Creating inclusive, equitable environments drives Ayesha Ghazi Edwin’s advocacy for the disabled on campus — and in the Ann Arbor community.
An assistant clinical professor in the School of Social Work, Ghazi Edwin received the 2024 James T. Neubacher Award in recognition of her commitment to advocating for social justice and policy change for the disabled in numerous areas, including education, voting rights, housing, health care and labor.
Ghazi Edwin, also a graduate of SSW, said her activism was initially inspired by her own experience as a U-M student dealing with an autoimmune disorder and subsequent mental health challenges.
“This experience opened my eyes to the policies that shape our systems — both those that exist and those that are missing,” Ghazi Edwin said. “Before that, I didn’t have a clear understanding of disability justice. Later in my career, I grew to realize that our society is built on a series of policy choices that enable some to thrive while leaving others behind.”
As a professor, Ghazi Edwin prioritizes empathy, empowerment and universal design. In the classroom, she integrates disability justice principles into her teaching to create an accessible and inclusive learning environment for all students.
Her commitment to accessibility in education earned her the Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize in 2021 for developing virtual community-engaged courses, as well as numerous other accolades including a Staff DEI Impact Award and a nomination for Teacher of the Year.
“I want my students to recognize that disability is a natural, beautiful part of human diversity and that struggles often arise due to inadequate systems and policies rather than individual limitations,” Ghazi Edwin said.
In 2020, Ghazi Edwin also earned a Certificate of Appreciation from the James T. Neubacher Awards Committee after co-designing and launching the School of Social Work’s first disability justice-focused certificate program, “Disability Inclusion and Accessible Design.”
MORE INFORMATION
This program, completed by more than 340 participants including physicians, architects, social workers, students and Paralympic athletes, aims to broaden understanding of oppression, diversity, and the power of those with disabilities.
“For her dedication to disability justice, her innovative contributions to inclusive education, and her impactful community and policy work, Ayesha Ghazi Edwin epitomizes the qualities celebrated by the James T. Neubacher Award,” said Colleen van Lent, lecturer IV in the School of Information and co-chair of this year’s Neubacher Award selection committee.
The Neubacher Award is a memorial to Jim Neubacher, a U-M alumnus and writer for the Detroit Free Press who championed equity and opportunities for the disabled. It is presented annually to a U-M faculty or staff member, student or alumni who has exhibited leadership in support of the disability community.
Ghazi Edwin’s dedication to disability justice extends beyond the classroom. She has aided accessibility and equity via her roles as former deputy director of Detroit Disability Power and as a current Ann Arbor City Council member.
“What inspired me to expand my advocacy beyond the university was witnessing how people with disabilities were driving systems change in Detroit, such as advocating for the creation of an Office of Disability Affairs,” she said. “Research shows that when a city establishes an office like this and prioritizes people with disabilities and older adults, the community doesn’t improve just for them, it improves for everyone.”
With that in mind, as a council member, Ghazi Edwin helped establish Ann Arbor’s first staff position focused on accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities and for older adults. She also worked to create Bicentennial Park, Ann Arbor’s first universally designed playground and splash pad.
She helped make Ann Arbor the first city in Michigan to call for a ban on subminimum wages, a practice that discriminates against people with disabilities by paying them less than the minimum wage. She also led efforts to restrict the use of facial-recognition technology, which disproportionately harms people with disabilities, communities of color and other marginalized groups.
Ghazi Edwin spearheaded Ann Arbor’s “Right to Sit” ordinance, which mandates that employers must allow workers to sit while performing their jobs, as long as it doesn’t interfere with essential duties. This ordinance also inspired the introduction of a bill in the Michigan Legislature to establish similar protections statewide.
Most recently, she collaborated with the School of Social Work to partner with Detroit Disability Power in auditing polling locations across Washtenaw County. The effort aimed to enhance accessibility as part of the university’s Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment, and Global Engagement. The data collected from these audits will be used by The Carter Center to publish a report on voting accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Neubacher Award, which was established in 1990, is sponsored by the Council for Disability Concerns, the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office, University Human Resources, Michigan Medicine and the Office of the President.
