Positionality

The practice of researchers explicitly acknowledging how their own identities, experiences, backgrounds, and power positions shape their research process, analysis, and interpretations. In disability and accessibility research, positionality statements typically disclose whether researchers are disabled, their racial and cultural identities, and their relationship to the communities they study. Positionality recognizes that research is never fully objective—the researcher's lens inevitably shapes what questions are asked, how data is interpreted, and what conclusions are drawn.