Economist, author, and disability rights advocate Allison Thompkins 鈥�04 earned a PhD in economics from MIT after graduating from 61传媒with a major in mathematical economics. In the following three and a half years, she worked as an economic researcher at Mathematica, a research and data analytics consultancy聽that aims to improve public well-being.
鈥淓conomic analysis can be used to improve people鈥檚 lives in so many ways,鈥� Thompkins says. 鈥淚t tells us what social programs lead to greater independence, success, and self-determination. People often don鈥檛 realize how much can be quantified.鈥� This crucial window of insight allows experts to form conclusions about the best ways to improve people鈥檚 well-being, which influences policy decisions at all levels. 鈥淔or instance, we understand the value of women鈥檚 colleges, the importance of early education, and the positive relationship between studying music and academic success because of economic analysis. Economic analysis produces the information we need to make decisions that reflect our values as individuals and as a society.鈥�
As a graduate student conducting economic research at MIT, Thompkins focused on disability advocacy. 鈥淛ust as we need advocates who march in the streets and engage in civil disobedience, we also need advocates who add to the canon of knowledge so the community knows what policies and programs to push for,鈥� Thompkins says. 鈥淭oward that end, I knew that the main reason I wanted to be an economist was to improve the economic outcomes and inclusion of the disability community. I set out to correct the exclusion of people with disabilities from many theories I was learning by choosing topics to reflect the tenets of the Independent Living Movement model of disability.鈥� The Independent Living Movement advocates that people with disabilities are entitled to the same rights and choices as people without disabilities.
Thompkins focused her advocacy efforts beyond her research as well. 鈥淎dvocacy within academia also involves diversifying the types of people who matriculate through institutions of higher education and ensuring that the policies adopted by universities and colleges are supportive of the disability community,鈥� she says. 鈥淲henever possible, I mentored disabled college and graduate students to help increase the graduation rates of people with disabilities and thereby increase the number of disabled leaders who will create change in their unique聽 way.鈥�
After three and a half years of work as a researcher, Thompkins stepped back from full-time work to focus on her health after complications related to cerebral palsy necessitated her retirement. After stepping back, she says, 鈥淚 dove deeper into my love of studying and practicing spirituality, which led me to the work I鈥檓 doing today: teaching inclusive spirituality.鈥�
The result of this new focus was Thompkins鈥� book, Spirituality Is for Every Body: 8 Accessible, Inclusive Ways to Connect with the Divine When Living with Disability, published in February 2024. The book aims to make spirituality more accessible to the disabled community.
Thompkins鈥� deepened study of spirituality, which involved modifying spiritual practices to meet her own needs, allowed her to improve her health鈥攁nd she was able to share what she had learned with her friends with disabilities. The inspiration for her book stemmed from 鈥渨itnessing the increased confidence and joy my friends experienced as a result of the modified spiritual practices I shared with them,鈥� Thompkins says. 鈥淚 felt compelled to make spirituality and spiritual practices accessible to anyone.鈥�
After the COVID-19 pandemic began, Thompkins realized that many people with disabilities of all types might benefit from her advice on how to make spiritual practices more accessible. 鈥淭he biggest challenge was simply the physicality of writing a book,鈥� Thompkins says. 鈥淭yping is physically painful for me and takes a great deal of concentration and effort. As someone who types with one finger and the assistance of eye gaze technology, typing is an extremely slow process. Using a high level of energy and effort for the amount of time required to write an entire book necessitated a great deal of fortitude.鈥�
In addition to Thompkins鈥� goal of helping people with disabilities find accessible ways to engage with spirituality, she also hopes to increase the inclusivity of spirituality by serving as a resource to anyone seeking to be more inclusive of those with the lived experience of disability. 鈥淪o many within the disability community are curious about鈥攁nd want to be involved in鈥攕pirituality but find that much of the rhetoric and discourse in spiritual circles either bypass the disability experience all together or only speak about disability in the familiar tropes and platitudes found in larger society,鈥� she says.
Thompkins says 61传媒 was 鈥渁bsolutely pivotal鈥� in shaping her postgraduate work. 鈥淚 arrived at 61传媒knowing that I enjoyed economics, but I firmly believed that my way to improve society was by being a disability rights attorney,鈥� she says. However, the network of resources and collaborative atmosphere of 61传媒led her to discover that another path suited her better: 鈥淚 graduated knowing that I was meant to be an economist and that I could effect change by combining economic theory with my mathematical skills and lived experience of disability.鈥�
While studying at Scripps, Thompkins discovered her academic passions. 鈥淭he research projects that I engaged in during my undergraduate years revealed my love of research. The support and encouragement I received from 61传媒professors showed me that there was a demand for the knowledge that my research generated.鈥�
In addition to those crucial realizations, Thompkins graduated 61传媒with a set of hard skills that have served her throughout her endeavors. 鈥淚 wrote many research papers and sought opportunities to do independent research projects with professors. As a result, by the time I graduated from Scripps, I was quite adept at developing research questions and agendas, coding econometric software so that I could answer those questions, working with a team, presenting my findings, and writing clearly and effectively. I developed the core skills I needed throughout graduate school and my work as a researcher at Scripps.鈥�
Once her health necessitated taking a step back, Thompkins was ready to adapt. 鈥淲hen the time came to transition into my focus on expanding inclusivity within spirituality, I drew upon my writing and public speaking skills, both of which I honed at Scripps.鈥�