2026 Preconference Program

For both in-person and online attendees, please register for the preconference by 28 May (EDT). You can register at this link: https://www.icahdq.org/event/Disability26

The Third Disability, Communication, and Media Preconference at ICA 2026:

Disability in/and Communication and Media Research: Invisible to Indivisible

Draft Programme as of 13 May 2026

Tuesday, 4 June 2026 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (South Africa Standard Time, UTC+2)

University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Hybrid

0900-0910     Welcome and Introduction  

0910-0945     Opening Keynote     

0945-1015     Morning Break

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1015-1135     Panel Session 1: Disability-led Design and Practice         

Community-Designed Science Communication: Effects of Dis/ability-Just Framing on Perceptions of New Technologies
Sara Ostad

Interfaces That Buffer: Disability-Led Data Annotation and the Making of Actionable Participation in China
Jinna He

Beyond the Sidelines: Crip-technoscience and Disruption as Communication Justice with/in Deaf Worlds
Rashmi Malhotra

Beyond Accessibility: Disability-Led Audio Description and Public Cultural Participation
Qi Jiang and Yiwen Wang

Self-Presentation, Breaking Taboo, and Visibility Trap: Disability Humor Practice on Short-Video Platforms
Shuhan Zhou  N

Designing inclusive media: User-centered development of ArtEater, creative software for people with disabilities
Thiemo Donhauser

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1135-1205     Mentorship Session 1            

1205-1300     Lunch 

1300-1410     Panel Session 2: Disability Representation and Media Advocacy             

HEARING THE UNHEARD: The Perspectives of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals on Their Experiences in Watching Television Dramas in the Philippines with Closed Caption Features
Nikaela Jan S.J. Cortez

Invisible to Indivisible? Media Silence, Mental Health and Neurodiversity in Mauritius
Neel Raamandarsingh Purmah

Strategic Communication with Digital Influencers with Disabilities, D/deaf, and Neurodivergent People: Inclusion, Representation, and Communicational Justice
Andreia Amaro

An Investigation into AI-Generated News Stories and the Representation of Blindness: Challenging or Reproducing Ableism
Esihle Faltein

From Invisible Experience to Indivisible Communication: Parent-Led Autism Advocacy on Facebook in Ghana
Priscilla Boateng

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1410-1440     Mentorship Session 2            

1440-1510     Afternoon Break        

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1510-1630     Panel Session 3: Lived Experience, Access, and Methods            

How accessible is academic communication research for audiences using assistive technologies?
Jocelyn McKinnon-Crowley   N (UTC-4)

Disability as Method: What Monster Movies Teach Communication Studies
Billie Anderson

Methodology Is What You Can Get Away With: Disability Art, Culture, And Knowledge Production Through Participatory Research Design
Jaggar DeMarco

Narratives & Counternarratives of Disabled Comedians of Color: Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Comedic Performances
Emmanuel-Sathya Gray

Neuroqueering Perseveration as a New Media Trap: Failing at Task Management Video Games
Clara Chang

Disability, digital inequality and the mobile media practices of people with disabilities in an informal settlement in South Africa
Fahdia Msaka

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1630-1650     Reflections  

1650-1700     Closing Summary