As higher education professionals work to reduce barriers in curriculum and instruction and cultivate inclusive online educational environments, it is crucial to address the unique challenges faced by gender-expansive students, a population that has received minimal attention in research and practice. This chapter focuses on applying universal design for learning (UDL) principles to address the challenges faced by gender-expansive students in higher education settings, particularly in online learning environments. Gender-expansive students often encounter unique social and academic hurdles that significantly impact their educational outcomes and well-being compared to their cisgender peers. This chapter delves into the alignment between UDL principles and the needs of gender-expansive students, highlighting strategies to identify and mitigate barriers to meaningful access in curriculum and instruction.
TopThe Changing Nature Of Terminology
Before delving into the application of UDL to support gender-expansive students, it is essential to establish a common understanding of the terminology used. This chapter uses the term gender-expansive to describe people who transcend traditional binary views of gender and are not confined to a single gender narrative or experience (Human Rights Campaign, 2018). Gender identity is a fluid concept that falls along a continuum and the evolving terms used to describe gender are aimed at honoring how an individual identifies and resists the use of fixed categories to describe social constructs. Gender-expansive identities can include people who describe their gender as transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, genderqueer, androgynous, gender variant, and many other descriptors. Although one term cannot adequately capture all identities related to gender, the use of the term gender-expansive is intended to be an inclusive term that incorporates a broad range of identities and experiences.
The terms cisgender and cisnormative are also important to understand as context for this chapter. Cisgender, or cis, is a term used to describe individuals whose gender identity or expression aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned at birth (Human Rights Campaign, 2018). Cisnormative is the reproduction of the belief in societal systems that there are only two genders (Goldberg et al., 2018). This perspective privileges normative categories of gender identity and impacts everyday interactions. Classrooms mirror the status quo of societal views on gender identity, leaving cisnormative perspectives as the assumed norm.
Challenges Faced by Gender Expansive Students in Education
Educational institutions and teaching professionals often struggle with navigating the same social issues and prejudices reflected in the larger society (Kane, 2013). Events of violence and legislation targeting gender-expansive people send messages of hostility and unacceptance that carry over into learning environments, workplaces, and various other life domains. These messages of hostility from the larger society reproduce and perpetuate genderist norms in the classroom (Yost & Gilmore, 2011). Cisnormativity is evident across the ecosystem of higher education institutions in physical structures, official records, policies, curricula, and classroom practices (Coble, 2023; Goldberg, 2018). Gender identities are a part of who a person is in every context, including the classroom, and impact what, how, and why a student learns (Bettinger et al., 2006). Learning spaces both online and in-person reflect the normative assumptions of society related to gender. Cisnormativity permeates the learning environment leaving gender-expansive students to navigate learning through a cisgender lens of the world. This can influence students' ability to see themselves reflected in the course curriculum and feel isolated and disconnected from professors, peers, and course content (Coble, 2023). Navigating learning spaces where gender-expansive identities aren't considered can also impact students’ feelings of safety and their sense of belonging. Without intentional efforts to move beyond binary views of gender, the learning environment reflects a cisnormative pedagogic space with normative perspectives that permeate all aspects of teaching and learning (Atkinson, 2007).
In addition to navigating learning spaces that are based on binary views of gender, gender-expansive students face discrimination and harassment across life domains. Educational spaces have historically been hostile environments for queer students, and even more so for those identifying outside of gender norms (Yost & Gilmore, 2011; Broadhurst et al., 2018). Gender-expansive students encounter social and academic challenges that significantly impact their educational outcomes. Specifically, these students experience significantly higher rates of harassment and discrimination than their cisgender peers (Rankin et al., 2010) and report less acceptance and connection to the campus community (Broadhurst et al., 2018). The U.S. Transgender Survey, a survey of over 27,000 transgender adults, found that 24% of respondents had been verbally, physically, or sexually harassed, with 16% reporting they left college because of the harassment (James et al., 2016). These challenging environments impact the experiences students bring with them to the classroom and interfere with student learning, well-being, and success (Renn, 2020).