Much has changed over recent years with regard to disability and higher education. Until the 1990s, most British universities were virtually inaccessible to disabled students and staff. However, as society move ever further into the twenty-first century there are more disabled students in higher education, more support services for students with particular access needs, and disability is increasingly regarded as a socio/political issue by many social scientists and researchers. At the core of these developments lies the protracted interface between disabled activists and the academy. This review essay examines this relationship and this particular form of knowledge production in order to further the understanding of disability and the struggle for a more inclusive and equitable society.