Joanne Hunt, (2026). Understanding disability/impairment, inclusively: the case of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, Disability & Society, 41(1), 281–287.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2025.2492653
Abstract
Whilst myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) has recently attracted high-profile media coverage, dominant accounts do not tell the whole story of how this group of disabled people came to occupy – albeit unequally – society’s fringes. This article, platforming some of the sidelined work of disabled activist-scholars, offers an understanding of oppressions confronting people with ME/CFS that is more inclusive of the politics impacting wider marginalised communities, offering possibilities for coalition-building with other social movements. Moreover, overlooked literature reveals intersecting power systems that differentially shape how ME/CFS is experienced, promoting an understanding of disability/impairment more inclusive of diversity. Inspired by the exhortation of Mike Oliver to record our own histories – lest they be written for us – this contribution seeks to challenge hierarchies and exclusions confronting the author as an academically-sidelined person with ME/CFS.
Keywords:
Disability, intersectionality, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, neoliberal-capitalism, politics of knowledge production, social movements
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