Robel Abay

Prof. Dr. Robel Abay is a Visiting Professor for Disability Studies at Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin (ASH Berlin), specializing in intersectional disability justice, decolonial methodologies, and critical race theory. His work focuses on the intersections of disability, race, migration, and coloniality, with an emphasis on participatory research approaches. Currently serving as a substitute professor for participatory approaches in social and health sciences until March 2025, he will transition to a visiting professorship in Disability Studies from April 2025 to March 2026.

Dr. Abay's academic journey includes:

• PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2019-2023), dissertation on "Participatory Research on Discrimination and Participation in Employment of BIPoC with Disability Experiences"
• MA in Social Work in Interdisciplinary Research and Practice, University of Kassel (2017-2019)
• BA in Social Work, University of Kassel (2014-2017)
• Study Abroad in Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations, Cardiff University, Wales (2016)
• BA in Sociology and Political Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia (2007-2010)

Dr. Abay's research centers on intersectional disability justice, examining how ableism, racism, and colonial legacies intersect to shape experiences of marginalization. His work employs decolonial methodologies to challenge Eurocentric knowledge production and promote pluriversal approaches in social work. He investigates the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) with disabilities, particularly at the intersections of migration, queerness, and climate crisis.

His scholarship critically analyzes power relations embedded in social structures, with a focus on developing transformative practices that foster social justice and equity. Through participatory research methods, he centers the voices of marginalized communities in knowledge production, challenging traditional academic hierarchies and epistemic violence.

Dr. Abay's recent publications reveal a strong focus on decolonial approaches to disability studies, with particular attention to intersectionality and participatory methodologies. His work consistently examines how colonial legacies persist in contemporary social structures, particularly in healthcare, education, and migration systems. A significant portion of his scholarship addresses the experiences of BIPoC with disabilities, highlighting how racialization and ableism intersect to create unique forms of marginalization.

His research increasingly engages with climate justice, exploring connections between environmental crisis, migration, and disability. The methodological approach across his publications emphasizes pluriversalism, challenging Eurocentric frameworks and advocating for diverse knowledge systems in social work research and practice.

Dr. Abay has received several notable research fellowships and funding awards:

• "The Good Family Visiting Faculty Fellowship" from Queen's University, Canada (January-September 2026)
• Early Career Support from Hans-Böckler-Stiftung at ASH Berlin (October 2023-September 2024)

Dr. Abay serves as a peer mentor for displaced scholars through The Kaldor Centre for Displaced Scholars Peer Mentoring Program at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. His current research projects include "Queer(ing) Migration," funded by The Good Family Visiting Faculty Fellowship and Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, which examines the experiences of queer refugees in Berlin through an intersectional lens.

He is also involved in the GLOHRA (Global Health Research Alliance) project, which addresses structural challenges of decolonization in global health research. Additionally, he co-leads the AdiCoBe project, the first initiative by and for people with African roots and disability experiences in Germany, funded by aidFIVE gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH.

Dr. Abay founded and coordinates the IDJ-Network (Intersectional Disability Justice), a collaborative platform for scholars and activists working at the intersections of disability, race, and coloniality. He is an associated research member at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and actively participates in the Migration and Social Transformation Network (MSTN).

His institutional affiliations include membership in the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA), the Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research (GTPF), and the Center for Inclusion Research Berlin (ZfIB). He also serves as co-spokesperson for the "Flucht, Migration, Rassismus- und Antisemitismuskritik" (Migraas) working group of the German Society for Social Work (DGSA).