Disability Studies in Iceland: past, present and future

Abstract

Disability Studies is a new interdisciplinary academic field that has developed over the past two decades. The aim of this paper is to introduce Disability Studies in Iceland including its roots, context, development, main characteristics and future prospects. Icelandic Disability Studies has developed in Nordic and international contexts and shares theoretical origins and location in the academic landscape. Early beginnings of Disability Studies in Iceland can be traced back to the mid-1990s but the first and only academic programme in Disability Studies was launched at the University of Iceland in 2004, providing this young field with an institutional base and academic recognition. Main characteristics of Disability Studies in Iceland are its growing interdisciplinary nature and close cooperation with disabled people and the disability movement, parents, professionals and policy-makers. Today, Disability Studies is a well-established field within Icelandic academia and operates in the context of extensive international ties and connections.

Keywords:

• Disability Studies
• Iceland
• interdisciplinary scholarship
• collaborative research