The paper I propose blends Disability Studies concepts and Fan Studies principles to raise the voices of a multiracial, multi-fandom group of people with different disabilities in order to better understand how fandom and disability interact. As fan researchers continue to raise key questions and call for important research in the intersection between fandom, media culture, and disability (Coppa, among others), the gap between Fan Studies and Disability Studies scholarship continues to grow. Ellcessor (2018) has explored technological accessibility; Kociemba (2010) has examined fan responses to specific characters or episodes, such as Glee’s Artie in “Wheels.” However, Fan Studies has a dearth of research about disabled fans and about the role that disability plays in popular culture. The ongoing discussion about research ethics in Fan Studies, particularly how to research using fan voices, is one place to begin to remedy this. Fans often feel othered and denigrated by academic researchers, and so the place of the aca-fan, the academic who also participates in fandom, has become key to research. Aca-fans who are also disabled, and who understand disability studies concepts, might be situated better to overcome the natural distrust of fans with disabilities. The goal of seeking out fans with disabilities to ask about access, and the role that fandom plays in their lives, and their experiences in fandom is to begin to create a baseline understanding of how disability impacts fan activity and fan community.
About the presenterKatherine Anderson Howell
Katherine Anderson Howell is an independent scholar who writes and parents in Washington, D.C. She is the editor of Fandom in the Classroom: a Teaching Guide, from University of Iowa Press. She has presented in Disability Studies at National PCA and MidAtlantic PCA, and has regularly presented in Fandom Studies at National PCA.