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Blog Task 1: Disability (Updated based on comments)

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality helped me understand disability not as a single identity category, but as something shaped by race, gender, language, culture and institutional power. Across the resources, a recurring theme is that disabled people are often navigating multiple identities simultaneously, which can amplify barriers and experiences of exclusion.

The UAL video on the social model of disability argues that people are disabled not by their impairments, but by barriers in the world around them (University of the Arts London, 2020). This perspective was reflected across the other resources. Ade Adepitan’s discussion of disability and race highlights how disabled people from racialised backgrounds may experience additional forms of marginalisation, while Christine Sun Kim’s work demonstrates how Deaf identity intersects with communication, creativity and social participation (ParalympicsGB, 2020; TED Conferences LLC, 2018). Similarly, the discussion of disability and gender illustrates how expectations around confidence, vulnerability and capability can influence how disabled individuals are perceived and treated (ParaPride, 2023).

What resonated most strongly with me was the idea that many barriers are invisible. Across the resources, participation appears to require significant emotional and practical labour beyond the disability itself. Disabled people may need to repeatedly explain their needs, advocate for support, challenge assumptions or navigate systems that were not designed with them in mind.

This prompted me to reflect on my own teaching practice within postgraduate fashion business education. Many of my students are international students, with English as an additional language, and some identify as neurodivergent. Through my interactions with students, I have become increasingly aware that disability does not exist separately from culture, language or institutional knowledge. Students may be managing anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia, sensory sensitivities or other neurodivergent experiences while simultaneously adapting to a new country, a second language and unfamiliar academic systems.

In practice, this means that barriers are often more complex than they initially appear. Some students may not know that support mechanisms such as ISA provisions, EC processes or assessment adjustments exist. Others may come from educational or cultural contexts where disability disclosure is uncommon or carries stigma. As a result, students can expend considerable effort not only accessing support, but also translating their experiences into the institutional language required to explain their needs and deciding whether it feels safe to disclose them at all.

Reflecting on the thoughtful questions raised by my peers encouraged me to think beyond recognising this hidden labour towards considering how it might be reduced. Rather than relying on students to identify barriers or navigate support systems independently, educators can play a more proactive role in embedding institutional knowledge within teaching. This may include signposting support at multiple points during the unit rather than only at induction, normalising conversations about learning preferences, explaining processes such as ISA or EC before students need them, and creating opportunities for students to participate in different ways without requiring disclosure.

It also prompted me to question some of the assumptions embedded within fashion business education itself. Expectations around confidence, professional polish and verbal participation are often treated as indicators of capability, yet these may reflect particular educational and cultural norms rather than students’ potential. This has encouraged me to reconsider how participation is recognised in my own teaching by providing clear written instructions, sharing materials in advance, incorporating digital collaboration tools and offering multiple ways for students to contribute. For me, inclusive practice is no longer only about responding to disclosed needs; it is about designing learning environments that anticipate diversity, reduce unnecessary barriers and lessen the hidden labour students undertake simply to participate.

References

University of the Arts London (UAL) (2020) The Social Model of Disability at UAL. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNdnjmcrzgw (Accessed: 17 June 2026).

ParalympicsGB (2020) Disability and Race. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU (Accessed: 17 June 2026).

TED Conferences LLC (2018) Christine Sun Kim: Friends and Strangers. TED Talk. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI (Accessed: 17 June 2026).

ParaPride (2023) Disability and Gender: Intersectionality in Focus – Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc (Accessed: 17 June 2026).

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Reflective Blog Post 4

Questioning the Limits of “Reflection” in Teaching Development

Macfarlane and Gourlay (2009) present a provocative critique of reflective practice in higher education. While reflection is widely promoted in teaching development programmes, the authors argue that it can become a performative exercise in which educators reproduce expected narratives rather than critically interrogate their practice. They describe this phenomenon as the “reflection game”, where participants demonstrate confession, transformation, and alignment with dominant pedagogical discourses to satisfy institutional expectations.

This argument challenges the assumption that reflective writing automatically produces meaningful professional learning. Instead, the authors suggest that reflective assignments may encourage conformity with accepted educational ideologies, like student-centred learning, rather than genuine critical engagement. In some cases, reflection becomes less about questioning teaching practices and more about demonstrating compliance with prevailing pedagogical norms.

Reading this article prompted me to reconsider how reflection functions within my own professional development as a lecturer. As part of the PgCert programme, reflective writing has been an important element of documenting teaching practice. However, the critique offered by Macfarlane and Gourlay raises an important question: to what extent are reflections shaped by institutional expectations about what “good teaching” should look like?

In my teaching context, I often draw upon a mixture of lectures, case discussions, and applied activities linked to industry practice. Some sessions inevitably require the structured delivery of theoretical concepts before students can apply them in seminars. Yet within contemporary pedagogical discourse, lectures are sometimes framed as inherently less desirable than participatory learning approaches. This creates a tension between pedagogical ideals and the practical realities of teaching complex disciplinary content.

The article therefore encourages a more critical understanding of reflection itself. Rather than presenting teaching development as a simple narrative of improvement, from “teacher-centred” to “student-centred”, reflection can also involve questioning dominant assumptions about pedagogy and considering how different teaching strategies function within specific disciplinary contexts.

In my own practice, this perspective encourages a more balanced approach to reflective writing. Instead of framing reflection solely as personal transformation, it can also serve as a space to interrogate educational norms and evaluate whether widely promoted teaching practices genuinely support learning in particular contexts. For example, in fashion business education, combining structured lectures with interactive seminar activities may be more appropriate than adopting a single pedagogical model.

Going forward, I plan to apply this idea by approaching reflection more critically when evaluating my teaching practice. Rather than assuming that certain pedagogical approaches are inherently superior, I will consider how different strategies function within the realities of large postgraduate cohorts and industry-focused curricula. This may involve documenting both the benefits and limitations of different teaching approaches and discussing these reflections with colleagues during peer observations or teaching development activities.

Ultimately, this reading highlights the importance of critical reflection rather than performative reflection – a distinction that is particularly relevant for educators navigating institutional expectations alongside disciplinary teaching realities.

Reference

Macfarlane, B. and Gourlay, L. (2009) ‘The reflection game: Enacting the penitent self’, Teaching in Higher Education, 14(4), pp. 455–459.