Is Disability Research In Peril?: Challenges, Adaptations, and Action Planning for Continuing Rigorous Inquiry In Social Work

In a democratic society, people with disabilities, like other disadvantaged/underserved communities, should be at the table where they are part of decision-making and are treated with equity and dignity. However, recent federal and state-level policy shifts have neglected the voices of, and thus raised significant concerns in the disability community. These include proposed funding cuts to critical healthcare programs such as Medicaid, as well as threats to essential services and supports established under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Such changes not only affect access to services and supports but also have profound implications for the infrastructure that sustains disability research. We have witnessed new challenges including shifting federal funding priorities, heightened scrutiny of research topics and terminology related to disability and inclusion, and growing concerns about data access, participant protections, and meaningful engagement of the disability community. As a result, we have seen ongoing disruptions of disability-related research, reduced opportunities to conduct community-engaged participatory research, and heightened stress for disability scholars. Early-career researchers, including international scholars and those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, may need additional supports as they work to establish independent research agendas in uncertain funding and policy environments.

Social workers have long been champions of the disability community in research, practice, and advocacy. Disability research has also become an increasingly visible and impactful area within social work scholarship. In view of the shared commitment to social justice, now is a critical moment for intentional dialogue and collective action planning on how to sustain rigorous and impactful disability research among social work researchers.

This roundtable will build on prior discussions at SSWR and aim to extend the conversations to incorporate emerging strategies and action planning. The roundtable will be organized into three parts:

Part 1 will provide an overview of the current policy landscape affecting disability research. Established social work disability researchers will outline how the current climate has, and continues to, influence their research, including funding changes, regulatory compliance, and implications for data access, participant recruitment, retention, and protections.

Part 2 will focus on strategies for sustaining disability research in this environment. These may include diversifying funding sources, leveraging alternative or secondary/administrative data (e.g., from hospitals), and expanding community-engaged approaches. Panelists will also discuss how schools of social work and the universities can support students, early career scholars, and tenure-track faculty members.

Part 3 will center on collective action planning. This may include providing mentorship and career development opportunities, developing collaborative networks, sharing data, and sharing strategies for engaging the disability community in the development of vital research and policy.

Through this interactive roundtable, we hope to begin an action plan for students, early career, and established scholars to advance a rigorous and future-oriented disability research agenda within social work, and to continue this critical conversation.