The Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities (ICO) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites proposals for individual presentations, panels and workshops for the IAMCR 2025 conference, which will be held in Singapore from 13 to 17 July 2025, hosted by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University.
The deadline for submission is 7 February 2025, at 23h59 UTC.
See the list of all sections and working groups and their remits
See the CfPs of all sections and working groups
IAMCR conferences address many diverse topics defined by our 37 thematic sections and working groups. We also propose a single central theme to be explored throughout the conference with the aim of generating and exploring multiple perspectives. This is accomplished through plenary and special sessions, as well as in many of the sessions of the sections and working groups. The 2025 central theme is Communicating Environmental Justice: Many Voices, One Planet.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
The Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities Working Group aims to promote inclusive communication for people with visible and invisible disabilities broadly defined, including persons with physical and sensory impairments, neurodivergent individuals, and those living with chronic (mental) health conditions. This call invites diverse perspectives, innovative practices, and exciting research to enhance inclusive communication.
We particularly welcome proposals that address the main theme of the conference Communicating Environmental Justice: Many Voices, One Planet. People with disabilities can be particularly vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation and climate change. At the same time, there are productive intersections between disability and environmental activism and communication. We would be delighted to receive submissions that address diverse intersections between environment, disability and communication.
However, we also welcome proposals that only focus on inclusive communication, the main focus of the working group.
Themes and Topics that are consonant with our working group include, but are not limited to:
- Conceptualisations of disability and communication
- Inclusive communication practices in media as well as in education, healthcare and workplaces
- Disability as diversity, broadening the understanding of disability and its implications for communication
- International perspectives on inclusive communication, comparative studies and international collaborations addressing communication challenges, solutions and disability
- Use of (digital) media by people with disabilities
- Policy, advocacy and community engagement promoting inclusive communication and diverse perspectives
- Media representations and self-portrayals of disability
- Intersectionality, disability and communication
- Interdisciplinary research on enhancing communication and access for people with disabilities
- Postcolonial perspectives on communication, inclusion and disability
- Social communication models of disability
- Technology and access, development and evaluation of assistive and other disability-informed technologies that support communication for people with disabilities, including AI
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts should be between 800 and 1000 words and must include:
- Title of the presentation, workshop, or paper
- Biographical information of the author(s) (up to 200 words each)
- Contact information (email, phone number, affiliation)
- Technical requirements for the presentation (e.g., audiovisual equipment, software). See also below, in ‘Accessibility’.
Abstracts must be submitted exclusively through IAMCR’s submission system from 3 December 2024 through 7 February 2025, at 23.59 UTC. Abstracts received by email will not be accepted.
Early submissions are encouraged. All proposals will undergo peer review, with notifications of acceptance sent by 11 March.
It is expected that each person will submit only one abstract. However, no author’s name should appear on more than two abstracts, either individually or as part of any group of authors and authors should not submit more than one abstract to any single section or working group.
Statement on use of AI tools
IAMCR does not encourage or condone the use of generative AI tools to create abstracts submitted for consideration for our conferences. IAMCR values originality, integrity, and transparency in academic work, and believes that human-authored contributions best support rigorous and innovative scholarship in media and communication research. Should an author choose to use a generative AI tool in the preparation of an abstract, we require that they include a clear statement within their submission disclosing the tool's use. This statement must specify: (1) the name of any AI tool used; (2) how the tool was used in preparing the abstract, and; (3) the reason for using the tool. Failure to disclose the use of generative AI in accordance with these guidelines may impact the evaluation and acceptance of the submission.
Languages
The Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities Working Group sessions will be in English and abstracts and proposals should be in English, but supplementary materials in other languages can be considered. The Working Group values linguistic diversity and submissions from non-native English speakers are encouraged.
Deadlines and key dates
The deadline to submit abstracts is 7 February 2025, at 23.59 UTC. For other key dates see https://iamcr.org/singapore2025/keydates. Dates are subject to change.
Accessibility
The Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities Working Group will provide:
- Real-time captioning
- Accessible presentation formats
We encourage participants to share any accessibility needs or requirements they may have. Although we cannot guarantee that we can support all requests, we will do our best.
We are keen to receive your proposals and look forward to collaborating on advancing inclusive communication for people with disabilities.
Contacts
If you have questions or require further information, please contact the Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities Working Group Proposal Committee:
Email: pwdsworkgroup@gmail.com
Website: Inclusive Communication and People with Disabilities Working Group | IAMCR
Shahla Adnan (co-chair), Prof Panayiota Tsatsou (co-chair), Ying Lai (vice-chair), Prof Paula Saukko (vice-chair), Yan Yuqiao (vice-chair)
We look forward to your contributions to advancing the field of inclusive communication.
Note: Ensure that your submission adheres to the provided guidelines. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.
