We are an international group of disability communication and media scholars who have been active at the International Communication Association (ICA). We are hoping to organize various panels around disability, communication, and media for the ICA 2026 conference, which will be held in Cape Town from 4–8 June 2026. The main theme of the 2026 conference is Communication and Inequalities in Context. For more information on the conference and the theme, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/ICA26-theme.
We are considering abstract submissions to form panels for:
CFP 1: Activism, Communication, and Social Justice
CFP 2: Children, Adolescents, and the Media
CFP 3: Communication & Technology, Digital inclusion and technology in the home
CFP 4: Disability in Popular Media and Culture
CFP 5: Visual Communication, Disability embodiment in the media
CFP 6: Health Communication in Popular Media
If you're interested in presenting your research in one of our panels, please check the CFPs below and send a proposal for consideration until 15th October 2025 (Anywhere on Earth) to icadisability@gmail.com. Consider also that each division and interest group has different guidelines on format and requirements. Read this information thoroughly and contact us in case you have any doubts.
Proposed Panel Chair: Abdul Rohman (RMIT Vietnam) and Filippo Trevisan (American U)
In this panel, we are keen to explore how media (especially digital forms) is leveraged for disability activism and justice. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Discrimination, exclusion, and inequalities in media platforms used for disability activism
Inequalities within and across disability activisms
Disability activism addressing inequalities
Disability activism in the Global South
If interested, please submit:
Title and 150-word abstract for your paper
100-word bio for each author, touching on your qualifications regarding the proposed topic
For more info, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/ACSJ_CFP
Proposed Panel Chair: Chelsea Temple Jones (Brock U)
In this panel, we are keen to explore all media and technologies aimed at and/or used by or representing young disabled people (generally birth through late teens), as well as the contextual issues surrounding this selection and use. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Disability discrimination, exclusion, and inequalities in media and technologies used by young people
Young disabled people’s media use in the Global South
If interested, please submit:
Title and 150-word abstract for your paper
100-word bio for each author, including your names, ranks, affiliations, and contact information
For more info, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/CAM_CFP
Proposed Panel Chair: Jenny Kennedy (RMIT U)
In this panel, we are keen to explore questions of digital inclusion, specifically focusing on technology in the home, disability, and inequality. We also encourage intersectional research across disability, gender, race, age, and geographies.
Please note that submissions to CAT should focus on ICTs in the context of human communication: communicative interaction with or through technology.
If interested, please submit:
Title and 75-word abstract for your paper
100-word bio for each author
For more info, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/CAT_CFP
Proposed Panel Chair: Beth Haller (Towson U)
In this panel, we are keen to consider disability and inequality within popular media and culture (including acts, artifacts, products, and processes). Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Disability discrimination, exclusion, and inequalities in popular media and culture
Disability resistance in popular media and culture
Disability in popular media and culture in the Global South
If interested, please submit:
Title and 150-word abstract for your paper
100-word bio for each author, including your background and qualifications regarding the proposed topic
For more info, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/PMC_CFP
Proposed Panel Chair: Samira Rajabi (U of Colorado)
In this panel, we are keen to explore disability embodiment and identity in all visual forms: television, video, film, photography, art and design, print and digital media, space, and the built environment. We especially encourage submissions on disability embodiment in visualisations of sports and fitness. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Inequalities across visual aspects of disability embodiment
Disparities in certain visual modes and research methods in relation to disability
If interested, please submit:
Title and 250–400 word abstract for your paper
100-word bio for each author
For more info, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/VISUAL_CFP
Proposed Panel Chair: Katie Ellis (Curtin U)
In this panel, we are keen to consider how disability and health is communicated, represented, and received within all forms of popular media and culture.
Title and 150-word abstract for your paper
100-word bio for each author
For more info, see: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/HEALTH_CFP