This report outlines the development and articulation of the Drama Therapy Disability Justice Tenets , emerging from a collaborative workshop led by the Lesley University Dis/ability Lab and New York University’s Disability Justice Interest Group at the 2024 NADTA Conference. Responding to persistent gaps in drama therapy training, pedagogy and professional culture, including the marginalization of dis/abled practitioners, limited disability-centred frameworks and the reproduction of ableist norms, the tenets are grounded in critical disability theory and the principles of disability justice. They offer suggestions designed to move beyond accommodation-based approaches towards structurally inclusive and justice-oriented practice. Drawing from community dialogue, lived experience and previous research, the authors interrogate ableist structures embedded in therapeutic and educational systems and position the tenets as a practical and philosophical response to these systemic barriers, proposing a shift towards more inclusive, relational and equity-based models of engagement. The report highlights universal design, co-created learning and the repositioning of lived experience as expertise, offering actionable strategies for integrating disability justice into drama therapy spaces. These tenets serve as a living framework, intended for adaptation, that reimagines access, care and embodiment in training and clinical practice.
Cook et al. (Wed,) studied this question.