Beyond Marginalisation: Disability-Themed Podcasts and Collective Advocacy in India

Podcasting is a powerful medium for amplifying disability narratives and challenging the underrepresentation and stereotyping of disabled individuals in mainstream media. This study examines how podcasts create inclusive spaces and foster advocacy by centring firsthand accounts particularly from disabled women and shifting the discourse from individual ‘inspirational’ stories to systemic critiques of ableism. Using podcast ethnography and thematic analysis of selected disability-focused episodes from India, the article highlights podcasts as a form of ‘subaltern counterpublic’. We analyse seven disability-themed podcast episodes from four Indian creators between 2020 and 2025. The findings emphasise the role of these podcasters in building solidarity, in participatory storytelling, and in promoting structural change, thereby contributing to broader conversations on inclusive digital media in India.