With the assistance of a distinguished early-career grant from the American Psychological Foundation, Payton Rule, a first-year graduate scholar in psychological and brain sciences within Arts & Sciences at WashU, is initiating a project aimed at examining the psychological health of individuals with disabilities, a demographic that often feels marginalized in a society focused on the able-bodied.

“Individuals with disabilities have been inadequately represented in psychological studies,” remarked Rule, who achieved a bachelor’s degree in philosophy-neuroscience-psychology from WashU in 2022. “I aim to discover methods for society to enhance the support for the well-being of those with disabilities.”

Throughout her year-long project, she plans to enlist individuals with disabilities to articulate their everyday experiences via surveys. She aspires to chronicle their encounters with discrimination and pinpoint distinct approaches that society could employ to shield those with disabilities from the mental turmoil inflicted by unjust treatment.

Discover more about the study and read about Rule’s personal experience living with a disability on the Ampersand website.

The article Project will study struggles facing those with disabilities first appeared on The Source.