Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Nordic Network on Disability Research

Introduction

The Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2027. Marking such an anniversary naturally invites reflection. For us—former and current presidents of the network—this has provided a valuable opportunity to look back on the development of NNDR, to document key moments along the way, and to share some thoughts about its future. Over these three decades, NNDR has gradually developed into a leading international forum for disability studies scholars and activists. Its two main activities—biennial conferences and journal publications—have expanded steadily and, in recent years, quite noticeably. The two most recent conferences, held in Helsinki, Finland, in 2025 and Reykjavík, Iceland, in 2023, each attracted over 700 participants from more than 40 countries. Both conferences included PhD workshops as pre-conference events, which drew a large number of early-career researchers and contributed significantly to a lively and inclusive scholarly environment.

At the same time, the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research (SJDR) continues to grow. Across 2024 and 2025, the journal published nearly 50 high-quality articles. The visibility that NNDR enjoys today owes much to the sustained efforts of former presidents, board members, editors and the many colleagues who have contributed to the network over the years. This anniversary, therefore, offers more than a moment of celebration; it is also an opportunity to reflect on these contributions and to take stock of what has been built. In this article, we aim to document the establishment and development of NNDR, while also looking ahead and considering how these experiences might shape its future.

Establishment of NNDR in 1997

The Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) was established in 1997 as an expansion of Forskning om Utvecklingsstörning i Norden (FUN),¹ which had been founded in 1992. FUN emerged from a Swedish research environment focused on intellectual disability and included scholars such as Lars Kebbon and Kent Ericsson from Uppsala University, who were pioneers of a social approach to disability research. Lars Kebbon previously established the Centre for Disability Research at Uppsala University in 1987, the first centre of its kind in the Nordic countries. The Centre played a crucial role in developing research networks and resources to support disability research not only within Sweden but also across the Nordic region and internationally. FUN primarily focused on persons with intellectual disabilities. Much of the research conducted by its members centred on services and social support systems, with particular emphasis on normalisation, deinstitutionalisation and community integration, employing a variety of methodological approaches and research perspectives.

In the mid-1990s, however, a group of researchers began questioning whether Nordic disability research should broaden its scope. They proposed that it should encompass all types of impairments, with a focus on social research. This suggestion sparked heated debates within FUN. One significant argument for expanding the scope was that disability research should address the full range of conditions rather than focusing solely on one impairment group. This view was aligned with the growing emphasis on social approaches to disability research. Conversely, those opposing the change argued that persons with intellectual disabilities remained marginalised and were often excluded from academic and political agendas, necessitating continued focused attention.

At the annual meeting of FUN in 1996, it was decided to organise the 1997 conference as a general disability research conference and to prepare for the potential transformation of FUN. During the 1997 FUN conference in Frederikshavn, Denmark, the annual meeting supported the board’s proposal to transform FUN into a broader disability research network, emphasising social research and a multidisciplinary approach. Despite opposition from a smaller group of members, NNDR was formally established.

Jan Tøssebro from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), who was then Chairperson of FUN, was elected as the first president of NNDR. From the outset, key priorities included organising conferences, launching an academic journal, supporting the establishment of national disability research networks in each of the five Nordic countries, and encouraging early-career researchers. Jan Tøssebro served as president for one year, followed by Anders Gustavsson from Stockholm University, who served for two years. Mårten Söder from Uppsala University was appointed as the first editor of the academic journal, SJDR, following the wide range of Scandinavian journals, and the first issue was published in 1999. In 2000, Rannveig Traustadóttir from the University of Iceland became president and served for seven years, until 2007.

Disability Research or Disability Studies?

After extensive discussions, the name Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) was chosen for the network. There were several reasons for selecting the term ‘Disability Research’ rather than ‘Disability Studies’, reflecting both practical considerations and the academic context of the time. During the 1990s, disability studies was still an emerging field, and there were no academic positions or formal programmes in disability studies at Nordic universities. The most well-known international disability studies programme at that time was at the University of Leeds, which promoted the ‘social model of disability’. However, several NNDR members viewed this approach critically.

By identifying NNDR as a disability research network, the aim was to include scholars engaged in disability-related research across a wide range of disciplines—primarily in the social sciences and humanities, but also in fields such as education and history. The stated goal was to engage in multidisciplinary social disability research. While this may seem obvious today, it was a relatively radical stance at a time when traditional biomedical understandings of disability were still predominant.

Throughout its history, NNDR has maintained an inclusive approach, embracing both disability research and disability studies, with a growing emphasis on disability studies over time. This inclusivity has sometimes presented challenges, but it has also fostered constructive dialogues across disciplines, particularly through conferences and journal publications. At its core, NNDR remains rooted in a multidisciplinary approach informed by a social-relational understanding of disability.

Conference Organisation and Network Development

FUN primarily operated in Nordic languages, as indicated by its name. However, from the outset of NNDR, it was decided that the official language of both the network and the journal would be English. This decision was crucial in ensuring that Finnish and Icelandic researchers could participate equally, while also opening the network to international scholars and fostering exchange, networking and collaboration—key elements in building a robust research community.

Currently, the NNDR website describes the network in the following ways:

Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) is a multidisciplinary network of disability researchers interested in cultural, societal and environmental dimensions of disability and marginalization. The purpose of NNDR is to advance research and development in the field of disability.

NNDR provides a forum for researchers, particularly from the Nordic countries, to meet, present and discuss their research, as well as encouraging Nordic and international exchange and collaboration (NNDR 2026).

Organising conferences has been one of NNDR’s central activities from the outset. Conferences were held annually from 1997 to 2003 and have since occurred biennially, allowing space for national disability studies conferences in each country.

In the early years and into the 2000s, conference attendance averaged around 250 participants. However, numbers began to rise significantly during the 2010s, reaching 360 participants in Norway in 2015 and 450 in Denmark in 2019. Following the pandemic, attendance surged, with over 700 participants attending both the Reykjavík conference in 2023 and the Helsinki conference in 2025. With a strong emphasis on supporting early-career scholars—particularly those with disabilities and from the Global South—stipends were offered at recent conferences, contributing to a greater diversity of participants from more than 40 countries.

In the early years, it was concluded that introducing membership fees would not provide significant benefits. Without formal organisational registration, managing such payments proved difficult for our volunteer-based network. Even today, although NNDR is registered in Sweden as an association, it does not charge separate membership fees; participation in conferences effectively constitutes membership.

From the beginning, representatives from all five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) have served on the NNDR board. Initially, not all countries had established national disability research networks. Over time, such networks were developed, including the Norwegian Network on Disability Research in 2004, followed by networks in Iceland and Finland in 2006. Some board members have been persons with disabilities.

With conferences rotating among the five countries, each national network is responsible for organising the NNDR conferences every 10 years. This arrangement effectively distributes the work of organising conferences among the five local disability studies networks, while also providing excellent opportunities to promote disability research in their respective countries. The NNDR board supports and collaborates closely with local conference organisers. Our website and social media presence keep the public informed about NNDR news, and our mailing list shares information about upcoming events. The first permanent website of NNDR was established in 2009 by the Centre for Life-long Learning (Senter for livslang læring), with Per Eriksson at the University of Inland Norway serving as the web editor.

Welcoming young researchers has been a priority for NNDR from the beginning. Many of these individuals are PhD students or postdoctoral scholars, often presenting their work in English for the first time at our conferences. We are acutely aware of this and strive to provide both support and encouragement, as we see them as the future of the field. Given the limited availability of PhD-level disability studies courses at Nordic universities, the NNDR board has prioritised offering PhD courses in connection with its conferences. The first such course was held in Trondheim in 1999, followed by additional courses in 2009, 2011, 2021, 2023 and 2025.

In 2021, the pandemic prevented the organisation of an in-person conference. Instead, NNDR, in collaboration with SJDR, hosted an online PhD workshop, enabling young researchers to present their work and receive feedback from senior scholars. In 2023 and 2025, PhD workshops were again held as pre-conference events, with the 2025 workshop further developed into a PhD course awarding 5 ECTS credits. These initiatives also included online sessions prior to the in-person workshops. Importantly, participation has remained free of charge for PhD students, thanks to the voluntary contributions of committed senior researchers. We aim to continue this model in the future.

Promoting Nordic disability research has also been a key priority for NNDR leadership. Through their roles as board members and conference organisers, they have maintained a strong overview of the breadth and quality of research conducted across the Nordic region. Recognising the importance of increasing the visibility of this work, both within and beyond the Nordic countries, they initiated the publication of edited volumes featuring contributions from researchers across all five countries. This article highlights some of these publications, including two volumes published in the mid-2000s.

The book Resistance, Reflection and Change: Nordic Disability Research (Gustavsson et al. 2005) served two main purposes. First, it provided a comprehensive overview of contemporary disability research in the Nordic countries, including a detailed discussion of the theoretical foundations of the Nordic relational understanding of disability. Second, it was published in honour of Mårten Söder’s 60th birthday, celebrating his pioneering contributions to social disability research in the Nordic context. Around the same time, the volume Gender and Disability Research in the Nordic Countries (Kristiansen and Traustadóttir 2004) was published, highlighting early feminist disability studies within the region. This tradition of collaborative edited volumes—bringing together Nordic researchers to illuminate specific themes within disability research—continues today. A recent example is the edited volume Deinstitutionalisation and Later Developments in the Lives of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: Lessons from the Nordic Countries (Tøssebro and Gustavsson 2025).

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research (SJDR)

As mentioned earlier, it was a natural decision to adopt English as the language of our academic journal, SJDR. Established in 1999 with a broad focus on social disability research, the journal has played a vital role in positioning NNDR as a comprehensive disability studies network. The journal was closely tied to the establishment of NNDR itself. In the lead-up to the formation of the network, those within FUN advocating for broader disability research approached Mårten Söder at Uppsala University, a pioneer in social disability research in the Nordic countries, and asked him to help establish SJDR. He emphasised the importance of creating an academic journal dedicated to publishing social disability research and agreed to serve as its first editor.

The journal also had an editorial committee with one representative from each of the Nordic countries, referred to as National Editors. This group included Rannveig Traustadóttir (University of Iceland), Johans Sandvin (Nordland Research Institute, Norway), Jesper Holst (Royal Danish School of Educational Studies, Denmark), Karin Sonnander (Uppsala University, Sweden) and Leena Matikka (Finnish Association on Mental Retardation). Söder’s leadership, along with the contributions of this editorial team, proved crucial to the development of both SJDR and NNDR. From early on, the NNDR board and journal editors successfully secured funding from various Nordic sources, which helped sustain the journal during its formative years.

The editorial policy of SJDR was explicitly grounded in interdisciplinary approaches and a social-relational understanding of disability. In the first issue, the purpose of the journal was described as follows: ‘…to disseminate results from social research on disability… understood as a cross-disciplinary field… Its characteristic is a focus on the relation between persons with disabilities and their environments in a broad sense’ (Söder 1999: 2).

Reflecting on the ambitions of the editorial committee, Söder further stated:

The first one concerns quality. The articles accepted in the journal should fulfil basic scientific standards as well as being relevant to the present state of the art in social disability research… The second criterion concerns the breadth of the journal. It has been important to us that it captures the prevailing different perspectives, methods and disciplines in social research on disability (Söder 1999, 3).

He concluded: ‘We feel convinced that this first issue—with its blend of empirical and theoretical research, quantitative and qualitative research, different theoretical perspectives, historical, ethical and political reflections—fulfils the criteria we have established for the journal’ (Söder 1999, 3).

Launching a new journal is never an easy task, and the early years were not without challenges. The first five issues were printed at Nordlandsforskning in Bodø, Norway. At that time, the journal struggled with limited submissions and a small subscriber base. One of the main challenges was encouraging authors to submit their work to a new and relatively unknown journal on the international stage. To address this, the editorial team introduced special issues as a way of attracting submissions and raising the journal’s profile. The first special issue was published in 2001 and focused on inclusive research. The guest editor was Robert Bogdan, a well-known disability studies scholar from Syracuse University, who also wrote the introduction (Bogdan 2001). Although most early submissions to SJDR came from Nordic countries, this special issue was notably international, with the majority of contributions coming from outside the Nordic region.

In 2013, another important special issue was published (SJDR 2013, Volume 15, Supplement 1), focusing on Nordic disability research. This issue included contributions from scholars across all five Nordic countries, each reflecting on the development and current status of disability research and disability studies within their respective national contexts. It also featured a contribution from a British scholar analysing the development, achievements and challenges of disability research in the Nordic countries in relation to broader European and British contexts.

Gradually, SJDR became increasingly international, both in terms of submissions and editorial composition. Jan Tøssebro assumed the role of editor in 2002 and served for three years. During his tenure, he played an essential role in the journal’s development, including negotiating with Taylor & Francis, who took over publication at the end of his term. This represented a significant step forward in the journal’s evolution. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the journal continued to encourage early-career researchers to submit their work. This was often accompanied by substantial editorial support, which, while beneficial for authors, also increased the workload for editors.

Between 2008 and 2013, efforts were made to shift the journal to an electronic format published by Taylor & Francis. This transition relieved the NNDR board of the difficult task of maintaining a subscriber base in a network without formal membership structures, which had been nearly impossible.

As the number of submissions grew during the 2010s, the journal expanded its annual output. Editors-in-chief Jan Grue (University of Oslo) and Halvor Hanisch (Oslo Metropolitan University) recognised early on the importance of Open Access in making research widely available. This led to preparations for a transition from a commercial publisher to Stockholm University Press (SUP), a non-profit publisher. This transition began during the presidency of Simo Vehmas and the editorship of Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, and was completed under Patrick Kermit’s presidency in 2017. In finalising the transition, Kermit worked closely with editors Janice McLaughlin (University of Newcastle) and Hisayo Katsui (University of Helsinki). This was a demanding process that involved significant restructuring, including making the entire backlog of issues accessible on the new platform. Simultaneously, the editorial team began to engage more actively with social media as a way to promote the journal. To manage the growing workload, an editorial assistant was appointed to support submission processes, communication and visibility efforts.

The move to Open Access proved to be highly successful. Today, submissions to SJDR come from across the globe. For example, in 2024, the top five countries of first authors were Sweden, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, India and Denmark. The editorial team has also become more international, initially inviting British scholars—Bill Hughes, Janice McLaughlin and Stephen Macdonald—as editors, and more recently, Leslie Swartz from South Africa, who has served as editor-in-chief since 2022.

We take pride in the fact that SJDR has become one of the leading international journals in disability studies. This is reflected in the citation and download statistics. In 2024, for instance, the journal recorded 269,293 full-text views and 23,552 downloads worldwide. We are deeply grateful to all editors and editorial board members who have contributed their time and expertise over the years. It is worth emphasising that this work has been carried out without financial compensation.

At the same time, the changing academic landscape has introduced new challenges. It has become increasingly difficult to recruit editors willing to commit for extended periods, and finding reviewers has also become more demanding, reflecting broader pressures in academic life. Ensuring the continued vitality of the journal will depend on the willingness of senior researchers to engage in editorial and reviewing work. Additionally, the rising costs associated with publishing have created further pressures. The decision made by SUP to designate SJDR as a ‘Diamond Open Access’ journal—supported by a consortium of university libraries—from 2026 represents an important achievement and provides a sustainable model for the future.

International Cooperation

International collaboration has been an important aspect of NNDR since its early years. One topic that generated considerable discussion during the formative period was the relationship between Nordic and British approaches to understanding disability—often framed as the difference between the Nordic relational model and the British social model. A particularly significant moment occurred at the NNDR conference held in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 2002. At this conference, Rannveig Traustadóttir organised a panel that brought together two Nordic scholars, Jan Tøssebro and Mårten Söder, along with two British scholars, Tom Shakespeare (University of Newcastle) and Carol Thomas (Lancaster University). The aim was to explore and discuss these differing perspectives. Colin Barnes from the University of Leeds was invited as a keynote speaker at the same conference, marking an important step in fostering dialogue and collaboration between Nordic and British disability studies communities.

Building on these discussions, Jan Tøssebro—then editor of SJDR—initiated a special issue on Understanding Disability, published in 2004 (Tøssebro 2004). This issue has since become one of the most widely read and cited in the journal’s history. Since the Reykjavík conference in 2002, collaboration between NNDR and British disability studies networks has continued to evolve, supporting academic exchange and leading to lasting professional relationships and friendships. A practical outcome of this collaboration has been the coordination of conference schedules, with these two networks organising their conferences in alternate years, making it easier for researchers to participate in both Nordic and British events.

NNDR and SJDR have also contributed to broader European collaboration. During the editorship of Anders Gustavsson and Karin Barron (Uppsala University), SJDR provided a publication outlet for articles reviewed by the editors of ALTER—the European Journal of Disability Research—during a period of restructuring for that journal. Further collaboration was strengthened when the ALTER research conference was hosted at Stockholm University in 2016. In more recent years, NNDR has made a deliberate effort to engage more actively with scholars from the Global South. Hisayo Katsui, who was then serving as one of the editors, played a vital role in this initiative by inviting Leslie Swartz from South Africa to serve as a guest editor for a special section focusing on disability studies in the Global South (Katsui and Swartz 2021). This effort was motivated by a desire to broaden perspectives and challenge established epistemologies within disability research. By creating space for contributions from Global South scholars, NNDR and SJDR have worked to support a more inclusive and globally engaged field. Leslie Swartz later became editor-in-chief of SJDR and has played a significant role in strengthening the journal’s international profile. The theme of the NNDR conference held in Finland in 2025, ‘Disability in Local and Global Contexts’, reflects this ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue across geographical and intellectual boundaries. Table 1 below summarises the key figures, conferences and activities and developments of NNDR and SJDR over the last 30 years.

Future Visions

As we reflect on three decades of NNDR, we offer our heartfelt gratitude for the collective efforts that have shaped NNDR into the vibrant and influential network it is today. This achievement has been made possible by the unwavering commitment of dedicated individuals, supportive institutions and an engaged scholarly community. While the journey has at times involved uncertainty and experimentation, it has consistently been guided by a shared vision: to create an inclusive, collaborative and intellectually dynamic space for disability studies.

Looking ahead, we reaffirm our dedication to the fundamental pillars that have defined NNDR since its inception—our conferences and SJDR. These platforms will continue to be vital arenas for advancing multidisciplinary dialogue, fostering critical scholarship and supporting emerging researchers. We are particularly focused on enhancing opportunities for early-career scholars and deepening our engagement with researchers from diverse global contexts, including those from the Global South.

However, the continued growth of NNDR brings new challenges and responsibilities. The scale and international reach of our conferences have expanded significantly, necessitating enhanced organisational capacity and sustained financial and institutional support. Ensuring accessibility remains a core principle: NNDR is committed to maintaining high standards of inclusivity while striving to keep participation affordable. The development of guidelines for inclusive presentations is a crucial step towards embedding accessibility and equity more firmly in academic practice. In this sense, NNDR conferences function not only as sites of knowledge exchange but also as venues for modelling more inclusive and socially just forms of scholarly engagement.

We also recognise the importance of active participation from our community members in sustaining and strengthening the network. In an increasingly complex global and political landscape—where values such as diversity, equity and inclusion are often contested—the role of disability studies becomes even more critical. NNDR has a responsibility not just to contribute to academic discourse but also to support broader societal efforts towards inclusion and social justice.

The upcoming conferences embody these commitments. The 2027 NNDR conference in Trondheim, Norway, will focus on the theme of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, directly engaging with current societal and political developments. This will be followed by the 2029 NNDR conference in Malmö, Sweden, continuing our tradition of rotating across the Nordic countries while fostering international collaboration.

As we move forward, we invite both longstanding and new members of our community to join us in shaping the next phase of NNDR. Together, we will continue to build on our shared legacy while exploring new directions for disability studies in a rapidly changing world. We look forward to embarking on this journey with you.