Political Disability Identity and DBER Disability Politics

When discussing disability, it is critical that researchers and educators acknowledge the inherent politicality of the subject. Disability is political. Education is political. Our bodies, our minds, and how they are policed and how they are liberated within the classroom, among other spaces, are political. In this chapter, I present Political Disability Identity (PDI), a useful tool and framework for understanding disability in a political space. Using PDI aids us in understanding the power dynamics within the classroom and provides us a strengths-based understanding of disability and identity through the ways which individuals and communities develop and wield political agency. By drawing on real-world examples and insights from the literature, this chapter illuminates the role of disability politics in shaping educational research agendas and in fostering environments that prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. I discuss PDI as a framework for understanding disability in DBER spaces, and provide recommendations for conducting education research in a strengths-based, political disability way.