People with disabilities are underrepresented in STEM fields, and all too often, they face isolation and ableism in academia. Uncharted is a collection of powerful first-person stories by current and former scientists with disabilities or chronic conditions who have faced changes in their careers, including both successes and challenges, because of their health. It gives voice to common experiences that are frequently overlooked or left unspoken. These deeply personal accounts describe not only health challenges but also the joys, sorrows, humor, and wonder of science and scientists.
With a breadth of perspectives on being disabled or chronically ill, these stories highlight the intersectionality of minoritized identities with the disability community. Uncharted features essays by contributors who are d/Deaf, blind, neurodivergent, wheelchair users, have experienced traumatic brain injuries, have blood sugar disorders, have rare medical diagnoses, or have received psychiatric diagnoses, among many others. In many cases, the scientific field is not fully accessible to them, and they frankly describe struggling as well as thriving alongside their conditions.
This book serves as representation for scientists who have never felt comfortable disclosing their disability or who have never felt fully understood. The stories shared in this book seek to normalize medical conditions and disabilities in scientific culture, offering recommendations for how and why to improve access. Uncharted is vital and compelling reading for current and aspiring scientists who want to make their fields more inclusive and supportive for everyone.
Edited by:
Skylar Bayer,
Gabriela Serrato Marks
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780231203630
ISBN 10: 0231203632
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 08 August 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: Charting the Course, by Skylar Bayer and Gabi Serrato Marks Part I. Getting Underway 1. Rolling to Freedom, by Mpho Kgoadi 2. Regaining Control, by Jenn Pickering 3. Changing Tides: What Does It Mean to Be Blind?, by Maureen J. Hayden 4. Dear Cassy, by Sami Chen 5. Sea Legs: Working Around Motion Sickness, by Amanda Heidt Part II. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 6. A Safe Space, by Daisy Shearer 7. When Fieldwork Doesn’t Work: A Broken Bildungsroman, by Lauren A. White 8. Birds, Bees, and Anxieties, by Anonymous 1 9. My Brown Waterproof Boots, by Skylar Bayer 10. Hope Is My Anchor, by Furaha Asani Part III. Rallying the Crew 11. The Place I Rest, by Alma C. Schrage 12. Sometimes It Doesn’t Get Better, but That’s OK, Too, by Alexander G. Steele 13. Christmas on Rangatira Island, by Sophie Fern 14. Living with a Rare Condition, by Sophie Okolo 15. Planning the Journey of a Lifetime, by Richard Wendell Mankin Part IV. In the Heart of the Maelstrom 16. The Butt Balloon, by Anonymous 2 17. This Is Wallace Alfred Russel Simonis, by Juniper L. Simonis 18. The Day That Changed Everything, by Syreeta L. Nolan 19. Being the First and Only to Ask, by Amanda O’Brien 20. Lost in New Orleans, by Stephanie Schroeder 21. Ascending the Cinder Cone, by Divya M. Persaud Part V. Reflections in the Water 22. Thinking Beyond the “Social Model of Disability,” by Glyn Everett 23. Suffer in Silence or Leave, by Emma Tung Corcoran 24. (In)Visibly Eroding Bones, Bodies, and Landscapes, by Leehi Yona 25. The Abyss, by Katie Harazin 26. Navigating the Curve, by Sunshine Menezes 27. Tidy Columns, by Olivia Bernard Part VI. I Am the Captain of My Ship 28. Broader Impacts, by Jennifer L. Piatek 29. Doo hwił hóyéeda . . . : A Lesson Lost in Translation . . . , by Taylor Francisco 30. The Ridge, by Gabi Serrato Marks 31. Who I Am, by Vincent Martin 32. The Best Place for My Hearing Aids Is on My Desk, by Michele Cooke Conclusion: Aid to Navigation Acknowledgments Reflection and Discussion Questions Further Reading and Resources Glossary Bibliography About the Contributors
Skylar Bayer is a marine ecologist and science communicator. Currently a marine habitat resource specialist in the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, she received her PhD from the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences for research on the sex lives of scallops and is a producer for the Story Collider. Gabi Serrato Marks is a geochemist turned writer. She received her PhD in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and is now a partner at the scientist-focused PR firm Stellate Communications. Her work has been published in Scientific American and Audubon and on the PBS Eons YouTube Channel.
Reviews for Uncharted: How Scientists Navigate Their Own Health, Research, and Experiences of Bias
Uncharted is a crucial and timely collection exploring the lived experiences of scientists with a broad array of disabilities and chronic conditions. Bayer and Serrato Marks, alongside many brilliant contributors, share courageous and moving stories that will challenge and shift the way readers think about disability. The book offers companionship for scientists working under what can be isolating conditions as well as recommendations for improving access in STEM fields. Uncharted is a must-read call to action for scientists and their institutions to ensure a more inclusive and just future for all. -- Faith Kearns, author of <i>Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Effective Engagement</i> A hopeful, heart-wrenching kaleidoscope of stories. These personal essays vividly share experiences that have been ignored or silenced for too long. The contributors have given us a gift and an opportunity to think broadly and act boldly to support everyone, in all of our unique and changing needs. This expansive collection of first-person stories is a must-read for anyone who cares about scientific research and all the humans who do it. -- Liz Neeley, founder and CEO, Liminal Uncharted is full of compelling narratives that illustrate the ingenuity and resilience of disabled scientists as well as the challenges they face, demonstrating the multifacetedness of their lived experiences. -- Lisette E. Torres, senior researcher, TERC Dr. Bayer’s new book, Uncharted, is a collection of powerful first-person stories by current and former scientists with disabilities or chronic conditions who have faced changes in their careers, including both successes and challenges, because of their health. * NOAA FIsheries *
