Author: nbelolan

DHA 2023 Annual Report

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The Board of The Disability History Association (DHA) is proud to release its 2023 Annual Report. You can access the report in its entirely here: PDF here and the Word Doc here. See our past president’s message below.

Past President’s Message

In the spring of 2022, the Board of Directors started two lists. The first was devoted to naming the people whose creativity and generosity, particularly since 2020, had allowed the DHA to become. The second became a repository of hope, a space to hold the futures we imagined for the DHA. Both documents continue to reside in the DHA’s informal archive.

As mundane tools for remembering, these lists epitomize the ordinary and the uneventful in the life of our organization. But they also represent the work of governance in which the Board of Directors quietly engages: determining a present course of action that mediates between the past and the present, between what the DHA has been and what it might yet become.

This work seems particularly apt now, as 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the DHA’s inaugural board meeting. There is so much to celebrate. The pages that follow — showcasing the extraordinary creativity of our members, interns, committees, and directors — are evidence of that abundance. The DHA, thanks to all of us, is strong.

– Katheen Brian, former Disability History Association President

You can access the report in its entirely here: PDF here and the Word Doc here.

Outstanding Article or Book Chapter Award, 2020 – Due May 15, 2020

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The Disability History Association (DHA) promotes the relevance of disability to broader historical enquiry and facilitates research, conference travel, and publication for scholars engaged in any field of disability history. 

The Disability History Association takes pleasure in inviting entries for the Article / Book Chapter Award, part of its 9th Annual Outstanding Publication Award that also includes a separate Book Award. 

In calling for article and edited collection book chapter submissions for the 2020 award, the award committee welcomes entries that feature new and original history of disability scholarship. To be considered, submissions MUST have significant historical content.

The award is open to authors writing across all geographic areas and time periods. The publication must be in English, and with first publication taking place between January 1 and December 31, 2019. We are conscious that some journals publish an electronic advance copy of articles that can appear a considerable time before the print copy is published; we also recognize that some journals are running behind schedule so that, for example, an article published in October 2019 might actually appear in a 2018 edition. First publication is the key criteria, but we will endeavor to be sympathetic in cases of “behind schedule” publication. If you feel that your proposed submission should be considered, but might be at risk of disqualification by definitions of “first publication,” please email for adjudication by the Awards Committee.     

The amount of the award is $200 for first place and $100 for honorable mention.

All submissions should be sent to the award committee, via Iain Hutchison, no later than May 15, 2020. One electronic (.pdf or .doc) copy of the article or book chapter to be sent to: Dr Iain Hutchison, Centre for the History of Medicine, University of Glasgow; iain.hutchison@glasgow.ac.uk.

In the interest of modeling best practice in the field of disability history, we require that the publisher/author provide an electronic copy in text-based .pdf or .doc file compatible with screen reading software for the review committee. We understand that copyright rules apply, and we will only use the electronic copy for the purposes of the DHA Outstanding Publication Award. Manuscripts not provided in accessible electronic formats for screen reading software in a timely manner cannot be considered for the prize.

Please include the full bibliographic citation of your submission in the Chicago Manual of Style format.

The Disability History Association Board plans to announce the recipients of the DHA Outstanding Publication Award in September 2020.

Members of the DHA Board are not eligible for the award.

Click here to download this announcement as a word doc or pdf.

Autumn 2019 newsletter

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Our Autumn 2019 Newsletter, edited by Disability History Association Board Member Iain Hutchison, is out! Download a pdf of the newsletter here, and visit our archives by clicking here. If or when you have updates to share with other members, please do send them to disability.history@gmail.com so that we are able to include them in the next edition.

PUBLIC DISABILITY HISTORY AWARD -Applications Due Dec. 20, 2019

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Did you complete a public disability history project in the last two years? Was it a community-anchored or community-led project designed with physical and programmatic accessibility in mind?

Apply now to win a new cash award sponsored by the Disability History Association. 

Visit our web site(http://dishist.org) to learn more about project criteria. Applicants must currently be members of the Disability History Association. You can join or renew your membership here. 

Submit a cover letter, project description, and other supporting materials such as media coverage to Nicole Belolan, Award Chair and Disability History Association Secretary, by December 20, 2019, at nbelolan@gmail.com. Questions about the application process are welcome and encouraged. Award will be announced in February 2020.

To learn more about how to make your public disability history work accessible, check out our resource library.

Please help spread the word. You can find additional promotional materials at: http://dishist.org/?page_id=1230. Please help us spread the word!

Call for applicants: DHA Mentorship program

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The Disability History Association’s Mentorship Program was founded as part of the American Historical Association’s Advisory Committee on Disability, to assist in facilitating network connections between graduate students and established faculty working on disability history. 

Mentoring is a crucial process of academic learning. For graduate students, it offers an opportunity to ask questions about challenges they may face in the duration of their career: doing research, preparing for their exams and defense, learning about effective teaching strategies, dealing with administrative roadblocks, and more. For faculty volunteers, mentoring serves as an extension of teaching skills and presents an opportunity to guide rising scholars in the field. 

The DHA Mentorship Program aims to match volunteer mentors with students who are either pursuing a graduate degree in the same subfield of history or who have the same disability, if that information is disclosed. The mentor is not meant to replace or interfere with the supervisor-student relationship, but rather to serve as a helpful resource in the field for general advice and professional development. 

This informal Program is based on communication through email, phone, or Skype. The frequency and mode of contact will depend on the mentee and mentor, but DHA recommends it must be no less than 1-2 hours every 4-6 weeks for at least a year.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PROGRAM

Mentees

  • Graduate students doing a MA or PhD in history, disability history, history of science or history of medicine with a specialization in disability history. Students working in related disciplines, such as American studies, historical sociology, historical anthropology, or material culture studies are also welcome. Students working outside the U.S. are welcome to apply.
  • Demonstrated an interest in developing a career as a researcher and teacher/faculty in the history of disability
  • Students with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply

Mentors

  • Scholars worldwide working in the area of disability history or related fields 
  • Faculty with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply

To apply, please send an email to Dr. Jaipreet Virdi, director of the Mentorship Program at jvirdi@udel.edu with a short paragraph outlining:

  • Your name, affiliation, and email
  • Your field of study/program, year of graduation (mentees), and area(s) of specialty.
  • What do you aim to achieve from this program?
  • If so desired, you are welcome to disclose your disability/disabilities 
  • For mentors: how many mentees are you willing to take on if they are a good match? (DHA recommendation is 1-3) 

Applications for the fall semester are due AUGUST 19. Mentee-mentor matches will be set by September 1. The next round of applications will be in December for a January match. 

If you have any questions, please contact the director of the Mentorship Program, Dr. Jaipreet Virdi at jvirdi@udel.edu.

A Word Document of this call is available here.