Disability Studies

Welcome to the Disability Studies Library Guide. This guide will provide you with resources to help you with your research. 

Disability Studies (DS) is an interdisciplinary field that rethinks our concept of “normality” by acknowledging that disability is a universal part of the human experience, rather than a deficit that must be fixed, cured, or hidden. Disability Studies reveals that disability is a cultural construct that both oppresses and empowers. Social norms and attitudes about disability can stigmatize, dehumanize, pathologize, and minoritize disabled people. Yet, disability also functions as a source of empowerment, pride, collective identity, and community for people with disabilities.

NEIU offers a minor in Disability Studies. To learn more, visit NEIU’s Disability Studies minor web page or email Dr. Ashley Elrod at a-elrod@neiu.edu.