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This paper considers the ways that publicly funded developmental services for adults with developmental disabilities in southern Ontario are limited in how they support clients. This paper is informed by field research conducted in the summer of 2019, which was composed of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a policy review. Informed by parent advocates who are the main caregivers of their adult children labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this paper claims that the administrative processes of the Ontario ministry that manages and funds adult disability services relate to broader exclusionary patterns among adults with developmental disabilities. I explore this claim by reviewing how common ableist assumptions of people with developmental disabilities are ingrained in the policies and administrative processes of these services. I contribute to ongoing discussions among Critical Disability Scholars of the ways that disability as a social category can be articulated outside of ableist assumptions. Informed by parent caregiver perspectives, this article outlines how the limitations of provincially funded disability services in Ontario, Canada cause significant challenge in the lives of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One possible explanation for these limitations is that there is a disconnect between how the provincial government classifies who should receive immediate services and how many services, versus the actual need of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The criteria for high supports, such as monthly funding, placement into a living facility, and the provincial assessment for determining a person's 'adaptive functioning' are rooted in problematic assumptions made of people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestDespite the proliferation of intersectionality in academic research and political activism, the intersection of disability and migration remains neglected in academic research. With this paper, we contribute to exploring this interlinkage. Drawing on research in a disability rights organization, this paper explores different positions concerning the intersection of disability and migration. Proposing a typology of three different modes, we shed light on individual approaches towards this intersection and thereby explain the reluctance to change of an organization in correspondence with a slowly-moving field. Placing this analysis in a broader context, we contribute to an understanding of the construction of the category of disability and its intersections with other categories, in this case migration within the organizational context of a disability rights organization. We show varying perceptions of this intersection within one organization and highlight their underlying organizational and personal logics. By doing so, we identify forces of organizational inertia and resistance to diversity-related change. Finally, this paper encourages discussions on the incorporation of migrants in the field of disability more widely.This paper studies how a disability rights organisation in Germany deals with the topic of migration. We refer to the concept of intersectionality. In the qualitative interviews with employees and volunteers of the organisation, we identified three different positions.One group expressed that the organisation should only focus on disability-related issues and treat all people alike. Migrants or migration-specific topics should not be specifically addressed.Other people consider it to be the organisation’s duty to respond to migrants’ needs and to adjust their services.Another group of people expressed that not only migration, but also categories such as gender and age affect the needs and experiences of disabled people. The organisation should be sensitive to specific needs of all kinds.We show that different positions can prevail in one organisation. It is challenging for organisations to deal with this. It is important to better understand the field of disability and migration.This paper studies how a disability rights organisation in Germany deals with the topic of migration. We refer to the concept of intersectionality. In the qualitative interviews with employees and volunteers of the organisation, we identified three different positions.One group expressed that the organisation should only focus on disability-related issues and treat all people alike. Migrants or migration-specific topics should not be specifically addressed.Other people consider it to be the organisation’s duty to respond to migrants’ needs and to adjust their services.Another group of people expressed that not only migration, but also categories such as gender and age affect the needs and experiences of disabled people. The organisation should be sensitive to specific needs of all kinds.We show that different positions can prevail in one organisation. It is challenging for organisations to deal with this. It is important to better understand the field of disability and migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of statements issued by the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy, relating to care homes and the threat to the health and lives of their inhabitants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the declared intention by the government to carry out the transition from residential care to community-based support, the results of the study reveal that under the slogans of care, safety, and commitment, the traditional vision of disability that promotes the operation of segregated institutions is reinforced. Ensuring safety is understood as strengthening the institution of a care home by emphasizing its importance, allocating additional resources, and introducing organized isolation practices that do not necessarily account for subjectivity and residents' rights. The authors, using the critical approach, point to elements of the discourse that may be remembered most by recipients. The paper is focused on an approach presented by the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding care homes. While the discussion about transition from residential care to community-based support in Poland seems to be advanced, there are still facilities for over 100 inhabitants. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, the Ministry's communication related to facilitating the transition to independent living was pushed aside, while the traditional institutional-oriented approach came to the fore. The communication by the Ministry is transmitting to the public a strong message that presents care homes as safe places that should be supported and developed as a key housing option. The lack of attention to issues such as transition from residential care to community-based support and a human-rights approach in communication led us to formulate the concept of a turbo-institutional approach implicit in the Ministry's communiques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness that museums must be inclusive and participatory led to practices adapted to visitors' requirements and co-creative experiences, encouraging interaction with exhibitions, and thus fostering memorable experiences. Yet, constraints remain for people with disabilities, reducing their satisfaction and desire to return. Despite the high number of people with visual impairments worldwide, there is a lack of research on factors that may impact their co-creation in museums. This paper aims to identify factors influencing the co-creation of people with visual impairments experiences in museums, either facilitating or constraining it. Based on focus groups discussion, the results of the study conducted suggest that the co-creation of people with visual impairments in museums is influenced both by aspects related to visitors, as well as by disabling features of the museums' physical, communicational, and attitudinal environments. Conclusions and implications drawn are critical to improve the experience of people with visual impairments in museums. This article highlights that despite the high number of people with visual impairments worldwide, many still face constraints when visiting museums. The article reveals that several museums offer opportunities for interacting with the whole museum environment and co-creating value, to trigger memorable experiences. This paper fills a research gap by analysing how a set of factors influence people with visual impairments to get involved in co-creation in museums, either facilitating or constraining it. The research found that the factors that influence co-creation of experiences of people with visual impairments in museums can be related to the visitors or to the museums, including physical, communicational and attitudinal aspects. The article provides guidelines to improve the co-creation in museums of people with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a very common physical head injury that happens in an instant. These injuries can inaugurate a wide range of long-term impairments that vary widely between those that survive them. Using a blend of social scientific and contemporary Disability Studies theory, this paper traces how moderate-to-severe TBIs become disabilities through the daily lives and interactions of survivors, those closest to them, and their wider communities. The complex, shifting, and contextually dependent nature of what they term life 'with TBI' muddies and multiplies the acronym's original construction as a simple and knowable injury. The resulting confusion inaugurates a feedback loop between survivors' bodies and socialities that ultimately constitutes the injury as a complexly embodied disability. This process helps to productively expand the definition of disability to include other more complex and invisible conditions like TBI. This research studies a distinct kind of disability ("Traumatic Brain Injury") from a social perspective that has rarely been investigated. Disabilities like Traumatic Brain Injury affect and are changed by the social contexts, lives, and interactions of the disabled with those around them. Those that survive Traumatic Brain Injuries may not share any bodily or mental impairments, but they embody and perform the same disability. Traumatic Brain Injury is different across the individual, social, and political levels. This paper presents how those who may not fit within traditional definitions of disability can still be disabled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education is a key global agenda that is primarily driven by concern for children's rights. In China, the term is a translated, introduced, foreign concept. The localised practice of inclusion is encapsulated in the policy of Learning in Regular Classrooms, which not only adopts the narrow sense of inclusion for children with disabilities, but it is also dominated by the medical model of disability. An explicit rights-based philosophical foundation for inclusion that is widely accepted and internalised by local Chinese teachers and schools appears largely absent. This paper explores how Confucianism as a moral philosophy may be compatible with the rights discourse and may provide the necessary moral strengths and philosophical base to support inclusion in Chinese schools. The conclusion highlights the needs to pay attention to how teachers' deeper values, motivation, and drives can facilitate inclusive efforts, and also calls for a more explicit human rights discourse to develop in China in the long term. This paper explores the possibility of using the moral philosophy of Confucianism, rather than relying on the explicit language of human rights, to offer theoretical advocacy for inclusion in China. The rich legacy of Confucianism may offer the necessary moral strengths and philosophical convictions for Chinese teachers and schools to become inspired and empowered to take more inclusive initiatives in a bottom-up approach. Confucianism as a moral philosophy is compatible with the international human rights discourse. While a more explicit human rights discourse in China needs time to develop, Confucian principles such as datong (great harmony), ren (benevolence), as well as its educational believes and human rights ideas, may offer readily-available and more accessible inspiration and support for the inclusive education for children with disabilities in line with the social and human rights models. Re-examining traditional cultural values may shed light on modern effective teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestDisability Studies scholars have extensively analysed how people with disabilities are oppressed in societies that devalue them. Teachers can promote change in thinking by presenting people with disabilities as people with multiple identities and experiences who are frequently oppressed. This paper explores how teachers can change their thinking and Reconceptualise their practices to this end. It reports on a two-year teacher education programme implemented in Cyprus. The participants were 59 teachers from pre primary, primary and secondary levels of education. The study analysed discussions with teachers held in seminars, lesson plans and the researcher’s diary. The findings suggest that teachers questioned dominant oppressive practices, became critical of and proposed alternatives to oppressive materials, began to think in terms of anti-oppressive Approaches, and planned and implemented anti-oppressive lesson plans. The discussion draws the connections between the findings and relevant research to consider changes that can advance teacher education for inclusion.This paper explores how teachers Reconceptualise their thinking and practices to raise disability awareness.The research team developed a teacher education programme, based on Disability Studies key ideas, such as the social model.The participants were 59 teachers from pre primary, primary and secondary levels of education.The data included recorded discussions with teachers held in seminars, lesson plans and the researcher’s diary.According to the findings teachers changed their initial views on disability and were able to develop lesson plans to raise disability awareness.The discussion suggests how teacher education can be improved to empower teachers raise disability awareness.This paper explores how teachers Reconceptualise their thinking and practices to raise disability awareness.The research team developed a teacher education programme, based on Disability Studies key ideas, such as the social model.The participants were 59 teachers from pre primary, primary and secondary levels of education.The data included recorded discussions with teachers held in seminars, lesson plans and the researcher’s diary.According to the findings teachers changed their initial views on disability and were able to develop lesson plans to raise disability awareness.The discussion suggests how teacher education can be improved to empower teachers raise disability awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of InterestBy taking an autoethnographic approach I intend to explore my epistemological and ontological experiences as a deaf Norwegian PhD candidate on a data collection journey in an Indian context. The aim of this article is to delve into challenges in a research process with a complex and multilinguistic environment, with barriers occurring, and how they could be understood and met. I identify and discuss barriers and possibilities in my research journey, describe how I faced challenges with gaining access to the field, and with recruitment issues, and share my process of finding solutions regarding communication. The autoethnographic analysis reveals a complex research situation with dynamic relationships and displays intersectionality in action. This analysis illuminates how knowledge production is linked to epistemological and ontological concerns. The reflexivity of the researcher is crucial, but the power of definition is also of interest and points to my shifting positionality as a deaf researcher.The experiences and reflections of a deaf researcher from Norway, in the Global North, doing research in India, in the Global South, with deaf Indian women, are described and analysed.One topic concerns dealing with the fact that people use various local, regional, and national languages, and might not understand each other.This paper further explores the resources within deaf networks, also referred to as Deaf Space, and emphasises the need for researchers to approach the experience of being a deaf woman in India with sensitivity.As a researcher from the Global North and a deaf person, my activity in the Global South, in India, was influenced by my different positions.Undertaking research with deaf people in a context that differs from the researcher’s usual context requires ongoing reflection throughout the different aspects of the research process.The experiences and reflections of a deaf researcher from Norway, in the Global North, doing research in India, in the Global South, with deaf Indian women, are described and analysed.One topic concerns dealing with the fact that people use various local, regional, and national languages, and might not understand each other.This paper further explores the resources within deaf networks, also referred to as Deaf Space, and emphasises the need for researchers to approach the experience of being a deaf woman in India with sensitivity.As a researcher from the Global North and a deaf person, my activity in the Global South, in India, was influenced by my different positions.Undertaking research with deaf people in a context that differs from the researcher’s usual context requires ongoing reflection throughout the different aspects of the research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestAlthough critical disability studies has become more widely recognized within physiotherapy scholarship and education, ableism still profoundly influences and directs the physiotherapy profession. We draw from post-structural French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy to highlight how ableism is bound up in the taken-for-granted assumptions of physiotherapy. We outline how ableism is entangled with the profession’s ontology and European notion of human. As a result, ableism is maintained by clinicians through the embodiment of the ideal species typical human, in both the domain of the mind and body. As it stands, to do physiotherapy necessitates ableism. Imagining physiotherapy otherwise, we set out to critique and unsettle the profession’s metaphysical presuppositions, creating the possibility for new generative avenues for physiotherapy. Deleuze’s ontology of difference provides the profession an alternative starting point which makes the notion of ‘normal’, and consequently ableism, unthinkable.This paper explores how physiotherapy’s foundational assumptions continue to uphold ableism.By imagining the profession as always in motion, we argue that bodies are understood as always changing.We demonstrate how French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy might enable physiotherapy to escape its ableist history.By theorizing physiotherapy as always in motion, the possibilities of what clients and clinicians can do and become open upWe outline the utility of not assessing physiotherapeutic interventions as ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’ but by what they do and what possibilities they open up.This paper explores how physiotherapy’s foundational assumptions continue to uphold ableism.By imagining the profession as always in motion, we argue that bodies are understood as always changing.We demonstrate how French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy might enable physiotherapy to escape its ableist history.By theorizing physiotherapy as always in motion, the possibilities of what clients and clinicians can do and become open upWe outline the utility of not assessing physiotherapeutic interventions as ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’ but by what they do and what possibilities they open up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews existing approaches to inclusive, co-produced and agentic research in disability, and shares related reflections from a co-produced digital storytelling project. The project, which included self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, academics, and support staff was undertaken in Queensland, Australia, in 2018. This paper reflects on the potential and limitations of inclusive research methods by, and with, people with intellectual disabilities. We reflect on and analyse our experiences using a co-production framework and consider how this project increased participation and agency by, with, and for people with intellectual disabilities. The paper concludes with a summary of learnings and recommendations for future co-produced research activities including the importance of taking time to build capacity and establish the required foundations for more inclusive research. Historically, researchers tended to conduct research on people with intellectual disabilities instead of researching with people as co-researchers. Time and deliberate efforts are needed for all people involved in co-produced research, be they people with disabilities, family and carers, advocates, disability workers or academic researchers, to work together in ways which share power and decision-making. This project reflects on the processes used to co-produce individual digital stories and a group digital story about the activities of a long-established group of self-advocates. This includes reflecting on how the digital stories were shared and received; and how the research findings have been communicated, to date, including at a national conference about intellectual disability. The project demonstrates the value of co-production methods and the extended benefits that can arise from this way of working collaboratively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines disabled people's digital political engagement in China, which is a largely overlooked issue. Current studies about disability politics often focus on manifest political behaviours in western democratic societies, while the literature on technologies and China lacks the examination of everyday politics of specific identity groups, such as disabled people. This paper attempts to fill the gaps with a broader framework of political engagement. Based on long-term ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews, the paper presents a variety of political activities in China's cyberspace, including everyday presence, campaigning for policy changes, networking for disability constituencies, and organised online activism. These suggest both latent and manifest forms of political engagement, which are equally 'worthy' in understanding disability politics in China. The forms also interact with each other to build Chinese disability politics in the digital world. New information and communication technologies, such as the internet, have changed the ways we engage in politics. However, how the technologies have been used by Chinese disabled people for politics is a missing topic. The paper uses a broader framework to examine disabled people's online political engagement. The findings suggest a variety of activities that have explicit or implicit relations to disability politics. The study found Chinese disabled people use the internet to document their everyday life, and, to interact with others and create disability groups. These activities suggest no obvious political targets. The study also found actions with clear political purposes, for example personal or group activities to aim to change discriminative policies. The paper argues all these forms of engagement are meaningful. They interact with each other and contribute to the building of disability politics in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people from the perspective of disability organisations located in the Global South. Drawing on the findings of an online survey, which received responses from 20 representatives of disability organisations located in 13 countries, this study builds on a growing body of recent research highlighting the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on disabled people, many of whom have experienced greater levels of discrimination and deeper levels of isolation and poverty as the result of inadequate state responses to the pandemic. The study also highlights the crucial role played by many disability organisations in supporting disabled people during the crisis, often filling in the gaps in mainstream service provision, and argues that they should be enabled to play a much more prominent role in the long-term recovery process in order to ensure a more disability-inclusive post-pandemic world. This paper argues that: State responses to the pandemic have often failed to take account of the specific needs and priorities of disabled people. During the pandemic, many disabled people have been denied access to essential services, cut off from the support of their caregivers, excluded from education provision and exposed to severe economic hardship. Disability organisations have offered vital to support to their members and beneficiaries, often helping to ensure that their basic needs are met. Policymakers and service providers should collaborate closely with disability organisations in order to ensure that disabled people are not left behind in the long-term recovery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the first systematic review of literature associated with participatory research involving people identified with sensory impairments and/or intellectual impairments. It was initiated as part of ARCHES, an European Union-funded heritage project. The review sought to examine processes and activities used for organising participatory research involving people identified with sensory and/or intellectual impairments. 54 papers were included, involving studies from 14 countries and varying numbers of participants across different time scales. Insights were gained into use of advisory groups, organisation and support, collecting and analysing data, sharing findings and activity types. Emergent themes enabled an identification of the while of participation. The while represents the tensions, outcomes and component parts which are evident within the multiple moments that span an experience of participatory research. Participation is not about types of activity but how any activity is undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a focus group study of the role of digital inclusion in overcoming disability stigma. It reviews stigma literature and contrasting disability models, ultimately arguing in favor of the value of the biopsychosocial approach to the role of digital inclusion in disability stigma. The paper qualitatively explores the stigma experienced by people with disabilities and the ways in which digital inclusion might affect such experiences. It asserts that the benefits of digital inclusion depend, simultaneously, on bio-medical, social, and personal/psychological levels. In addition, prominent barriers to digital inclusion, such as low accessibility and usability and ineffective technology design, are determined by complex biopsychosocial factors, rather than purely bio-technical or social parameters. Thus, the paper recommends the adoption of the biopsychosocial model of disability, in order digital inclusion research to generate longitudinal insights into the actual and potential role of digital inclusion in people with disabilities' social inclusion and welfare. This is a study of what people with different or similar disabilities think of the role of digital technologies in their experiences of disability stigma. The people with disabilities who participated in the study argued about the positive role that digital technologies play in alleviating: a) medical aspects of their stigma by helping them cope with everyday life tasks; b) social aspects of their stigma by helping them socialise and participate in the society; and c) psychological aspects of their stigma by helping them express freely and be more confident. At the same time, the participants criticised the design of digital technologies and argued that digital design often worsens their experiences of stigma, as it reinforces medical, social and psychological aspects of such stigma. The study recommends that future research on the role of digital technologies in disability stigma should shed light on medical, social and psychological aspects and forces of disability stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractOur paper aims to consider how hybrid academic conferences can create inclusive spaces for knowledge exchange. The paper begins by considering the purpose of academic conferences and identifying the groups of people excluded when conferences are run in an in-person-only format. Reasons for exclusion include being disabled, being a carer, being unable to travel (e.g. in the final trimester of pregnancy), being unable to secure a VISA, or being unable to access funds to cover travel and accommodation costs. Next, we consider the existing challenges that individuals and event organizers face concerning academic conferences. Then, pragmatic opportunities for event organizers are presented, making the case for running conferences in a hybrid format. The paper concludes with a call to action for promoting care democracy in the workplace by addressing the humanity deficit and the unheard voice of academics currently excluded from in-person-only academic conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study on blindness discourses found in South African non-profit organisations that provide rehabilitation services to visually impaired adults. The paper investigates what the public relations materials of these organisations communicate about blindness. It also considers the ideological assumptions that blindness discourses reinforce and embed in rehabilitation practice. The primary focus is a discourse analytic review conducted on a sample of organisation public facing material. The findings comprise three clusters of assumptions, with concomitant enactments in practice. These are i) third-person alliances around the blind subject and a resulting objectification of service users ii) 'journey discourse' which prohibits the expression of complex disability experiences and iii) polarised blindness fantasies which promote othering and prescribe acceptable ways of being for blind subjects. This paper questions what might be imparted to blind persons at a symbolic level through rehabilitative practices. This article explores the ways that blindness and blind persons are represented on the websites of organisations that provide visual impairment rehabilitation services in South Africa. These representations affect the way that society views visually impaired people, and the way that visually impaired people feel about themselves. Organisation websites describe visually impaired people in ways that make it seem as though they play little active role in the rehabilitation process. The idea that rehabilitation is a journey from dependence and depression to independence and self-acceptance might make it difficult for rehabilitation service users to express ongoing feelings of grief and loss. There is a need for more focus on interdependence in rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation organisations must think carefully about what their public relations materials communicate to society about blindness and blind persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognised that First Nations peoples in Australia (also known as Aboriginal Australians) have some of the poorest health and social outcomes of any other group. This is evidenced in a number of areas including the disproportionately high rates of disability for First Nations peoples in Australia. This paper explores how the intersection of race and disability compounds disadvantage for First Nations peoples with disability in Australia. Additionally, it explores the conceptual diversity of disability and the role colonisation has played, and continues to play, in creating and maintaining high rates of disability for First Nations peoples in Australia. This paper argues for the decolonisation of the disability sector as a step towards improving outcomes for all. In particular, the use of intersectionality theory is examined as a potentially effective tool for mapping and enacting the decolonisation of the disability sector. First Nations peoples in Australia understand disability in a manner that differs from the mainstream dominant 'western' understanding, and this has huge implications for the disability sector. The dominant model focuses on people with disabilities as individuals who need to be 'treated' and 'supported' by health authorities. First Nations approach is community-based wherein everyone has abilities and responsibilities that are valued by the community – a culture of inclusion and connection that normalises and accepts people with disabilities. Routinely encountered racism and structural discrimination experienced by First Nations people compound discrimination commonly experienced by people with a disability. Intersectional theory identifies how disability and race combine in Australia to produce particularly poor outcomes for First Nations people with a disability, compared to their non-Indigenous peers. Decolonisation, the process of reversing the impact of the dominant way of thinking, is important to improving outcomes for First Nations people with a disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents with disabilities and their families experience pervasive inequities within the child welfare system. However, existing conceptual frameworks do not adequately explain or address the unique needs and experiences of parents with disabilities and their families involved with the child welfare system. Accordingly, we present a conceptual framework that incorporates empirical findings from existing literature while integrating and expanding extant frameworks and models. The conceptual framework, which is aimed at being a starting point from which to investigate child welfare system inequities experienced by disabled parents, includes interrelated factors measured at the contextual, institutional, and individual levels. The paper discusses areas for further research, challenges for researchers, and implications for reducing child welfare system inequities. Parents with disabilities are more likely to be involved with the child welfare system, have their parental rights terminated, and receive inadequate services and supports from the child welfare system, compared to other parents. This paper offers a conceptual framework that identifies factors that impact the inequities experienced by disabled parents who are involved with the child welfare system. Researchers can use the conceptual framework to study the reasons that parents with disabilities have worse child welfare system outcomes than other parents. Policymakers and child welfare professionals can use the conceptual framework to identify ways to prevent parents with disabilities from being unnecessarily involved with the child welfare system and ensure that parents with disabilities who are involved with the child welfare system are treated fairly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades there has been an increase in the use of participatory and emancipatory methodologies within disability research; centring the lived experience of disabled people. This paper explores some of the ethical and practical considerations when researching in the area of disabled women and sexuality, highlighting the pervasiveness of ableist attitudes and processes. Drawing on critical disability studies and utilising critical reflexivity, the researcher, a disabled woman, discusses some of the strengths and limitations of being an 'insider-outsider' researcher. The paper also presents some strategies and considerations for researchers who seek to use inclusive methods in research with and by disabled people, including the importance of language and multi-methods to facilitate and promote access and expression. If research is to be a true reflection of the community being researched, then it is vital inclusive principles are incorporated into all stages of research projects. There has been an increase in research that includes disabled people in all stages of the research process. This paper discusses some of the ways the researcher, a disabled woman, used inclusive research methods throughout her study focused on disabled women's experiences of sex education, sexual expression and violence. The paper considers some of the strengths and challenges of insider research, and outlines ways to promote access and expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper considers some of the hidden challenges which may be faced by the neurodiverse academic. The neurodiverse academic, at times, can be seen as something ‘hidden’, remaining undisclosed due to the challenges which can be faced by making this declaration to colleagues and employers. As a result, our voices are often not heard, and, thus, the difficulties we face overlooked. This has begun to be addressed for the student within higher education, but not the academic. Within this paper I, therefore, reflect on my experience as a dyslexic academic. I consider the challenges of excess labour, increasingly needed to ‘make it’ in academia today, the pressures this creates and impact on mental health. I, also, highlight the divergence, from non-disabled colleagues, which can exist in access to development opportunities. I provide this account to challenge assumptions and spur a research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestResearch on the experiences of academics with disabilities regarding access to higher education spaces is vast, but not much has been done to assess if such research goes beyond analysing physical spaces. This paper follows the capabilities approach to contribute knowledge in this regard, drawing from research conducted in one South African University. Ten academics with disabilities were interviewed, and data were analysed thematically. Findings suggest that it is not enough for academics with disabilities to be employed at the University. Denial of social and physical access to various spaces has epistemic and professional advancement implications. The possibilities for alternative spaces and freedom of choice to function optimally for academic identity advancement can still be enhanced. The paper makes recommendations that can be explored for policy and practice to advance human development of academics with disabilities.We draw attention to how ableism relates to capabilities and freedoms to develop academic identities in multidimensional spaces of higher education.Marginalising spatial configurations go beyond just inability to attend academic gatherings, but also to participate in knowledge production for academic identity development.Academics with invisible disabilities can receive even more limited support, causing them to take longer to develop academically.Academics have agency and responsibilities towards developing their identities, but these are often limited by the nature of spaces.Advanced technology provides alternative ways of thinking about self-ability versus disability in an academic workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the adjustments made to include people with intellectual disabilities in mainstream services. Drawing on in-depth interviews with both people with intellectual disabilities and mainstream service managers in four urban regions in Australia, the paper points to three modes of practice that are operationalised, to different degrees, when people with intellectual disabilities seek access to mainstream services: a commitment and adjustments to support inclusion of a wide range of marginalised people (diversity and inclusion ethos); adjustments to support inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities more specifically (differentiated adjustments); and, personal support for service users with intellectual disabilities. We argue that these three modes, at the service level, correspond in complex ways with three broader approaches to social inclusion: mainstreaming, differentiation and individualisation. Rather than contradictory modes of inclusion, our analysis suggests these approaches should be understood as complementary. Some mainstream services that value 'inclusion' make adjustments to their service in order to better include people from different marginalised groups. Such adjustments have mixed outcomes for people with intellectual disability, whose specific needs are not always met. Some mainstream services operate separate activities for users with intellectual disability. This helps them manage behavioural and communication challenges, and can help people with intellectual disability experience a sense of belonging. But separate activities also limit opportunities for full inclusion in the mainstream. Often people with intellectual disability require their own personal support to be able to use mainstream services. Some mainstream services rely on such personal support as their main strategy to include people with intellectual disability. Other mainstream services work collaboratively with personal supporters to promote inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Film, a powerful publicising agent of knowledge, can have detrimental ideological and material implications contributing towards the systematic exclusion of disabled people. The paper explores how acquired physical disability is constructed within three contemporary mainstream fiction films. Guided by theoretical disability models and stereotypic representations of disability, identified by seminal authors in the field, the discussion highlights discourses that are perpetuated, challenged, or omitted within cinematic portrayals of disability. The paper also addresses how these discourses contribute to the maintenance or subversion of ableist power. The data underwent a multimodal analysis guided by critical and cinematic discourses. While steps towards more nuanced and diverse representations of acquired physical disability are evident, the films continue to perpetuate hegemonic discourses, emotionally provocative, and caricatured portrayals of disability. Arguably, contemporary disability fiction films are still largely produced for, and consumed by, abled audiences. Recommendations for transforming cinematic representations of the disabled are addressed. Films can communicate accurate knowledge as well as damaging stereotypes to the public. Disability has often been portrayed negatively in films and thus it is important to critically analyse films about disability. The paper discusses three contemporary films in which the main actors have an acquired physical disability. What is said about disability through the films' dialogue, and how disability is shown through camera angles, music, and props was analysed. The research found that films about acquired physical disability continue to produce negative stereotypes about disability. Thus, discrimination against disabled people is continued. Encouragingly, some stereotypes about disability were seen to be challenged in the contemporary films. Future films need to be more inclusive of disability. Characters need to be complex, all-rounded individuals, with disability being only one facet of their personhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper presents an examination of the first author’s experiences and unique positioning as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI hereafter) survivor in doctorate supervision. Autoethnography was used to connect her personal to her cultural experience in this environment where the voices of both supervisors and student enrich doctoral supervision practices. We explore the complex intersections of the first co-author’s experience relating to neurodiversity, disability/ability, care, assumptions and disclosure. This paper illustrates that while being personally embodied, her experience also intersected with overlapping external factors which prevented or supported her inclusion. This paper demonstrates that it was necessary to perceive, trust and appreciate the care being offered before being able to fully disclose and progress successfully with her studies. Oppong’s (2014) integrated model of human action and conditions offers the use of an integrated approach to explain her experience to the reader and proposes a more respectful approach to inclusion.This article is written from a stand -point perspective and explores the experiences of the first author as a person with TBI navigating the increasingly neoliberal environment of higher education (HE).This article illustrates how inclusive policies within the HE system that advocate inclusion, in reality, neurodiverse students are not fully understood, and their needs are not adequately met.An ethics of care and empathy are advocated that recognizes the individuality of the first author and understands the complexity of her experience.Disclosure was a reciprocal process in this supervision process.Higher education needs to be more inclusive of disability by providing a more flexible approach to doctoral supervision, while not reducing the standard of a doctorate.Universal design for Learning (UDL) principles may offer a useful framework for making doctoral research more accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, access to education is regarded as a right enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution yet issues of inequality, poor access and exclusion remain as intense as they have always been for students with disabilities. When universities closed due to Covid-19, all students suffered in one way or the other but those with disabilities suffered the most as their support is not mainstreamed. This highlighted the need to create a seamless system of student support if we are to leave no student behind. To do this, the paper proposes the adoption of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that supports inclusive teaching and learning. Adopting UDL is critical in ensuring curriculum access and in addressing fragmented student support. Supporting students with disabilities should be everyone's responsibility and the sooner we adopt the principles of UDL, the better the learning outcomes for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper forms an intervention into existing literature on the life stage transitional crisis of emerging adulthood, commonly referred to as quarter life crisis. Whilst among existing analyses, aspects such as gender and ethnic dimensions are considered, a marked absence of attention to disability within quarter life crisis persists. Toward theorizing the position of disabled emerging adults undergoing transitional life crisis, a composite theoretical framework is envisioned and applied. This entails the application of a five-part typology of critical disability studies, within which a life course approach to disability is integrated. Given the novelty of the subject matter, aspirations for the analysis are modest. The aim is to destabilise and refigure present individualistic psychologised discourses and common popular culture understandings of quarter life crisis. To undertake this work, disability is taken up as a transformative site to rethink the meaning of life stage transitions in emerging adulthood. As young people move from adolescence to adulthood, they can experience a difficult period in their life known as 'quarter life crisis.' Little is known or written about the experience of disability within quarter life crisis. Much of the way that quarter life crisis is understood presently is from an area of study known as psychology and from movies, articles, books and television shows for people in general. To better understand disability in quarter life crisis, this paper suggests that one perspective is particularly useful. This perspective is made up of an area of study that is known as 'critical disability studies' and an approach to understanding people's lives that is called the 'life course approach'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the Dementia Enquirers approach to dementia research, and the 10 local projects which have been funded in the first wave of the programme. The paper is written by six people with dementia with expertise by experience, supported by a traditional academic with expertise by research. This co-production enables the voices of people with dementia to be heard, and expands the field of disability studies. The authors discuss problems with traditional academic research, and the different ways that people with dementia go about research. Two examples of research projects led by people with dementia are discussed. The paper explores difficulties people with dementia have had with formal research ethics procedures and how they propose to do things differently. In conclusion, the authors challenge mainstream dementia research to do things differently, and to understand the potential contributions of people with dementia. People with dementia can conduct research People with dementia understand ethics and can come to considered judgements about capacity, consent and the risk of harm. People with dementia may sometimes enjoy advantages in their ways of working Mainstream research and research governance needs to adapt, if people with dementia are to be included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive research has gained momentum internationally. However important critiques of this approach query whether inclusive research reinforces perceptions of deficit and contribute to exclusionary practices. This paper presents a reflection on the practices within an inclusive research group over the past decade, with a focus on decision making and support. The authors used thematic analysis to critically review minutes, workshop presentations and research reports. The findings indicate a shift in how the group works together; moving away from being guided by university supporters in the early years towards increased participation in decision making and ownership of the group's agenda by self-advocates over time although balanced collaboration across all members continues to be challenging. The article explains how the inclusive approach used by the group enabled self-advocates to not only conduct research, but to also critically review their own work. Research done together with people with learning disabilities, inclusive research, has become known worldwide. Some people wonder if teams that say they are inclusive are not really treating people as equal partners. Our group wanted to reply to these key issues as we think about how we work together. To do this, we looked at our meeting notes and agendas, reports, and training presentations over the past ten years. We looked at how we make decisions and the support we get. The group found that self-advocates and supporters now work as full partners. University supporters made decisions before. Now self-advocates decide the research topics, methods, and the report. In this article we explain how we work together and also what we think about the work we do. Even though we are happy with the way we work, we still struggle with how much work we all do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder in Canada, this paper focuses on how their mothers, as Asian immigrant women, experience the process of diagnosis and learn to parent their children. By taking two Asian (Korean and Chinese) mothers' critical personal narratives as major data sources, this paper aims to explore the diagnosis process of Autism-Spectrum-Disorder through a sociocultural lens on the intersectionality of (im)migrants and their cultural competence, and argues that their identity (re)construction and learning for parenting take place at the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and disability. This paper highlights possible implications for everyone involved in this 'medical' process, in the context of Canadian or other similar multicultural societies. Asian immigrant mothers usually have to deal with children with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder (ASD) and they have bitter experience of mistreatment tied to race, gender and class. This study reveals how Asian immigrant mothers struggled in their integration to Canadian society as well as their experiences of denial into Canada's medical system. The stories of these two women shed lights on the social and cultural aspects of immigrant mothers' learning strategies, including how they utilize accessible resources and networks for their children's treatment and diagnosis. This paper suggests that policymakers need to consider the social and cultural aspects of diagnosis in immigrant families to better fit their needs and provide them appropriate medical and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disability research has made vast progress since Oliver's (1992) call for it to challenge disabled people's oppression. In Global South contexts such as Burkina Faso–where the research on which this paper is based was facilitated by the author–participatory diagramming and video are useful in creating spaces where disabled people can be heard. Nonetheless, these voices do not necessarily represent those of all disabled people. This paper tackles critiques of participatory methods, issues of representation, as well as power and positionality concerns arising from the involvement of western, non-disabled researchers. It 'concludes' that while participatory research might respond to the need for ethical research methods exploring disability in Global South contexts, the importance of reflexivity and of striving towards enabling and supporting research whose agenda is set by disabled persons from the Global South, should be at the fore. For the most part, research on disability and the lives of disabled persons takes place in Europe, North America and other similar contexts, and does not take into account the experiences of persons with disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa. Research which involves participants as researchers themselves aims to support disabled persons in fighting against the discrimination they encounter. Such research can involve different research methods, such as disabled persons creating their own film where they can make their voices heard. Methods like these are more ethical than traditional research methods like interviews, and help make visible the lives and experiences of persons with disabilities in countries like Burkina Faso. However, such participatory methods also have their drawbacks, some of which are discussed in this paper in order to reflect on the way forward for disability research in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract \nPoints of interest Proper adaptation of banking mobile applications to the needs of people with disabilities can play a crucial role in minimising the financial exclusion. The article examines selected mobile banking applications of four Polish banks in the context of their adaptation to the needs of consumers with disabilities. The project used a descriptive case study method based on analytical induction, and observation was carried out for six months. The analysis of the application was conducted in two parts: the adaptation of interfaces and functionalities to the preferences of people with disabilities in terms of readability, the efficiency of the application, and comprehensibility of the form of information transfer, and other accessible functionalities within the analysed applications that meet the needs of people with disabilities. The study’s results indicate the strengths of the accessibility of the analysed mobile applications as well as their limitations in enhancing independent living for people with disabilities. Smartphones and mobile apps are becoming an inseparable part of the everyday life of consumers all over the world. The paper examines the design of modern banking apps in Poland in the context of their adaptation to the needs of consumers with disabilities. While the tested mobile applications meet many criteria of accessibility, there is room for improvement. The study indicates that further guidelines are needed to improve the usability and accessibility of banking apps and help conduct further consumer research in this area. Smartphones and mobile apps are becoming an inseparable part of the everyday life of consumers all over the world.The paper examines the design of modern banking apps in Poland in the context of their adaptation to the needs of consumers with disabilities.While the tested mobile applications meet many criteria of accessibility, there is room for improvement.The study indicates that further guidelines are needed to improve the usability and accessibility of banking apps and help conduct further consumer research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arab cinema has not featured many protagonists with disabilities, but over the past two decades differently abled characters have appeared on movie and television screens in the Middle East and North Africa. From feature films to Ramadan serials, characters with Hansen's Disease, Down Syndrome, autism, visual impairments, dwarfism, and missing limbs have emerged in films and television shows from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. Characters with disabilities in Yomeddine (Egypt), Behind the Sun (Syria), and Tale of Amal (Lebanon) challenge disability stigma in Arab cultures and highlight the toll of caregiving. While these portrayals, which all incorporate religious interpretations of disability and feature poor characters living on the margins, attempt to correct the absence of disability representations and discourse in Arab societies, they fall into familiar tropes of disability objectification by employing the 'prosthetic' of a disability narrative to explore other marginalized social issues like abortion, gender, race, and religious differences. There is hardly any research on how disability is portrayed in film and television in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon The research sheds important light on how disability and poverty intersect in Arab popular culture This paper discusses how religion (Islam in particular) is used to understand, interpret, and manage disability in Arab societies This research shows how Arab filmmakers are using film and television to advocate for more awareness and compassion for people with disabilities in Arab societies. This paper covers taboo subjects related to disability such as abortion, religious minorities, sexuality, and gender marginalization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the publication of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability, the rights and situation of people with disabilities have once again become a focus of national, European and international policy and advocacy. Mansell et al., (2007) identified that there were over 1million people with disabilities in Europe living in institutions of over 30 places in size and almost 1.4 million in some form of residential care. This paper reports findings from a review of national and international sources of data on living situation for 27 European countries as of 2019. Although there had been some changes, especially for children and especially in countries where EU structural funds had been used, there were still 1.4 million people living in residential care, with many still for more than 30 people. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities were those who were most likely to still be in residential services. We consider some of the potential reasons for these findings and discuss what might be needed to really advance deinstitutionalisation. People with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else to live in the community. This paper looks at where people with disabilities live and how this has changed over time. We found that many people with disabilities still live in institutions and that the number had not changed much since 2007. There have been more changes for children than adults. Fewer children now live in institutions. People with intellectual disabilities are most likely to still live in institutions and least likely to be living and participating in the community. Many countries in Europe still do not have good information about where people with disabilities live and whether they have choice and control or are active citizens. There was more change in countries which had received money from the European Union. However, in many countries, there were no plans for how to help more people to live in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency situations such as pandemics typically widen inequities, and Australian children and young people with disability already face significant inequities in the education system. In this paper we draw on survey data from over 700 respondents exploring education experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families reported being left behind, finding it difficult to access education remotely, and that this was having a significant impact on wellbeing and mental health. We find that of all support offered by schools, social supports have a stronger association with learner engagement than educational interventions. This finding indicates the importance of social and emotional supports in learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted education for most learners; There is good evidence to suggest this impact is felt more keenly by students with disability, because there is disability discrimination in the Australian education system; This paper reports survey responses from over 700 families of students with disability exploring the impact of COVID-19 on education; Many families report being left behind and that students found it difficult to learn away from the school campus, which for many students and families led to poorer wellbeing and mental health; Our results suggest that supporting students to have social contact with peers made the biggest impact on students with disability feeling engaged with learning during this time. This shows it is important for teachers and schools to pay attention to social as well as educational aspects of school life when thinking about how to educate students with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract \nPoints of Interest The retail payments market is developing, and the implementation of digital payments has been one of the trends in consumer finance worldwide. This is the first study to jointly examine the perception of digital payment methods and financial services’ role, for consumers with and without disabilities. First, based on a nationwide survey on Internet users in Poland, the authors compared the popularity of selected financial services among consumers, then the perception of characteristics of payment methods. The results revealed that consumers with disabilities use a wide range of payment services, and they are included in digital finance. Moreover, contactless payment cards are used by consumers with disabilities even more often than by consumers on average. The results suggest that the control over finances make digital payments an important empowering tool for consumers with disabilities. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for the banking sector, on strategies for offering digital financial services. This paper examines the potential of new cashless payment methods as an empowering and assistive technologies for consumers with disabilities. The research found that consumers with disabilities use a wide range of payment services, and contactless payment cards are used by them even more often than by non-disabled people. People with disabilities also perceive payment cards as giving great control over their personal finance. This suggest that new payment methods might be their assistive and empowering tool of everyday life. Consequently, the research recommends that entities designing new payment methods should meet the needs of people with disabilities, because they could be improving their shopping and banking experience with appropriate adjustments. This paper examines the potential of new cashless payment methods as an empowering and assistive technologies for consumers with disabilities.The research found that consumers with disabilities use a wide range of payment services, and contactless payment cards are used by them even more often than by non-disabled people.People with disabilities also perceive payment cards as giving great control over their personal finance. This suggest that new payment methods might be their assistive and empowering tool of everyday life.Consequently, the research recommends that entities designing new payment methods should meet the needs of people with disabilities, because they could be improving their shopping and banking experience with appropriate adjustments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful inclusion is a subject that addresses the question of how well a society can prevent discrimination and ensure access to information, products, services, and spaces for all. Disability may not necessarily lead to exclusion, unless society fails to respond to the needs of people regardless of their impairment. Digital tools combined with ethnographic research may help researchers explore users' needs, perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes and can aid in understanding the interactions between the human, the space, and the digital within the urban realm. This paper thus outlines a diversity of digital tools in the context of the disability-inclusive city. Through ethnographic encounters with Joe, Ann, and Vanessa, we then explore how these tools can be applied to practice. Centering on Joe, we attempt to exemplify some of the key issues that need to be addressed when looking into the terrain of disability, the city, and digital tools. This paper explores how mobile phones and mobile applications can support people with disabilities in accessing the city and its services. The research also explores how modern technology, such as mobile applications can support city officials in understanding better what makes cities more disability friendly. With the help of Joe, Vanessa and Ann from Maribor, Slovenia, the authors have tried out a selected number of mobile applications and observed how these can help people with disabilities use the city and its services. The research with Joe, Vanessa and Ann showed that mobile phones and mobile applications can be useful for moving around the city, but people with disabilities may still face difficulties using mobile phones while moving. The research also showed that technology can make cities more disability friendly, but it cannot remove all the barriers that people with disabilities face in their everyday lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we study the concept of 'belonging' within the context of inclusive education. We see inclusion and belonging as two entangled concepts and focus on inclusion as an ethical process. We do this by analyzing the Flemish documentary Inclusief [Inclusive] to investigate the idea of belonging as building and finding roots. As a method we carry out a close reading of two episodes of the documentary and plug in theory to gain a deeper sense about the meaning of belonging in two students' life stories. In our writing process these fragments become tangible. Through the stories, we see how belonging emerges. We come to understand belonging in inclusive education as connected to the dynamic interplay with the context; listening with care; and radical relationality. By combining these elements schools can invest in becoming inclusive communities of care, and contribute to every student having a feeling of belonging. This paper explores the relation between inclusion in educational contexts and the sense of belonging of disabled students. The authors argue for a system approach to aim for inclusion instead of through case-by-case assessment. Through close reading of two episodes of the Flemish documentary Inclusief, the authors find that belonging is enhanced through the teachers' careful attention to the students' relations with each other. The authors state that creating space to enhance every student's belonging is carried out through listening with care and being open to many connections between the student and others. The interplay with the environment proves very important to stimulate a sense of belonging with every student. The authors argue that caring communities arise through close connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sheds light on how to develop inclusive pedagogy in higher education, from the point of view of 42 inclusive faculty members from 6 Spanish universities. A qualitative methodology was used through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data analysis was inductive, using a system of categories and topics. The results reveal that the faculty members which develop inclusive pedagogy in general have beliefs linked to the social model of disability and inclusive education approaches. They do not usually have specific training or knowledge about disability. They design their curricula in a flexible and open way to accommodate all students. They show a positive attitude toward students with disabilities and use diverse and participatory teaching methodologies, giving prominence to students. These data are consistent with those found in previous studies and offer keys to those faculty members who are interested in developing an inclusive pedagogy at the university. This paper examines in detail how faculty members of six faculties of educational sciences develop a theoretical framework comprising beliefs, knowledge, designs and actions. The research has found that faculty members hold beliefs about disability based on the social model of disability and inclusive approach. In general, inclusive faculty members' knowledge of disability and attention to diversity issues is scarce. The design of courses and teaching programmes led by inclusive university faculty is characterised by being open, flexible and providing clear and detailed information to students. Faculty who develop inclusive pedagogy use varied, participative and active methodologies, which are combined with a positive and approachable attitude towards students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counterspaces are fields of social action and activism in which people organize themselves to change oppressive social structures. Ableism, or discrimination based on disability, is expressed in everyday life. Its expressions may take the form of ableist microaggressions. This paper analyses a Twitter campaign, through a sample of 335 tweets published from August to December 2018 under the hashtag MeCripple, that exposed ableism and the daily microaggressions people with disabilities endure in Spain. It examines exposed ableist microaggressions, tests if the domains of microaggressions proposed by other scholars apply to Spain, and explores whether the campaign generated a space for coping and responding to ableist discrimination. It also shows that practices of online visibility generate heterotopic online counterspaces leading to cooperation and mutual support to counter ableist microaggressions. This article analyzes a 2018 Twitter campaign in Spain under the hashtag MeCripple as an offshoot of the MeToo movement. Most of the tweets under this hashtag report experiences of discrimination, insults, or contempt towards a person just for having a disability: we call these situations ableist microaggressions. The classification of ableist microaggressions used in this study serves to analyze experiences in both the U.S. and Spain. Tweets in this campaign expressed the importance of meeting each other on social media websites, such as Twitter, and bringing visibility to the discrimination faced by people with disabilities. This article suggests that public exchanges can help people unaware of ableist microaggressions better understand these forms of discrimination and mobilize them to form alliances to counter these aggressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of InterestThis paper examines autistic adults’ narratives and accounts of their experiences. It focuses on exploring how autistic individuals interpret and respond to stigma and negative attitudes surrounding autism. Thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained from interviews and focus groups reveals how autistic persons reconstruct their self-perception and definition of autism in response to stigma and societal attitudes. Further, the analysis reveals the prevalent use of social camouflaging among autistic adults to manage and cope with their stigmatized identities. This research contends that the dual approach that appeared among participants of advocating for autism acceptance while masking and concealing autism, reflects a continuous balancing act between avoiding stigma and its harmful consequences and striving to fit in, gain acceptance, engage in social interaction and relationships. Reframing autism as positive and reporting decreased motivation for camouflaging and increased self-acceptance, demonstrate stigma resistance and the agency and power possessed by autistic people.This article looks into how autistic adults describe their daily and social experiences.Specifically, it examines the impact of stigma on autistic individuals’ understanding of autism as well as explains how autistic people deal with stigmatic views and negative reactions to autism.The data collected for this study is based on interviews and focus groups conducted with autistic adults.The study highlights the use of masking, where autistic individuals hide their autism to avoid stigma and its negative consequences while seeking social acceptance and engaging socially.By exploring how autism intersects with various social identities, the study reveals how autistic individuals navigate societal challenges, highlighting the diverse experiences and perspectives within the autistic community and the complexity of the autism experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDiscrimination against people with disabilities persists in the Chinese labour market despite policy efforts. Enterprises exploit loopholes by engaging in false employment practices, renting disability certificates to circumvent their obligations to employ persons with disabilities or contribute to the Employment Security Fund. This deceptive practice not only undermines the rights of persons with disabilities but also perpetuates discrimination and marginalisation within the workforce. Additionally, resident committees tasked with assisting persons with disabilities in employment often resort to facilitating false employment due to administrative constraints. The paper stresses the importance of combatting false employment as a human rights issue, urging the Chinese government to take decisive action through enforcement measures and proactive initiatives. It emphasises the inherent value and potential of individuals with disabilities and underscores the necessity of creating an inclusive and equitable society for all members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of InterestThis article analyses the difficulties that 16 graduate with disabilities from 8 Spanish universities in the area of Health Sciences experienced during their academic career. It also shows how they overcame these difficulties, as well as their insight into their own resilience. This qualitative study used semi-structured and individual interviews. The results showed that the difficulties, the strategies to deal with them, and the opinions of the participants about their resilient characteristics are multiple and relate to both external and internal factors. The results reveal that participants’ voices from these Health Sciences degree contain useful strategies for the ­university community to promote the academic success of students with disabilities for the benefit of all students.Healthcare degrees tend to present greater challenges for students with disabilities.Students often experience exclusion during their healthcare training due to the fact that disability is based on a ‘medical’ perspective of disability.This paper analyses the difficulties and coping and resilience strategies used by university students with disabilities with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences to successfully overcome these difficulties.Numerous internal and external factors enable students with disabilities to successfully complete health studies.This study can contribute that including students with disabilities in healthcare degrees improves healthcare improves for vulnerable populations, as well as the relationship between professionals and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestAbleist microaggressions are ubiquitous experiences for workers with an impairment, chronic illness or neurodivergence in the daily execution of their job. These (un)intended everyday (non)verbal negative messages based on disability status affectively disable people, momentarily and with lasting effects on mental health and positive identity. Past research provided either psychological accounts, locating the origins of microaggression in the minds of individuals, failing to highlight the role of an ableist society, or sociological accounts, stressing exclusionary structures and marginalising discourses, neglecting to fully account for the inner experience. This paper puts forward an alternative, combined account by empirically zooming in on three vignettes in work contexts. It contributes to expanding knowledge on subtle forms of ableism, showing the entanglement between material arrangements, negative co-worker affect, and their internalisation by the disabled worker. By locating the microaggression concept firmly in the structural oppression of ableist societies, we hope to inspire organisational programs aimed at detecting and preventing microaggressions. Finally, we prepare the ground for future research to look into even more subtle forms of disability-based discrimination present in everyday interactions.This study explores how barriers in the environment and negative interactions from colleagues impact individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodivergences in the workplace, leading them to internalise feelings of inadequacy and create their own barriers.One way this happens is through small but hurtful actions known as ableist microaggressions, which can come from co-workers, supervisors, or others. These actions include making someone feel like an outsider, talking down to them, or disregarding their dignity or privacy.The findings show that these microaggressions play a big role in maintaining unfair treatment of disabled individuals at work, even if they are not intended to be harmful.It is crucial for managers to recognise and address these behaviours to create a more inclusive work environment.This study explores how barriers in the environment and negative interactions from colleagues impact individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodivergences in the workplace, leading them to internalise feelings of inadequacy and create their own barriers.One way this happens is through small but hurtful actions known as ableist microaggressions, which can come from co-workers, supervisors, or others. These actions include making someone feel like an outsider, talking down to them, or disregarding their dignity or privacy.The findings show that these microaggressions play a big role in maintaining unfair treatment of disabled individuals at work, even if they are not intended to be harmful.It is crucial for managers to recognise and address these behaviours to create a more inclusive work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractLimited literature is available from Arab women authors on the topic of disability, and even less interest is found when looking at the publishing industry. This autoethnographic paper examines the role of the publishing industry in promoting underrepresented voices and questions who determines which voices are important and deserving of publication. This article intends to highlight the obstacles that disabled scholars and individuals confront in the publishing sector by examining the author’s personal experience in publishing a hybrid memoir. Head Above Water: Reflections on Illness (2022, 2023, London and New York) explores themes of ableism, academia, and disability identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPoints of interestIn the past four decades, Independent Living (IL) has gained prominence in inspiring services for people with intellectual disabilities. Yet, its practical application faces challenges within a field still influenced by medical-rehabilitative and paternalistic perspectives. This study seeks to explore the fundamental characteristics that IL models assume within the field of intellectual disabilities, focusing on the Spanish experience, identifying pioneering projects, influential models, and their ripple effects. A comprehensive mapping of IL projects has been conducted, analyzing publicly available information on 86 identified cases. In seven significant cases, in-depth interviews were conducted with people responsible for their development. Our analysis sheds light on some emerging tensions, with a focus on what is identified as a family-centered approach, an emphasis on skills-oriented services, and an overreliance on housing accessibility. Finally, this paper offers recommendations to enhance these initiatives and foster the integration of IL in the intellectual disability context.This study examines difficulties encountered when implementing independent living services for people with intellectual disabilities in Spain.The study shows that independent living for people with intellectual disabilities has the following characteristics: it is mostly oriented towards the families, it is focused on the development of personal skills, and it is strongly dependent on the possibility of housing access.We suggest the need to find ways to place people with intellectual disabilities at the center, while considering their social networks. It is also important to promote personal assistance, allowing support in tasks lead by the people themselves. And it is a fundamental responsibility of the administrations to ensure that everyone has access to housing.Independent living for individuals with intellectual disabilities should no longer be seen as something exceptional, but rather as the center of services provided in this field.This study examines difficulties encountered when implementing independent living services for people with intellectual disabilities in Spain.The study shows that independent living for people with intellectual disabilities has the following characteristics: it is mostly oriented towards the families, it is focused on the development of personal skills, and it is strongly dependent on the possibility of housing access.We suggest the need to find ways to place people with intellectual disabilities at the center, while considering their social networks. It is also important to promote personal assistance, allowing support in tasks lead by the people themselves. And it is a fundamental responsibility of the administrations to ensure that everyone has access to housing.Independent living for individuals with intellectual disabilities should no longer be seen as something exceptional, but rather as the center of services provided in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides insights into the experiences of children with disabilities in an Ethiopian context during prolonged school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on data gathered through telephone surveys from parents of children with disabilities who had been attending school prior to closures and teachers working in different educational settings, we discuss children's learning journeys during closures, motivations to return to school and the implications of this on current educational reform efforts in Ethiopia. Our findings highlight the significant merits of including children with disabilities explicitly in wider education reform efforts; the many positive gains seen in parental desires to send their child back to school; and the need to recognize and strengthen the role of schools as spaces for promoting children's socio-emotional well-being. Schooling of children with disabilities in Ethiopia was significantly impacted due to the lack of accessible learning materials available at home and in schools Caregivers expressed that returning to school was a strong priority for their child with disabilities Teachers and caregivers noted significant negative impact of closures on children's social and emotional well-being, with many reporting heightened feelings of sadness, loneliness, isolation, and diminished interest in learning and playing among their children. Caregivers and teachers felt that more could be done to support families and schools during such times, especially with better allocation of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One central aim of disability studies is to shift understandings of disability, such that disability comes to be understood as about the social disadvantage/oppression that people face when society does not cater to impairment of body/mind. Nevertheless, there remains a need for more practical tools for disability advocacy, through which to transmit disability studies' ideas of disability to the general community. Drawing on a qualitative study of the perspectives of 23 people with physical and sensory impairments, this paper proposes virtual reality as an advocacy tool to communicate the principles and beliefs of disability studies. The findings highlight that, due to the nature of the technology, participants feel virtual reality has clear potential as a disability advocacy tool that can facilitate empathy, perspective-taking and positive social change, with a particular focus on how it is the environmental barriers and social attitudes around people that disables them. More practical advocacy or informal education tools are needed that align with the principles of disability studies. This research conducted in-depth interviews with 23 people with physical and sensory impairments. The research finds that virtual reality has clear potential as a disability advocacy tool. The participants reported that virtual reality can facilitate empathy, perspective-taking and positive social change. The research finds that virtual reality focuses on how environmental barriers and social attitudes around people with disability disable them, rather than focusing on impairment experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]