The university I used to work at is in the news for removing merit from its hiring practices. There were signs of this happening when I worked there but it was much subtler.
It’s interesting. I agree the way merit is used in practice doesn’t work. The article kind of implies removing merit will add to diversity. Which is good. In theory.
But it doesn’t address how badly universities treat disabled staff.
I could mostly perform abled when I worked there, and it was still very hard.
Individual staff were incredibly supportive, but the broader systems (cough health and safety department cough) were completely NOT disability friendly.
My work got done and done very well, yet I would get pressured to do things beyond my safe limits for performative reasons.
I wouldn’t mind returning to the uni sector for the right job, at the right time in the future. I generally enjoyed working there. I love learning environments.
But my health has declined in the couple of years that I’ve been away from the university sector and I can no longer fake being abled like I did when I last worked in the industry.
Given how stressful the systems were when I was a mostly abled staff member, I just can’t imagine the environment being inclusive enough to accommodate me now.
Which is also downright ridiculous and frustrating because the only accommodation I need is to work at my own desk, not an employers desk.
