About Us - CIDID

About the conference

For a long time, disability has been approached primarily as an object of analysis rather than as a legitimate site of knowledge production. However, advances in critical disability studies and situated epistemologies have shown that all research is shaped by the position from which it is conceived and produced. Research is not a neutral act: it involves existence, experience, context, and perspective.

Within this framework, a university that aspires to international leadership cannot limit inclusion to a matter of social compliance. It must embrace it as the driving force of a new scientific paradigm: that of situated epistemologies. This paradigm shift requires reconfiguring the role of persons with disabilities — moving from being the traditional “object of study” to becoming “knowledge-producing subjects.” This transformation is essential for scientific quality. By recognising lived experience as a legitimate source of knowledge, institutions move beyond epistemic extractivism — where communities are studied without the participation of those being studied — and strengthen their research with a level of rigor and authenticity that directly enhances both its relevance and knowledge transfer.

In line with this perspective, it is necessary to recognise and give visibility to researchers with disabilities who generate knowledge across multiple fields — not only those linked to disability — as central agents of this new paradigm. From this conviction, CIDID emerges in response to the lack of academic spaces that centre knowledge production from a disability perspective through an interdisciplinary and rigorous approach.

CIDID aligns with the principles of the 2030 Agenda and several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG 4), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), building more accessible and participatory institutions (SDG 16), and strengthening international partnerships for knowledge development (SDG 17).
The conference is also directly aligned with the principles established by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, especially those concerning full participation, accessibility, equal opportunities, and the right to education and knowledge production on equitable terms. From this perspective, CIDID aims to contribute to a more representative, diverse, and equitable university system that is committed to social transformation.

Objectives

The conference is structured around three objectives:

Visibility and Academic Leadership

To recognise and promote the academic leadership of people with disabilities as producers of knowledge across disciplines, valuing lived experience as an essential source of knowledge for transforming scientific and humanistic development.

Transformation of Academia

To foster a more inclusive university that reflects the social reality, ensuring that all spaces for knowledge dissemination—both physical and digital—meet the standards of accessibility and substantive equality.

Strengthening Interdisciplinary Networks

To create collaborative communities that connect diverse forms of knowledge, fostering mutual support and the exchange of trajectories among researchers and educators worldwide.

Why this conference matters

Recognises and values contributions

By highlighting researchers with disabilities as active participants in knowledge production.

Responds to a real need

By creating spaces to identify exclusionary dynamics within universities and to share strategies that support researchers with disabilities throughout their academic trajectories.

Encourages the creation of networks

By fostering collaboration among researchers in the social sciences and humanities, including transnational partnerships between universities and research centres.

Constitutes a diverse and accessible academic event

That aims to serve as a reference for the creation of quality academic spaces for the research community.

Scientific Committee

Dr. Fabiana Battisti ( Italy):

Postdoctoral Researcher in Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. She has worked on numerous European and national research projects. Her main research interests include participatory processes, creative methods, technological development, social and risk communication, artificial intelligence, disability studies, decoloniality, and social imaginaries related to narratives and the ethics of journalism. She teaches at both LUMSA University in Rome and the University of Rome Tor Vergata across various undergraduate and master's degree programmes. Since 2026, she has been a researcher and trainer at FQTS (Training for the Qualification of the Third Sector), where her work focuses on youth development and intergenerational dialogue. In 2023, she was a Visiting Professor at the Africa Media Matrix School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, South Africa. ORCID

Dr. Patricia Brogna (Mexico)

She holds a Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where she is also an associate professor. She is a member of the National System of Researchers and coordinates projects on disability and human rights at UNAM. ORCID

Dr. Lorenzo Dalvit (South Africa)

Associate Professor of Cultural and Media Studies at the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University. His work focuses on digital communication, media literacy, and the use of mobile technologies to promote social and educational inclusion in African contexts. ORCID

Dr. Emiliano Díez Villoria (Spain)

Professor at the University of Salamanca and director of the University Institute for Community Integration (INICO). His research focuses on the use of technology to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, as well as on the educational inclusion of students with disabilities. ORCID

Dr. Carolina Ferrante (Argentina)

Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Associate Researcher at CONICET/UBA. Member of the Disability and Accessibility Program, Office of Outreach and Student Welfare, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, UBA. ORCID

Dr. Yolanda González Osuna (Spain)

She holds a Ph.D. in Audiovisual Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid. She is a film producer and co-founder of Encanta Films S.L., and she combines her professional work with teaching. ORCID

Dr. Daniel Guasch (Spain)

Academic Director of the Chair of Accessibility and Associate to the Vice-Rectorate for Social Responsibility and Equality at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Editor of the International Journal of Accessibility and Design for All (Jacces), his research focuses on accessibility, inclusion, and universal design. ORCID

Dr. Carmen Márquez Vázquez (Spain)

Full Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and coordinator of the Spanish Center for Documentation and Research on Disability (CEDID). ORCID

Dr. Emma Mayo (Spain)

Tenured Faculty Member at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and member of the PDI-Disability Network. Her work focuses on social research and disability. ORCID

Dr. Jyothsna Phanija ( India)

Assistant Professor of English at ARSD College (University of Delhi). She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature, is a poet, and an activist recognized for her work promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and for being the youngest person in India to earn a Ph.D. in English Literature. Her research interests include musical theories, critical disability studies, and the representation of castes in literature.

Dr. Juan Romay Coca (Spain)

Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Santiago de Compostela and professor at the University of Valladolid. Founder and director of the Social Research Unit on Health and Rare Diseases. His work focuses on biosociological research and the sociology of health. ORCID

Dr. Agustina Palacios (Argentina)

She holds a Ph.D. in Law from Carlos III University of Madrid and is an associate researcher at CONICET. She is a professor of Human Rights and Constitutional Guarantees at the National University of Mar del Plata. She leads several initiatives on disability and human rights. ORCID

Dr. Laura Sanmiquel-Molinero (Spain)

Ph.D. and researcher in social studies of disability; senior researcher at the Milà i Fontanals Institute for Research in the Humanities (IMF-CSIC). Her work focuses on critical disability studies, independent living, care, and social policy from a feminist and intersectional perspective. ORCID

Dr. Someshwar Sati (India)

Professor in the Department of English at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. Coordinator of the Center for Disability Research and Training (CDRT) and president of the Indian Disability Studies Collective (IDSC). His interests include postcolonial theory and critical disability studies. ORCID

Committee of honor

Professor Dr. Luis Deltell Escolar | Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).

Professor Dr. Hada M. Sánchez Gonzales | University of Seville (Spain).

Organizing Committee

Management Team:

Khadija Ftha Ftha | University of Seville (Spain)

Journalist and PhD candidate in Communication. She is a member of the GIATI Research Group (Innovation and High Technology in Information and Social Communication) at the University of Seville and co-founder of the HIT Scientific Association (Humanity, Innovation and Technology). Her main research interests include digital communication, media narratives, and social inclusion. She is currently pursuing her doctoral research on media representations of entrepreneurship among people with disabilities. She also delivers lectures and training sessions on communication, diversity, and accessibility in collaboration with universities and third-sector organizations. During the 2024–2025 academic year, she served as an Honorary Research Assistant in the Department of Journalism II at the University of Seville. ORCID

Jorge Rodríguez-Moreno | Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).

Communication scholar, researcher, and instructor in the Department of Applied Communication Sciences at the UCM School of Information Sciences, holding a University Faculty Training contract (FPU22/01478) funded by Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. His professional and academic work lies at the intersection of emerging technologies and AI applied to spoken audio, digital culture, the development of communication practices of social interest, and innovation. He has chaired conferences, published, and contributed to articles and research and innovation projects in academia and teaching on AI, audification, gamification, accessibility, expanded audio, radio, podcasts, and new digital narratives. She is part of the team for the Escuchad.es R&D&I Project (PID2023-14924OB-100) and is a member of the Spanish Association for Communication Research and the Academy of Arts, Sciences, and the Audio Industry in Spanish.ORCID

Organizing Team:

Samuel Corchete Martínez | Pablo de Olavide University (Spain)

Social and Cultural Anthropologist, lecturer, and FPU-funded predoctoral researcher (FPU24-00186) in the Department of Social Work and Social Services at Pablo de Olavide University. His research focuses on intellectual and developmental disabilities from a rights-based perspective, particularly within the judicial system, as well as on supported decision-making arrangements. He is a member of the INDIS Research Group (Social Work, Inclusion, Diversity and Sustainability). ORCID

Sivani Kusu | EFL University, Hyderabad
(India)

Spanish teacher and PhD candidate in Spanish Language and Literature at The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, India, and recipient of a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) awarded by the University Grants Commission (UGC) India. Her doctoral research examines the development of intercultural competence among Indian university students of Spanish through the pedagogical use of folk literature. Her research interests include Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL), translation and intercultural mediation, foreign language education in learners with disabilities, intercultural competence development, and the integration of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, into foreign language education. She currently teaches in the Diploma in Spanish programme at EFLU and has contributed to the development of audiovisual materials for Spanish courses offered through the SWAYAM and OLLR platforms.

Olga Zuzanna Jedrysiak Gutowska | University of Valladolid (Spain)

FPU-funded predoctoral researcher in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Valladolid. She specializes in transdisciplinary studies in Education. Her research focuses on the transition from education to employment among people with deafblindness. She is a member of the Social Research Unit on Health and Rare Diseases Research Group. ORCID

Dr. Laura Moya | University of Zaragoza (Spain)

Social worker and sociologist. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Social and Labour Sciences at the University of Zaragoza. Her research focuses on Critical Disability Studies and Feminist Disability Studies. She was awarded an FPU predoctoral fellowship funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and her doctoral thesis received the highest distinction (cum laude), an International Doctorate Mention, and the Extraordinary Doctoral Award. She has been a member of the Society, Creativity and Uncertainty Research Group, where she conducted research within the field of Critical Disability Studies, including work on the project Emerging Cultures of Mobile Precarity (R&D&I, MCIN/AEI). She also worked as a Research Officer at CEDID (Spanish Centre for Disability Documentation and Research). ;ORCID

Marta Sánchez Martín | University of Seville (Spain)

Predoctoral researcher funded through the University of Seville's VII Research Plan (PIF). She specializes in ideological advertising and propaganda studies in the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising. She is a member of the IDECO Research Group (Political Communication, Ideology and Propaganda) at the University of Seville. ORCID

Dr. Clara Sánchez-Rebato | Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).

Holds a PhD in Audiovisual Communication, Advertising and Public Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). She is the first woman with cerebral palsy to earn a doctoral degree in this field. Her doctoral research examined how booktubers in Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States communicate in reviews of young adult literature, analysing verbal, non-verbal, and audiovisual elements, as well as audience interaction. She has participated in European projects focused on inclusion, gender, and disability, and was a member of the international Branded Content Governance Project, involving the University of the Arts London (UAL), the University of Stirling, and the Complutense University of Madrid. ORCID

Lucia Varela Monterroso | University of Seville (Spain)

PhD candidate in Journalism specializing in power relations, the political economy of communication, and the analysis of media structures. Her research focuses on the role of Asia and China in reshaping the global media and technological ecosystem. She is a member of the DIALOGOS Research Group (Communication, Critical Thinking and Dialogue in the Face of Global Change) at the University of Seville. ORCID

Collaboration Team:

Lenin Alejandro Carrera Oña | Complutense University of Madrid (Spain).

An Ecuadorian scholar, media professional, and author specializing in the study of the senses and visual communication.

Alejandro Centeno Martín | University of Salamanca (Spain)

Psychologist and researcher in psychology, specializing in family intervention, disability, and social inclusion.