Dr. Sandra Yellowhorse

Shí ié Sandra Yellowhorse yínishií. Kinyaa’aani nishłí adóó Bílligáana báshíchiin. Tachiinii dashichei adóó Kin’łichní dashináli. Nani’zhoozhí di shiʼdizhch. Tāmaki Makaurau Aotearoa déé naasha.

I am a critical Indigenous disability scholar who specialises in Indigenous perspectives of disability and autism. I center first-person experiences and family cultural narratives to reframe understandings of disability to combat social stigma and build nurturing environments of belonging and empowerment. Committed to Diné ancestral, land-based knowledge, my research explores the abundance of many ways of being, intersectional identities, wellbeing, belonging, and creative lifelong learning. I am developing the emergent field of Indigenous Inclusive Education and am passionate about working with Indigenous schools to develop their frameworks of inclusion aimed at cultivating diverse learners.

 My work is deeply rooted in narrative, storytelling, Indigenous methodologies, community-based research, relationality, Indigenous Education, co-design, co-creation, and disability justice.

I am the Principal Investigator for several transdisciplinary research projects reaching across disciplinary domains, international borders and Indigenous nations. I lead the following projects:

“Cultivating Wellbeing by Advancing Tangata Whenua, Tangata Moana and Tangata Te Tiriti Perspectives of Autism in Aotearoa New Zealand” (funded by the New Zealand Health Research Council) 

“Indigenous Inclusive Education for Indigenous Schools: Across Waters and Ancestral Wisdom” (funded by the Spencer Foundation) 

“Crystalizing Critical Indigenous Disability Studies: Fusing Baskets of Knowledge through International Engagement” (funded by Waipapa Taumata Rau)

I hold my positionality as Indigenous-from-other-lands, as a grateful guest and Tangata Te Tiriti here in Aotearoa, to reach across the Moana-nui-a-Kiwa to support Indigenous relationship building and knowledge sharing. I established the International Indigenous Disability and Neurodiversity Scholars Network—a special interest group that hosts gatherings alongside major Indigenous conferences with the aim to foster meaningful connections and solidarity in our small scholarly field.

I am the Guest Editor for the Wicazo Sa Review Special Issue on Indigeneity and Disability—the first Indigenous-led special issue on Indigenous perspectives of disability and neurodivergence that uplifts stories from Turtle Island to Aotearoa. I am appointed as Co-Editor to AlterNative: An International Journal for Indigenous Peoples with expertise in public health, disability, neurodiversity, autism, ADHD, and Indigenous education.