A new research program, led by English professor Susan Schweik and city planning professor Fred Collignon, aims to train advanced scholars to become leaders in disability studies and rehabilitation research, teaching and mentorship.

Based at UC Berkeley, a consortium of universities, research institutes and disability agencies across the San Francisco Bay Area will recruit people with advanced professional degrees who want to broaden their theoretical outlook and their disability research methodological skills. In particular, the researchers will recruit scholars with significant disabilities from minority groups who have not had the opportunity for collaborative cross-disciplinary research study of disability that includes social science and the humanities.

Three 9-month fellowships will be funded each year for five years. The training program has five components:

Research mentorship seminar
Each Fellow will be matched with a senior faculty mentor and will participate as a mentor for a matched undergraduate disability studies student.

Classroom training
Fellows will attend classes from among the offerings of the consortium partners and will have the opportunity to teach by delivering guest lectures and participate in other special events.

Research internship
Fellows will complete a research internship with a disability agency and will work directly with agency staff on one of their ongoing projects.

Independent research
Fellows will conduct their own ongoing disability studies research and will be assisted in identifying funding for pursuing disability studies research after the conclusion of the fellowship.

Dissemination
A dissemination project will be established that includes peer-reviewed and collaborative.

Principal Investigators:
Susan Schweik, Department of English
Fred Collignon, Department of City & Regional Planning

Contact Information:
Susan Schweik
Tel: 510.642.2736
Email: sschweik@berkeley.edu

Fred Collignon
Tel: 510.643.6622
Email: fcollig@berkeley.edu