Student Theses
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Language
English
First Advisor
Rosanne Carlo
Second Advisor
Alison Bardsley
Third Advisor
Sohomjit Ray
Abstract
This thesis examines how capitalism and neuronormative domination shape the structures and values of academic institutions, affecting faculty, students, and research subjects alike. By privileging productivity, conformity, and efficiency in the pursuit of income, universities often marginalize those who diverge from normative standards of thinking, behavior, and embodiment, particularly disabled individuals. Drawing on Marta Russell’s Disability and Capitalism and the shaping of disability by capitalist systems, Robert Chapman’s notion of the "Empire of Normality" and Jay Dolmage’s concept of the retrofit from Academic Ableism, this paper analyzes how academia reinforces ableist norms. It explores the realities and barriers that disabled faculty and students face, as well as the ethical implications of using disabled bodies and minds as research subjects. This thesis also discusses the role of disability studies praxis within the university, highlighting the work of scholars like J. Logan Smilges and their practice of "access thievery" as a mode of resistance. Ultimately, this thesis argues that the university acts as an institutionalizing force that upholds neuronormative and capitalist ideologies, and calls for a reimagining of higher education as an inclusive, accessible space that resists neuronormativity and redefines intellectual value.
Recommended Citation
Dirzis, Ashley, "Institutionalizing Normality: Disability, Productivity, and Higher Education" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/si_etds/17
Included in
Accessibility Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons, Social Justice Commons
Comments
This thesis was submitted to CUNY Academic Works with faculty advisor signatures. The PDF was edited to remove the signatures before posting publicly in order to protect privacy.