UW-Madison’s Brett Nachman served as the lead author on a case study exploring campus climates for autistic lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) college students.
Nachman is doctoral candidate with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
The article is titled ” ‘Whose Liability Is It Anyway?’ Cultivating an Inclusive College Climate for Autistic LGBTQ Students. The report is co-authored with Dr. Ryan A. Miller (UNC-Charlotte) and Dr. Edlyn Vallejo Peña (California Lutheran University), and was published in the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership.
According to their research, higher education institutes are experiencing increased enrollments of autistic students who are disproportionately more likely to identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, and/or genderqueer than their non-disabled peers.
This case study follows the story of a student named Erik, an autistic student who identifies as gay and is considering coming out. Nachman and his fellow authors challenge readers to consider the role that educational leaders can play in addressing the complexities of supporting students like Erik.
Nachman, Miller, and Vallejo are also concerned with the implications of addressing campus climate issues for students with multiple, intersecting identities.
Access the article here.