About Us

We share a vision of making academia more accessible for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions. We believe that a fair representation of academics with disabilities and chronic conditions requires a change within academia overall. Many aspects of academic life (frequent moving, long working hours, constant exposure to competitive thinking, etc.) are challenging for all academics, but particularly so for those with disabilities and chronic conditions. We see ourselves as a platform for solutions. We are joining forces to fight discrimination. Addressing the needs of academics with disabilities and chronic conditions does not imply demanding preferential treatment. Rather, failing to promote us due to the misconception that someone with a chronic illness or disability cannot “endure” the stress associated with an academic position constitutes discrimination. 

We work with academics at all career stages (Ph.D. students, research assistants, postdocs, lecturers, professors, etc.). We welcome anyone who self-identifies as living with a disability(ies) and/or chronic condition(s), and anyone who feels like they can benefit from the support of our network to join us. As you will see from our Team section, our members represent a wide range of visible and invisible disabilities and chronic conditions, both physical and mental.  We also welcome those who may not identify as disabled or those that feel they have a chronic condition but have not been diagnosed.

Here are some examples of when you might want to ask the network for advice: 

Another part of our work involves working with scientists who are not directly affected by a disability or chronic condition themselves but are interested in making their academic environments and activities more accessible and inclusive for everyone. We will support you with strategies to make your lab and your publications more accessible for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions.

We cannot give you legal advice as we are not trained staff; we are affected individuals ourselves. Therefore, our advice is informal in the form of peer support and problem-solving. Please see our “disclaimer” for more details. 

Our efforts are grounded in the fundamental belief that academia benefits from greater diversity. To this end, we work for the necessary conditions so that scientists with disabilities and chronic conditions can be heard and thrive.