Feminist Disability Studies

Abstract

Feminist Disability Studies (FDS) emerged in the 1990s, alongside Critical Disability Studies (CDS), to challenge the medicalized view of disability and recognize it as a complex social and political construct. FDS centers on the experiences of women with disabilities, historically marginalized within both feminist and disability rights movements. This entry traces the path of FDS, highlighting its origins in critiques of the Social Model of Disability (SMD) and feminist theory. It explores key FDS themes, including the necessity of intersectional analysis, the rejection of victimization narratives, and the critique of ableism as a prevalent system of oppression. The article also underscores the importance of incorporating insights from crip theory, decolonial studies, and global disability studies to deepen FDS and CDS further, promoting a more complex and inclusive understanding of disability and its intersections with gender, race, and other social categories. By centering the voices and experiences of women with disabilities, FDS contributes to a long-needed academic scholarship while advocating for a more just and equitable world.