Addressing Intersectional Identities and Experiences in Professional Psychology Trainees With Disabilities: A Call for Action

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are frequently espoused as critical priority areas in psychology, including education and training. Professional psychology trainees and psychologists with disabilities experience a unique set of barriers (e.g., inaccessible work environments, lack of relevant mentorship experiences, and cultural competency surrounding disability) that contribute to negative consequences for training, recruitment, and retention. Furthermore, disabled trainees and psychologists with intersecting and marginalized identities possess a nuanced perspective on these challenges that are largely missing from both the data and scholarly literature in the field. To address this disparity, it is imperative that the field of professional psychology takes action to collect more nuanced population-level data but also actively implement change strategies to advance the field. Strategies for identifying unique barriers and perspectives of disabled trainees with intersecting identities include conducting subanalyses of larger data sets that are appropriate for smaller sample sizes, conducting contextual (e.g., qualitative) research centering the voices of multiple marginalized and disabled trainees, creating and reinforcing an antiableist culture at training programs and work environments, amplifying the voices and expertise of trainees and psychologists with disabilities and intersecting identities, and supporting disabled trainees and psychologists who may experience activism fatigue.