Call for Abstracts: Preserving Disability: Disability and the Archival Profession

March 1, 2022

Edited by:
Gracen Brilmyer (gracen.brilmyer@mcgill.ca) and
Lydia Tang (lydia.tang@lyrasis.org)

Submission form: Please submit your abstract and author details

Key Details:

• Abstracts due: EXTENDED to April 1, 2022
• Invitations to submit full papers: April 15, 2022
• Full papers due: August 1, 2022
• Estimated publication: September 2023

We are inviting contributions from disabled archivists and disabled archival users to bring critical perspectives and approaches to the archival profession for a forthcoming book, Preserving Disability: Disability and the Archival Profession (to be published by Litwin Books). This book aims to address disability, ableism, and accessibility as they intersect with the archival profession—through collection development, archival labor, and accessing historical records.

The deadline has been extended to expand representation of ideas and identities within the book. We particularly encourage contributions from disabled people of color.

We are especially are seeking submissions that address:

• Disability collection appraisal, acquisition, description, and preservation that explicitly addresses the nuances of archival theory and practice
• Surfacing disabled narratives in community-based archives that focus on other identities
• Post-custodial practices around disability collections
• Community archives, post-custodial practices, and/or reparative work
• Disability community engagement: creating and sustaining relationships with donors, creators, and community members for historical documentation, events, and outreach
• Funding and fundraising around disability and accessibility
• Navigating challenges with privacy and access for disability collections

Contributions can also address:

• Historical overviews of disability and/or accessibility in the archival field and profession
• Overviews of accessibility, legal regulations, standards, and best practices across different types of archives—community, university, government, corporate, etc.
• Critiques of standards and policies that emphasize legal compliance over actual users
• Disabled users’ experiences of accessibility or inaccessibility of digital and/or physical spaces, archival content, and services
• Calls to action for archives to better support disabled archivists, users, and disability-related collections

Looking for collaborators? Contribute your ideas and connect with others on our brainstorming document

Questions for the editors? Contact Gracen Brilmyer & Lydia Tang

Abstracts are encouraged to be under 500 words in length.

Please submit your abstract and author details by February 19, 2022.

We are also recruiting peer reviewers for this book. If you wish to be considered as a peer reviewer, please fill out the Peer Reviewer Recruitment form. Possible peer reviewers will be contacted in late spring.