DISABILITY CRITICAL RACE THEORY (DISCRIT) AND GEOSCIENCE: A CALL TO ACTION FOR NEW FRAMEWORKS TO ASSESS ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION

The geosciences are currently regarded as one of, if not the least diverse fields in STEM. In the last 40 years, there have been no significant increases in racial diversity within the population of geoscientists with doctoral degrees, which are essential for higher level research and employment positions. Based on this evidence, the needs of individuals with multiple, intersecting marginalized identities are also potentially not being met within geoscience spaces. For example, issues of marginalized identities, including race and ability, have been notably explored. However, despite numerous efforts to identify barriers and develop actionable approaches to welcome diverse race and ability perceptions in geoscience, the intersection of these aspects has yet to be thoroughly explored. This presentation will discuss how social science frameworks rooted in intersectionality can be contextualized in geoscience spaces and used to explore the intersection of multiple marginalized identities and to find actionable ways to recruit and retain these individuals. In this call to action, disability critical race theory (DisCrit) is used as framework for exploring the intersections of race and disability in geoscience spaces. In order to explore DisCrit and its applicability to the issues of marginalization seen in the geosciences, this presentation will focus on a brief history of DisCrit and the theoretical framework it derives from, critical race theory (CRT), and how similar work has already been done in STEM and geoscience research. DisCrit will then be recontextualized to better highlight issues present in geoscience culture as well as suggested actionable approaches for incorporating DisCrit to address accessibility and inclusion issues in both classroom and field settings.