Perpetuating ableism in engineering education: The role of user abstraction and expertise hierarchies in the design process

Abstract This ethnographic study investigates the teaching and learning of the design process in biomedical engineering classrooms. Through classroom fieldwork, we examine how faculty and students conceptualize and implement the design process, focusing on its linear teaching methods, the abstraction of users, and the reinforcement of expertise hierarchies. Our analysis reveals how these pedagogical practices perpetuate ableist assumptions within engineering education. This research contributes to the understanding of how educational practices in engineering shape professional identities and reinforce systemic biases.