Black AND autistic: investigating the impact of intersectional identities on higher education outcomes

I have spent the past three years working with autistic children from diverse backgrounds. Significant to my experience, was the realisation of the way the education system continually disadvantages any autistic student who is not white, due to ideas of what autism is and how it presents being predominantly centred around white, middle-class boys (Silberman, 2016). The centrality of whiteness in autism knowledge has undoubtedly contributed to black, autistic people being misdiagnosed, diagnosed later (Durkin et al., 2017), and being victims of the brutality of intersectional violence (Aspler et al., 2022). There appears to be a significant struggle for visibility and understanding for any autistic person who doesn't fit the white, cisgender, male stereotype (Rozsa, 2017). Newer definitions of ableism focus on the way it is a system deeply rooted in white supremacy; socially constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence and fitness are inextricably connected to eugenics and anti-blackness (Lewis, 2022). Therefore, it is of the upmost importance to understand how ableism and racism work as interlocking systems of oppression when examining the lived experiences of black, autistic people.
The marginalisation of black, disabled students is well documented in primary and secondary school years (Annamma, 2015). However, much less is known about this student population within higher education, reflected in the absence of statistics. There has been extensive research on the social, academic, and personal experiences of autistic students in higher education (e.g., Van Hees et al., 2015), identifying various challenges relating to academic support, mental wellbeing, and social inclusion. However, such studies have relied on predominantly white samples which begs the question of how we can make generalised assertions about the needs of autistic university students based on research that only includes one racial and cultural
demographic. Research shows that black students in higher education experience various educational inequities and disadvantages (Gillborn, 2008), which are often attributed to internal aspects of character flaw under the guise of meritocracy (Fakile, 2021), rather than acknowledging the wider systemic and structural inequalities (e.g., institutional racism) at play. We know relatively little about the experiences of black, autistic students in higher education institutions in the UK and internationally, with only few studies including black, autistic adult participants (Frost et al., 2019; Shattuck et al., 2014). Adopting intersectionality as a theoretical tool is therefore vital. We need to examine autism through a lens that encompasses race in order to gain a deeper understanding of the interactional effects of occupying more than one minoritised identity (Annamma et al., 2013; Cho et al., 2013).
The marginalisation of black, autistic people is unique and distinct from that of both white, autistic people, and black neurotypical people. With the neurodiversity movement gaining prominence, as well as an increased focus on anti-racist and social justice research in the academy, I believe black, autistic adults have been left out of the discussion. The interrelationship between race/culture and autism is often not adequately acknowledged in autism and higher education research - both are important and interconnecting aspects of identity that will influence the way students navigate higher education. I want to investigate the structural power of racialised ableism in higher education institutions to be able to illuminate the experiences, voices, and needs of black autistic students and showcase the changes they believe are needed for them to get equal opportunities at success.