The Representation of Disability and Accessibility in Chemistry and STEM Education Research: An Integrative Literature Review

Disability has remained one of the least examined social identities within diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) research, particularly in the context of chemistry and STEM education. To better understand how researchers engaged with disability and disabled students in these fields, we conducted an integrative literature review of studies published over the past ten years, with 44 total articles included in the final analysis. Each study was examined for its theoretical framework, research design, methodological approach, and types of disabilities represented among participants. We also analyzed how each study aligned with the seven tenets of Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) to suggest new directions for research. Our findings revealed that disability-related research in chemistry education research (CER) and STEM education largely centered on the development of adaptive technologies or accessible instructional materials (n = 18). While Blind/Low-Vision students were the most frequently represented (n = 19), other disability groups such as Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing students (n = 5), neurodivergent students (n = 6), and students with intellectual or learning disabilities (n = 10) were significantly underrepresented. Nearly half of the reviewed articles (n = 19) did not incorporate any explicit theoretical framework. Among those that did, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was most commonly used (n = 4) to evaluate or enhance course accessibility. Based on these findings, we recommend that future research prioritize student-centered perspectives, recruit a broader range of disabled participants to reflect the diversity of disability, and engage more deeply with critical theories to investigate systemic barriers within and beyond the classroom.