In 2004, the Board of Directors asked the SDS Policy Committee to draft a list of guidelines for emerging programs in Disability Studies. The Policy Committee submitted these guidelines to the SDS membership discussion list for review and feedback. Incorporating input from the membership, the Policy Committee submitted the following guidelines to a vote at the Business Meeting held at the SDS conference in St. Louis. These preliminary guidelines were approved by a majority of the membership in attendance at that meeting on June 5, 2004.

Guidelines for Disability Studies

The Society for Disability Studies (SDS) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the study of disability in social, cultural, and political contexts. Disability Studies recognizes that disability is a key aspect of human experience, and that the study of disability has important political, social, and economic implications for society as a whole, including both disabled and nondisabled people.

Over the course of twenty-five years, SDS has explored issues of disability and chronic illness, and has represented professionals who are committed to the full participation of disabled people in all facets of life. Our membership includes social scientists, health researchers, and humanities scholars as well as artists and those active in the disability rights movement. We are dedicated to exploring connections between disability and other culturally-constructed notions of identity, including race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, and national affiliation.