Disability Within Political Science: Representation and Position in the UK Profession

Within this article I discuss the status of the disabled political scientist and prospective impact of this on the study of politics. Evidence is growing of the potential marginal existence of disabled academics and an underrepresentation within academia. In many disciplines this will affect the richness of the field and the diversity of the voices working there. In political science this is especially egregious. We study the political significance of representation – we know the dangers of exclusion – and have started to acknowledge how the composition of our profession affects the study of marginalized groups in politics. Alongside highlighting the prevailing challenges constructed by academic society, often hidden from non-disabled colleagues due to the dangers of disclosure and addressing steps to advance representation, I discuss the benefits to the study of politics resulting from presence. By including disability, this article contributes to the ongoing debate, cutting across the discipline, on how inclusion of marginalized groups can provide new perspectives on politics. I argue the increased presence of disabled scholars and prominence of research upon disability in political science are each likely required to have an impact, as one will propagate the other, providing insight alongside more genuine representation.