Insights on Ageing with Disability: Perceptions of Well-Being and Belonging in Later Life
A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698). This special issue belongs to the section "Disabled People/People with Disabilities (Non-Medical Coverage)".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 32
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will explore the complex and interconnected themes of well-being and belonging in the context of aging with disability, and will bring together interdisciplinary scholarship to illuminate the lived experiences, social contexts, and systemic factors that shape ideas of well-being and belonging while navigating the experience of disability in later life. The constructs of aging and disability are rooted in dominant narratives of dependency and decline, yet both aging and disability are personal and subjective experiences.
‘Disability’ is complex. It can be defined by objective assessments that highlight one’s failure to meet [ableist] corporeal and cognitive standards, or it can be a social construction created by institutional inequities that are imposed upon people who have enduring or temporary ‘differences’. Aging, the progressive and natural process of becoming older, is inevitable. Despite paradigmatic shifts in disability and aging, ableism and ageism continue to permeate society, resulting in the continued discrimination, isolation, and segregation of those who are perceived to be ‘aging’ and/or ‘disabled’.
Societies is seeking scholars who will highlight how experiences of aging with a disability influence personal conceptualizations of well-being (an overall positive feeling in one’s life) and belonging (the feeling of being accepted and welcome). A rich diversity of methods and perspectives are welcome, ranging from qualitative narratives and ethnographic studies to policy analysis and critical theory.
Submissions that challenge dominant narratives of dependency and decline, and ableism and ageism, are most welcome. Through their work, scholars will create space for readers to consider how influences of intersectionality, public policy, familial and cultural narratives, and other institutional frameworks compose the lives of disabled and aging adults. Not only will readers become awakened to how this might affect a disabled person’s feelings of well-being and belonging as they age, but the reader will also consider how their own practices (personal and professional) may compose—or challenge—institutional narratives of what it is to age with disability.
Contributions must follow one of three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper, or review) of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.
Dr. Brenda Rossow-Kimball
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- aging
- disability
- ageism
- ableism/disablism
- well-being
- belonging
- qualitative
- institutional narratives
- professional practices
- diversity and equity
- social policy
- community
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