Blurring the Boundaries: Reflections from Early Career Faculty during the COVID-19 Era

• Published in: Intellectual and developmental disabilities Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Rodriguez, Geovanna, Monteleone, Rebecca, Munandar, Vidya D, Bumble, Jennifer L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 01.02.2021; American Association of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
• Subjects: Adults; Beginning Teachers; Career Development; Career Mobility; Careers; College campuses; College Faculty; Community; Community Relations; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Demonstrations (Educational); Department Heads; Developmental Disabilities; Disability studies; Distance Education; Doctoral Degrees; Doctoral Students; Educational Needs; Educational Technology; Employment; Faculty, Medical - statistics & numerical data; Foreign Students; Graduate Students; Group Homes; Handicapped accessibility; Higher Education; Humans; Instruction; Intellectual Disability; Intellectual Disability - diagnosis; Intellectual Disability - therapy; Interviews; Job Search Methods; Learning; Learning disabilities; Medical research; Non English Speaking; Pandemics; People with disabilities; Qualitative Research; Resistance (Psychology); School Psychology; Social Distance; Social Science Research; Socioeconomic factors; Students with Disabilities; Teacher Researchers; Teacher Role; Teachers; Teaching; Universities; United States > US; COVID-19; disability; early career; community; pandemic; research; faculty
• ISSN: 1934-9491; 1934-9556
• DOI: 10.1352/1934-9556-59.1.1

The last three issues of "Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)" have featured perspectives from a diverse set of contributors on how the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is being impacted by COVID-19. As four newly appointed faculty members with diverse backgrounds, the editor of "IDD" invited us to share our experiences with beginning academic careers during this unique time. In making this request, he pointed out that approximately half the members of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) are those who have some type of affiliation with an institution of higher education. While the perspectives outlined in this article do not represent those of all early career faculty, we hope our stories resonate with "IDD" readers who may be facing similar circumstances. This article includes a series of brief essays addressing how the pandemic has affected our academic job searches, research, teaching, and service. Although penned by different authors, each section encompasses our collective experiences, concerns, and hopes for the broader IDD community. We close with guiding questions that might support more socially responsive and integrated approaches to traditional academic roles as faculty continue to navigate the repercussions of COVID-19.