The Continued Evolution of Disabilities, an Inter- and Multi-Disciplinary Journal of Disability Research

Disabilities continues to grow in stature and attract quality submissions from scholars across the globe. In 2023, we published 46 papers, which included 38 articles, five reviews, two case reports, and one viewpoint. Of the 46 papers, four were from the Special Issue ‘Disability and COVID-19’ [1], which successfully amassed 15 papers in total. Some other Special Issue topics included ‘Leisure and Sport Activities among People with Disabilities: Opportunities and Challenges’, ‘Mobility, Access, and Participation for Disabled People’, ‘Technology for People with Disabilities: Opportunities and Challenges’, and ‘Selected Papers from the 6th IASSIDD Europe Congress’ [2]. All papers underwent a robust peer-review process supported by our Editorial Board Members. One of the critical services we aim to deliver at Disabilities is the rapid turn-around of articles and prudent decision-making. On average, a first decision is provided approximately 30 days after submission; acceptance to publication is typically undertaken within 5 days (median values for papers published in this journal in 2023).

We are particularly grateful for the ongoing support of our dedicated editorial board members who facilitate the review process. We currently have 28 Editorial Board Members [3] from 14 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

We extend a warm welcome to the four new Board Members who joined Disabilities in 2023: Mei-Chun Cheung, Daniel Mont, Jong Hyock Park, and Geert Van Hove. We will continue to recruit esteemed disability scholars from across the globe.

We currently have five Special Issues open for submissions [2]: (1) ‘Advances in Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction’; (2) ‘Leisure and Sport Activities among People with Disabilities: Opportunities and Challenges’; (3) ‘Mental and Physical Health and Well-Being of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’; (4) ‘Mobility, Access, and Participation for Disabled People’; and (5) ‘The Care Economy and Disability Inclusion’. Special Issues remain a critical way to thematically disseminate new research findings and call attention to important topics, so we encourage researchers to submit new Special Issue topics for consideration.

Citations are an essential metric for journals. Papers published in Disabilities have accumulated more than 390 citations in total since the journal was launched in March 2021, according to Google Scholar [4]. Citations for papers published in Disabilities show a clear upward trajectory, with 13 citations in 2021, 80 in 2022, 223 in 2023, and 71 so far in 2024. This includes 45 papers cited in more than 90 papers in 2023 according to Web of Science, and 136 citations in total to date according to Scopus. According to the journal statistics [5], the top cited paper is titled ‘Will Disabled Workers Be Winners or Losers in the Post-COVID-19 Labour Market?’ [6] and was authored by one of our Editorial Board Members, Paula Holland, with 15 citations since being published in 2021. The most viewed paper is titled ‘It Is Time to Address Ableism in Academia: A Systematic Review of the Experiences and Impact of Ableism among Faculty and Staff’ [7] and was authored by Lindsay and Fuentes, with 8613 views and 14 citations since being published in 2022. The most downloaded paper is titled ‘Level of Inclusiveness of People with Disabilities in Ghanaian Health Policies and Reports: A Scoping Review’ [8] and was authored by Seidu, Malau-Aduli, McBain-Rigg, Malau-Aduli, and Emeto.

Another important update is the indexing of Disabilities [9]. Disabilities is now being indexed by several databases, including Scopus [10], DOAJ, RePEc, ANVUR, and the Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers. Additionally, the journal is under evaluation for indexing by Web of Science.

As the journal evolves, we will continue to update its aims and scope [11] to reflect the dynamism of the publishing space. We welcome new and high-quality submissions to our journal and suggestions for Special Issues. You can follow us on Twitter @Disabil_MDPI.