Start Here — Beginning Research Tips - Disability Studies - Research Guides @ Fordham at Fordham University Libraries

Finding Language for Your Research Questions in Disability Studies

Selecting keywords for research in Disability Studies can be challenging for a variety of reasons:

There is no single, agreed-upon definition of disability.
Language for naming and describing disability changes over time and varies across regions and cultures.
Terms and/or subject classifications used in academic or clinical literature may vary from language that is used in everyday speech. Some research employs a medical model of disability while other research embraces the social model or rights-based understanding of disability.
There is debate among people with disabilities about people-first language versus identity-first language.
Additionally, some people with disabilities may use reclaimed terms to name themselves that were once considered offensive (i.e. "crip").

Taking language issues into account will help with selecting keywords as you search for books, articles, statistics, primary sources, audiovisual materials, data sets, and more. This page offers resources below to help understand current and historical terminology.

Investigating Search Terms

This section contains a range of interdisciplinary resources for researching keywords and historical terms.

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Unabridged, historical dictionary chronicling current and past word meanings with examples from literary sources. Includes access to the Historical Thesaurus of the OED.

NCDJ Disability Language Style Guide
A style guide developed by the National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ) at Arizona State University covering almost 200 words and terms commonly used when referring to disability, most of which are not covered in The Associated Press style guide. Available in English and Spanish.

Glossary from the Disability History Museum
Includes the historical context of words found in the Collections of the Disability History Museum and other programs.

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)
ICF is the framework providing a standard language and framework for the description of health and health-related states from the World Health Organization (WHO). First time users should start with the ICF Beginners' Guide.

Database Search Tips

As you search through library catalogs and databases, look for subjects, subject headings, index terms, categories, or author-supplied keywords. You can use these terms to improve your search based on how the database is structured. If the terms are hyperlinked, you can click on them to generate similar results.

Use Boolean Operators [AND, OR, NOT] and Modifiers [ "", *, ( ) ] to structure your search terms within a database to maximize your results.

For quick tutorials on using Boolean search strategies, try the following short videos:
- How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Modifiers from McMaster Libraries
- How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Operators from McMaster Libraries
Consult the Database Search Tips from MIT Libraries for additional insights into structuring your search terms.