"Disability studies is an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability."
It explores the intersections between disability and queer identities and examines how disability is represented in LGBTQ literature.
Ableism: Ableism refers to a set of attitudes and beliefs that promote the idea that people with physical, mental or intellectual disabilities are inferior to able-bodied individuals.
Disability activism: Disability activism is a social movement that aims to promote the rights and interests of individuals with disabilities, fight ableism, and increase their visibility and representation.
Queer theory: Queer theory is a broad category of critical theory that explores the construction of sexuality and gender identity, including how these categories are influenced by culture, society, and power dynamics.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is a feminist theory that argues that different forms of identity: Such as gender, race, class, and ability - are interconnected, and cannot be understood separately from one another.
Disability identity: Disability identity refers to the ways in which individuals with disabilities understand and experience their disability, including their relationships to other individuals, society, and themselves.
Crip theory: Crip theory is a theoretical framework that seeks to challenge normative understandings of the body, particularly in relation to disability, and to explore the ways in which disabled bodies resist and subvert traditional narratives about difference and marginalization.
Disability literature: Disability literature is a genre of literature that is written by individuals with disabilities, or that explores disability as a theme or subject matter.
Access and accommodation: Access and accommodation refer to the ways in which individuals with disabilities are provided with equal opportunities to participate in society, including access to physical spaces, information, and resources.
Disability representation in media: Disability representation in media refers to the ways in which individuals with disabilities are portrayed in popular culture, including film, television, and literature.
Disability and sexuality: Disability and sexuality is an area of study that explores the intersection of disability and sexual identity, including issues related to sexual expression, access to sexual education and resources, and disability-specific challenges to sexual health and function.
Physical disability studies: This field focuses on the experiences of individuals with physical impairments, including mobility, dexterity, and sensory disabilities, and their intersection with society.
Cognitive disability studies: This area focuses on the experiences of people with cognitive impairments, including learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disabilities.
Psychiatric disability studies: This field examines the experiences of individuals with mental health impairments, including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Chronic illness studies: This area is concerned with chronic illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, and diabetes, and its impact on individuals and their families.
Deaf studies: This field is concerned with the culture and experiences of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Blindness and visual impairment studies: This area examines the culture and experiences of individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
Transgender disability studies: This field is concerned with the experiences of individuals who have transgender identities and are living with disabilities.
Queer disability studies: This area examines the intersection of disability and queer identities, including LGBTQIA+ individuals with disabilities.
Intersectional disability studies: This field is concerned with the ways in which disability intersects with other identities, such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality.
Literary disability studies: This area is concerned with the representation of disability in literature, including novels, poems, and plays, and how these representations shape cultural attitudes toward disability.
Disability activism: This field focuses on disability advocacy and activism, including disability rights, community organizing, and policy advocacy.
Disability and technology studies: This area looks at the intersection of disability and technology, including adaptive technology, assistive devices, and accessibility in digital spaces.
"The field focused on the division between 'impairment' and 'disability', where impairment was an impairment of an individual's mind or body, while disability was considered a social construct."
"This premise gave rise to two distinct models of disability: the social and medical models of disability."
"The social model was universally accepted as the model preferred by the field."
"In recent years, the division between the social and medical models has been challenged."
"Recent investigations suggest using 'cross-sectional markers of stratification' may help provide new insights on the non-random distribution of risk factors capable of exacerbating disablement processes."
"Disability studies courses include work in disability history, theory, legislation, policy, ethics, and the arts."
"However, students are taught to focus on the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities in practical terms."
"The field is focused on increasing individuals with disabilities' access to civil rights and improving their quality of life."
"Disability studies primarily emerged in the US, the UK, and Canada."
"In 1986, the Section for the Study of Chronic Illness, Impairment, and Disability of the Social Science Association (United States) was renamed the Society for Disability Studies."
"The first US disabilities studies program emerged in 1994 at Syracuse University."
"The first edition of the Disabilities Studies Reader was published in 1997."
"The field grew rapidly over the next ten years."
"Germany looks at queer disability studies since the beginning of the early 20th century."
"The disability studies in Germany are influenced by the written literary works of feminist sexologists who study how being disabled affects one's sexuality and ability to feel pleasure."
"In Norway, disability studies are focused on in the literary context."
"A variation emerged in 2017 with the first accessibility studies program at Central Washington University."
"[The program has] an interdisciplinary focus on social justice, universal design, and international Web Accessibility Guidelines (WAG3) as a general education knowledge base."
"Disability studies were also conducted in other countries through different lenses."