way to help challenge stereotypes and problematic attitudes within society. It also aids in raising awareness about disability access.
How do you think being disabled has changed your approach to how you do your job?
It enables me to bring a personal experience to what I teach. When teaching students about concepts or certain topics in Disability Studies I am able to share with them personal experiences which brings what I am teaching to life.
What is your career advice for those who aspire to enter the academic field of disability studies?
If you are disabled, draw on your own experiences, not only will this provide some real life, and sometimes practical examples relating to what you are teaching, it will also reinforce your position as the expert. Non-disabled academics will have many advantages, but the one they won’t have are any embodied experiences.
Did you experience any setbacks when you started teaching due to your disability? How did you overcome them?
Yes, I quit one job in academia when the university refused to provide any reasonable accommodations. I didn’t really ‘overcome’ this problem as I could not get them to provide any reasonable accommodations, such as parking when commuting between two campuses, and thus left.
Are there any specific projects or publications you are particularly proud of?
Recently, my first monograph ‘Dwarfism, spatialities and disabling experiences’ was published by Routledge, which explores the numerous barriers people with dwarfism encounter within public spaces. I am proud to write something which exposes barriers that go unnoticed, but also to demonstrate how cultural representations of dwarfism can lead to abuse in society.
Another publication I am particularly proud of is a paper I wrote about being sexually assaulted at an association for people with dwarfism. ‘Female researcher safety: The difficulties of recruiting participants at conventions for people with dwarfism’ draws on my own experiences of trying to recruit participants, but unfortunately, due to the fact that a number of men with dwarfism use these spaces to try and find a date, resulted in me being sexually assaulted. I am proud of this piece as it was difficult to speak up about my experience, not only because of the subject, but also because the association threatened me with legal action for daring to speak out about the problem. I also received some abuse via social media from one male member of this association and thus as a result stayed silent until pushed by a friend and colleague to write about the incident.
What practices do you have that you would like to be mirrored in other academic environments?
The ability for disabled people to share their experiences and use them as part of their teaching and for students to benefit from them as learning tools. Sharing these experiences are not to elicit sympathy, but for students to learn from them and perhaps be influenced by them in their future careers.