Bringing Disability Research to Broader Audiences: One of the Best Pieces of Advice I Received

One of the most transformative pieces of advice I received early in my career came from a senior colleague in the sociology of disability. As a PhD student still finding my way, she encouraged me to focus not just on publishing in disability studies journals but also on bringing my research to other disciplines. At the time, this idea felt both exciting and daunting. But over the years, it has proven to be one of the best strategies for pushing the boundaries of disability research and making it more widely understood.

This has not only helped me reach new audiences but has also opened up opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration and enriched the academic dialogue on disability, gender, sexuality, and more.

That said, this approach does come with its challenges. When submitting to journals outside of disability studies, I’ve often encountered pushback from editors who question whether my research fits within the journal’s scope. It can feel frustrating, as the work I do on disability often intersects with other social justice topics that transcend traditional boundaries. But I've learned to approach these moments as opportunities to provide context, to make a clear argument for why disability should be seen as central in discussions of sexuality, gender, technology, and other fields.

Perhaps the hardest part, especially early on, is that you never really know if your reviewers will have experience with critical disability studies. This uncertainty can make the peer review process more challenging. In such cases, I have learned the importance of crafting my submissions with a more detailed explanation of why my research is relevant to the journal’s audience. Introducing disability from a critical lens means offering readers the context they may not be familiar with, which requires careful framing of disability as a social, cultural, and political issue, not just a medical one.

But despite these challenges, the rewards of bringing disability research to broader journals far outweigh the difficulties. It has allowed me to make meaningful contributions in fields that are not typically centered around disability, all while advocating for the inclusion of disability in conversations that are essential to understanding the intersectionality of human experiences.

For anyone starting in the field of disability studies, I would highly recommend embracing the challenge of publishing in journals outside of disability studies. Yes, it may require extra effort and a willingness to push past gatekeeping. But in the end, it’s one of the best ways to create the space disability research deserves across academic disciplines.