Can I remove / rework studs to access crawl space/storage underneath stairs?
The normal approach is to support the floor above with a temporary wall, cut out the offending studs, and add a load-bearing header spanning the new opening and resting on trimmer studs.

If you're careful you can slide the new header into the wall cavity above the new opening without totally removing drywall to the top of the header. Using a reciprocating saw, cut the studs off where the top of the new header will be by plunging through the drywall. This leaves you with a few short slits to repair, rather than having to patch in sheets of drywall.