THE FORUM TOPIC “(New) Directions” is an opportunity to draw attention to the need to integrate disability studies more into Goethe scholarship and research on eighteenth-century German literature. However, going in a new direction within the discipline should not only mean an impulse for discussion; it should have a transformative impact that causes positive changes in the place where the discipline is housed, namely, at the university itself. My thoughts on this new direction therefore play out against the need for and move toward broader, more inclusive perspectives in the field of German studies and its institutional frameworks. Admittedly, I reflect on this topic from the distinct perspective of German in the United Kingdom.

As German studies expands to explore wider and newer fields, academics are using the many opportunities available to openly and publicly reflect on this transformation, for example, via blogs, social media, and in new spaces in academic journals, such as the Forum section of the Goethe Yearbook. In such spaces, amplifying the voices of those with protected characteristics (in the UK, the Equality Act 2010 lists these as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation) and reflecting on positionality is also part of this new approach to diversifying both research and the curriculum. Furthermore, as with other “expanding” German studies pathways (e.g., gender and race) that address underrepresentation, a more emphatic focus on disability should be intersectional and can also have a transformative and inclusive impact on university curricula, pedagogy, assessment, and course design.

Disability studies and literary disability studies scholars are often agents of change and academic activists. As such, they are sensitive to the real-world relevance of their research focus. Whether identifying as disabled, not disclosing, or nondisabled allies and advocates, they often bring a commitment to challenging prejudice, stigma, injustice, and bias in relation to disability, to supporting disability pride and visibility, and to amplifying the voices of disabled people. These individuals can actively bring about institutional change by creating opportunities for disabled people (or people with disabilities) to teach and conduct research, and by educating the next generation of students to use disability theory for literary study and to be knowledgeable about inclusive terms and ableist structures.