Although ableism in academia is endemic (Brown and Leigh, 2018, 2020), there have been few publications specifically exploring the experiences of disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent members of staff in academia. Over the past three years the conversations around ableism and issues of equality, diversity and inclusion have certainly intensified. And still, there are too many members of staff in academia who do not feel that they can disclose their conditions and/or needs (see Brown, 2020). It is therefore only the more humbling and refreshing to be able to present so many chapters in Part II of this book to provide insights into the lived experiences of disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent individuals.

The contributors tell their stories through emotional and scholarly engagement with disability, from an embodied perspective or using an autobiographical, autoethnographic, self-narrative approach. Even if methodological choices are perhaps not always transparent all contributors were required to think with stories (Frank, 2013) and to use writing as a method of inquiry (Richardson, 2000, 2003). The result is a representation of very personal experiences embedded in relevant, scholarly literature, ‘not to evoke a sense of empathy, cultural insight or deep significance, but to confront us with the radical specificity of living a life … in the sense that life is lived in the flows, multiplicities, and provisionality of each moment, event, emotion’ (Sotirin, 2010, n.p., section 6, original emphasis).

The chapters in Part II, therefore, are not representations of all experiences of disabilities, chronic illnesses and/or neurodivergences, but the radical specificity of each individual's experience, thus the usually subjugated and marginalised (Ellingson, 2017). As a collective, the contributors do not wish to reinforce a hierarchy of marginalisation or to ignore their potential privileges, such as race, gender or positions in academia, which are more secure for some than others. Instead, irrespective of their personal circumstances, the contributors emphasise the exemplariness of their lived experiences. Despite the many differences across the chapters, experiences are nonetheless comparable in relation to the disability experience as a societal barrier and challenge for individuals. Each chapter finishes with reflection questions and practical recommendations and strategies for more inclusive practices in higher education to stimulate further thoughts and actions across the sector.