- [Shajira Brown] An important point to note is that the micro in microaggression doesn't mean that these acts don't have much of an impact. As a matter of fact, they can have big, life-changing impacts. There has been much research on the impact of microaggressions along the years. For our session today, we'll share a couple of research studies that were done specifically on microaggressions against people with disabilities. First is the study of Robin Timm, Ph.D, who identifies as a woman with a disability. She was one of the first to study microaggressions experienced by people with disabilities. Her research identified types and frequency of microaggressions experienced by individuals with a variety of disabilities. The study measured how microaggression had an impact on such things as environmental infrastructures and violation of civil rights, which is when people with disabilities equality is denied. Like not having access to a public facility. Impose helplessness and avoidance, which is when someone assumes a person with a disability needs help. Violation of personal space and privacy, which we all can imagine, which is when a person with a disability is asked very personal questions. Depersonalization in a minimizing way, such as when everything about someone is discounted except for their disability. And then you have depersonalization in an aggrandizing way, when someone expects to feel good or get a compliment for doing something for a person with a disability, or when a person with a disability is praised for doing almost anything. Now that we know what Dr. Timm studied, let's take a look at the results of the study. Dr. Timm's study included 235 people with disabilities. 72% of participants identified as female and 28% identified as male. The age range was 18 to 64, and participants either had a visible or invisible disability. The study found that participants experienced anywhere from 0 to 37 daily microaggressions within one month. More than 50% of participants stated that they experienced at least 10 microaggressions per day, each month. And the study also found that people with disabilities on average endure 14 microaggressions on a daily basis. Another study on microaggressions against people with disabilities was done in 2019. The researchers wanted to hear directly from women with disabilities about their experiences of microaggression, particularly on a daily basis. They examined if any of the particular microaggressions were specific to women with disabilities, and then they used both quantitative and qualitative data through interview style research methods. To examine if particular microaggressions were specific to women with disabilities, the researchers compiled a variety of microaggressions. The listed microaggressions were acknowledging only someone's disability and nothing else about them. Downplaying the effect of disability on a person's life. Asking overly personal questions. Assuming the person needs help. Expecting to be praised for helping someone with a disability. Treating someone like a child or a young person. Praising someone for doing almost anything. Denying rights to equality and denying one's value as a romantic partner. The study included 30 women with disabilities. The breakdown of these women is that four identified as LGBTQIA+ and eight shared that they were from the BIPOC communities. All participants were over 18 years of age, 23 had a visible disability, and 7 had hidden disabilities. This 2019 study found that four of the most frequent microaggressions experienced by women participants were, one, someone downplaying the effect of disability on their life. Two, assuming that they always needed help. Three, they are praised for doing almost anything. And four, their rights to equality were denied.