Disability Studies Collection
Recently Published
Forthcoming Books
Collection Editors:
Dr Damian Mellifont & Dr Jennifer Smith-Merry
Our Vision for the Collection
The Disability Studies Collection aims to increase understanding and advance the social and economic inclusion of people with disability. The collection welcomes titles that examine and illuminate lived experiences across all types of disability (e.g., physical, psychosocial, intellectual, acquired brain disorder, vision, hearing).
We invite authors to share personal or collective lived experiences with disability in any geographic or conceptual or physical ‘place’ (e.g., employment, accommodation, community, intersectional context, environment, country or region) across the globe. Places are not limited to physical locations and may include social institutions (e.g., disability in family, economy, government, politics, religious, legal, mass media). The collection itself therefore endeavours to be inclusive of diverse places where barriers to a more inclusive world for people with disability are not only recognised, but importantly, are challenged.
As collection editors, we will consider manuscripts that are informed by methods and that offer detailed accounts of living with disability in various places, intended to support global curriculum. We will monitor progress on your draft, offer suggestions where appropriate, and respect author freedoms in their sharing of lived experiences. Primarily, our role is to offer guidance in supporting the completion of quality manuscripts whose evidence-based content informs about how to make places more inclusive of people with disability. We strongly encourage people to write about their own lived experiences of disability.
A Deeper Dive into the Collection:
Disability, Identity, and Language Choices: Person-first, identity-first, and beyond
The language we use to refer to ourselves is important, and can be difficult to get right. Dr Damian Mellifont and Dr Jennifer Smith-Merry discuss the debate of person-first or identity first language, and explore language choices for the LPP Disability Studies.
The Voice of Disability: Storytelling for Disability Inclusive Places
What is ableism, and what does “nothing about us without us” mean? Collection editors Dr Damian Mellifont and Dr Jennifer Smith-Merry are seeking authors to raise their own voices of disability.
About the Collection Editors:
As a neurodivergent researcher, Dr Damian Mellifont leads and contributes to studies that advance the economic and social inclusion of people with disability. Damian is a member of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP) leadership team at The University of Sydney and head of the Lived Experience Research Lab. Damian has been an active member of the Centre over the last 5 years, with extensive prior experience in government policy analysis and evaluation. Damian strongly advocates for the disability inclusion mantra of, ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ to be consistently applied to research about disability. 
Dr Jennifer Smith-Merry is Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney, Australia. The Centre for Disability Research and Policy produces collaborative research that actively influences policy and practice to improve the lives of people with disability in Australia and the Asia-Pacific and create a better life for people with disability around the world. Jen strongly believes that academic research, policy and service design should be led by people with disability. Jen has published over 100 academic and policy papers and policy focused research has led to significant structural reforms for disability policy in Australia. Call for Proposals:
Ready to get started? Please fill out this form to contact Damian & Jen with any questions, or download our proposal guidelines to begin the process immediately.
