Disability Studies Student Stories

Meet Nichole

After acquiring an autoimmune disease at the age of 13, I went from being a “normal, able-bodied” teenager to using a wheelchair 24/7 overnight at age 16 and being immersed into disability culture.

I did not have any previous experience surrounding people with disabilities (that I knew of) and, once I started at UTA, I just so happen to take the right class at the right time to introduce me to the Disability Studies Minor. The Disability Studies Minor (and my internship project collecting oral histories for the Texas Disability History Collection with women who had gone through rehabilitation) really helped me “coincide” my “normal, able-bodied” identity with my newly disabled one.

I think all individuals, disabled or not, would benefit from a Disability Studies Minor because they can use it in a variety of different ways, not only in their personal life, but in their professional career as well. The DS Minor offers a variety of different classes relating to art, film, policy, environment, history, etc. This gives students perspectives on historical aspects that they may have never considered before, and it helps them frame future scenarios from all different sides.

After earning my B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Disability Studies Minor, and Diversity Studies Certificate plus an M.S. in Human Resource Management, I now work at Lockheed-Martin as an analyst and human resources business partner supporting over 500 clients. I also serve as co-lead for COVID case submission for the Aeronautics Division’s 10,000 employees. I regularly use my training in Disability Studies in partnering with Lockheed-Martin’s Global Diversity and Inclusion program, and also as the program manager for the Executive Inclusion Mentoring Pilot for the Aeronautics division (Engineering and Technology as well as Special Programs).