At this year’s American Psychological Association conference in Seattle, OSU professor Kathleen Bogart received the association’s award for contributions toward advancing disability in psychology.
The conference, attended by more than 10,000 people, also included the inaugural disability networking event hosted by the APA and the Disability Advocacy & Research Network, which Bogart co-founded in 2021, for disabled psychologists from a wide range of disciplines to get to know each other.
It’s quite a leap from Bogart’s grad school days, when she didn’t know any disabled psychologists.
“I didn’t think this would come in my lifetime, or this early in my lifetime,” she said. “But I feel like disability movements have really gained steam over the last five to 10 years and seen a lot of progress. This was way more progress than I could have dreamed of.”
There were around 40 people at the disability networking event, which was “more disabled psychologists than I’ve ever seen in one space before, at least in person,” Bogart said. Because many disabilities are invisible or not easily recognized, events like these make it possible to find each other, she said.
“There’s a great need to feel a part of a community when you are marginalized and could benefit from support and mentorship and just tips on how to navigate life as a psychologist or student with a disability,” she said.
The field of psychology depends on apprenticeships for graduate students to specialize in their specific field. When she was in graduate school from 2006 to 2012, Bogart struggled to find a mentor who was studying disability psychology, the field she wanted to pursue.
During that period, she read “What Psychotherapists Should Know About Disability” by disabled psychologist Rhoda Olkin, considered a landmark in the field.
Olkin went on to receive the same APA award that Bogart received this year. The two have gotten to know each other and collaborate on panels over the past few years.
“At the time I first heard of her, I had never met anyone with a disability in the field,” Bogart said. “I read all her books, and now here we are.”
It’s an exciting time to be a psychology student who’s interested in moving the field of disability psychology forward, she said. There are active communities, like DARN, where people with disabilities and their allies can find common ground and work together.
“I think the field is finally in a place where momentum is growing,” Bogart said.
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