All of Us is a new, a peer-reviewed blog dedicated to disability history across time and space established by the Disability History Association 2019.
Q: What’s the inspiration for the blog’s title? How does it relate to the DHA’s mission? What is distinctive about All of Us (AOU)?
Disability is mainstream. Nearly everyone–All of Us–has experience of impairment or disability at some time in their life.
Q: Who are the people behind AOU?
All of Us was established and founded by the Board of the Disability History Association in 2019. Current editors include:
- Aparna Nair, University of Oklahoma-Norman
- Jaipreet Virdi, University of Delaware
- Nicole Belolan, Rutgers University-Camden
Q: How can I get involved?
Anyone may submit a pitch or blog post for consideration, including scholars, undergraduates, secondary school teachers, members of the public, activists, etc. If you have any suggestions or comments for the blog, please get in touch with us at jvirdi@udel.edu.
Q: What does AOU publish?
We publish original material that has not been published elsewhere and is related to the mission of the Disability History Association and All of Us. We publish items that fall within the categories listed below, but we are always open to new ideas and suggestions.
1. Historical Research Based Articles (800-1,200 words)
- The historical investigation or analysis of ableism in attitude, policy and practice
- The historical intersections between disability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class
- How disabled people’s lives and experiences have been transformed by historical events (e.g. disability and war)
- Disability and disabled people as drivers of historical change/transformation
- Representations of disabled historical subjects in popular culture
2. Reflections on Disability History (flexible word length)
- Narrations of disabled lives from historical lens (individual biographies)
- Disability history in public space (museums, artifacts, institutions, asylums, online exhibitions)
- Personal narratives or creative expressions of, by, or about people with disabilities inspired by or that shed new light on disability history
- Critical ruminations on the meaning of disability in various times and places.
3. Reflections or Methods on Teaching Disability History (500-800 words)
- Thoughts or how-tos on teaching disability history by anyone who teaches disability history (secondary school teacher, government official, university instructor, activist or advocate, etc.).
- Thoughts or how-tos on making any class more accessible for students.
4. Responses to Current Events (500-800 words)
- Disability history in the news
- Historically anchored or historically informed responses to national/international issues
- Historically anchored or historically informed assessments of new technological/medical/cultural developments
5. Themed Special Issues (recruitment by CFP, overseen by editors)
- Stayed tuned for CFPs!
6. Reflections on Careers or Research
- Thoughts from historians on why they practice or teach disability history
Q: What is the submission process?
If you would like to write for All of Us, please send us a pitch, or a three-five sentence description of what you’d like to write about and why. We’ll get back to you within a few days about whether we will consider a full-length submission. We strive for relatively quick turnaround, but the time needed for peer review and revisions can vary. We will keep you updated!
Q: Do you publish everything that is submitted?
We aspire to publish a range of essays related to disability history from a variety of perspective. We reserve the right to reject submissions and drafts at any point in the publication process if we decide the work does not meet our criteria. If your prospective post isn’t a good fit, we will suggest alternative outlets if known.
Q: What are your style guidelines?
Posts should adhere to the following guidelines:
- Research posts should be 800-1200 words long
- Shorter posts of 500-800 words may be considered, if they are considered reflections on Disability or Disability History in the News or teaching-related posts.
- Longer posts may be considered as a two-part series, if the content merits additional space and lends itself to division into two parts.
- Alternate formats (such as photo-based blogs) are welcomed so long as the blog robustly models inclusive design.
- Posts must be jargon-free and comprehensible to a non-specialist audience. All field-specific terms must be defined.
- Post titles should be 5-7 words long and descriptive of the post content.
- Posts should be written in active voice, using clear, concise language and short paragraphs.
- Posts should utilize accessible formatting:
- Authors should include text descriptions along with source information for any and all images.
- If any videos are included, they must be closed captioned.
- Sources should be integrated using in-text links when possible, or using the Chicago Manual of Style (endnote)
- Authors may choose to include a ‘Further Reading’ or ‘Additional Sources’ section formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style, if they find it relevant, useful or important.
- Authors should include one or more images relevant to the text, when possible. Images should be submitted as separate files preferably as .jpg or .jpeg files, 300dpi or better. The images should not be embedded in the text of the post. Authors are to ensure that they have permission to use, and always credit image authors (e.g. Image Credit: Source: Author Name, Description, Date).
- Authors should include information for a byline: their name, their institutional affiliation and position, and their preferred email for correspondence about the post. Include a brief 2-4 sentence bio, including your academic webpage and any social media profiles.
Q: Will authors get paid for their work?
No, we do not offer monetary compensation for writers’ submissions.
Q: What is the blog’s copyright policy?
Authors will hold copyright of their work. If authors repost this material elsewhere, we request that they note where it was originally published.
