Call for Applications: Emerge Summer 2025 Hybrid Disability Studies Workshop for Disabled Activists, Artists, Cultural Producers, Filmmakers, and Academics

Call for Submissions: Emerge Summer 2025 Hybrid Disability Studies Workshop for Disabled Activists, Artists, Cultural Producers, Filmmakers, and Academics NOW OPEN

Overview: 

The Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University proudly announces Emerge, a three-year initiative made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation. This support will allow the Longmore Institute to lead a five-week workshop for emerging Disability Studies scholar-activists, for thirty total fellows over three consecutive summers at San Francisco State University with an option for hybrid participation.

Why is this Fellowship program occurring?

Emerge seeks to promote Disability Studies scholar-activism, the bridges and relationships that allow academics, activists, and creatives to better support each other in the shared pursuit of social change. This initiative will cultivate relationships among the next generation of Disability Studies leaders, further diversify the conversation, and promote more scholar-activism in the field.

Who are we looking for in a prospective Fellow?

While time for rest will be built into the disability-friendly pacing, we ask that you only apply if you are ready to make this your full-time commitment during the summer intensive. 3-4 hours synchronous work Monday-Friday is expected in addition to independent work on the proposed project. 

This Fellowship is designed to be fertile ground for early career, emerging leaders within disability studies. We are seeking people who have the passion and ideas to grow into the next generation of culturemakers and, due to access hurdles around connecting to community and/or mentorship, would benefit from this opportunity to help move in that direction. We want to ensure that prospective Fellows benefit from the structure and design of the program and that the professional experience and desired career growth are a match for what the Fellowship has to offer.

Broadly we are defining “early career, emerging leaders” as people who have engaged in 2-4 years** of work within disability studies and who are ready to elevate their work/practice to a new level. We believe strong applicants for this Fellowship have enough experience necessary to develop a project, write a budget, think about resources, and see it through. For more clarity, if you visit the Ford Foundation’s Disability Futures Fellows, we are looking for applicants who have the passion and ideas to grow into these sorts of leaders, but currently are a ways off from this level of impact and reach in their career and without the connections or structures of support to reach this level on their own. This means that we will turn away many incredible applicants who have brilliant proposed projects, but are deemed less in need of this catalyst for their journey. 

Some examples of people who we would most like to see apply for the Fellowship:

• You are in a Master’s program at a university/institution where there is no disability studies program/scholars. 
• You're an academic, pre-qualifying exams, and your advisor is not versed in disability studies
• You have had the opportunity to facilitate a workshop or offer a guest lecture, but you aren’t established in that role, regularly offering paid trainings, consulting, etc.
• You have performed a piece of work or had your art shown (in a gallery, exhibition, showcase), but you do not have regular access to those platforms.
• Your work as an activist has largely been following someone else’s lead and you’re ready to play a bigger role. 

Some examples of people who may be overqualified for the Fellowship:

• If you're in a PhD program and/or you’re in a higher education program with established, consistent mentorship.
• If you currently have a mentor within disability studies or disability justice.
• If you're coming from a non-profit background, having held a leadership role (i.e. significant institutional power within the organizational chart).
• If you are well connected within your artistic practice and/or organizing work and regularly partner with disability justice rooted organizations/communities.

**Please note: All applicants must identify as disabled and be working in an area of scholar-activism that centers on disability intersections with race, gender, sexuality, incarceration record, and/or immigration status. Additionally, we recognize that the lived experience of disabled people is an invaluable asset to the growth and expansion of disability studies. We are specifically quantifying the number of years worked in the field to determine “early career” because inviting in assessment of years of lived experience within disability will not reliably reflect the skills necessary to execute a proposed project for this program.

What does the Fellowship program entail?

Each Emerge cohort will consist of scholars, artists, filmmakers, or activists whose work enriches the field of Disability Studies with projects that explore disabled people’s experiences intersecting with further marginalization by race, gender, sexuality, incarceration, or immigration. Each group of ten will be invited to San Francisco on the basis of their 2-4 years’ experience in disability-related scholarship, arts/culture/filmmaking, and/or disability justice activism. The cohort will engage in an intensive summer workshop to collectively cultivate their respective projects and build community with other disabled scholar-activists. The summer will culminate in a virtual symposium presenting their finished works to the broader Disability Studies community.

They will receive financial support in the form of a $10,000 honorarium for associated costs with their proposed project and to compensate their labor being in the workshop, as well as travel stipend/lodging/meals for the visit to San Francisco (If you cannot join us in person because of safety or accommodation needs, a digital means of participation will be provided). While time for rest will be built into the disability-friendly pacing, we ask that you only apply if you are ready to make this your full-time commitment during the summer intensive. 

Additionally, Fellows will receive professional development support for working on new projects grounded in scholar-activism in three formats:

1. Facilitated shared group learning, reflections, skill sharing, and co-working with cohort mates.
2. A project mentor (with recommendations provided by Emerge leadership) for weekly meetings during the summer intensive workshop and additional support beyond the summer program.
3. Opportunities to connect with leaders in disability scholar-activism in arts, scholarship, and activism exploring what scholar-activism means to them and the challenges they face in their work today. 

Where does the Fellowship program take place?

The Fellowship program takes place in four parts:

1. Onboarding/Orientation (Virtual) - Three synchronous sessions to help support Fellows prepare for the summer program and begin connecting with each other.
2. Launch Week (Hybrid) - One week in San Francisco, specifically for community building and orientation. Fellows may come in person (travel is covered). Any Fellows who cannot attend in person will be included via Zoom and other remote access technology features.
3. Program Intensive (Virtual) - Synchronous and asynchronous meetings in July to dig into the proposed projects, build community, and prepare for the Symposium.
4. Ongoing Support (Virtual) - Synchronous and asynchronous connections to deepen work and relationships fostered during the summer program.

When does the Fellowship program happen?

Fellows must be available for Monday - Friday, 1:00-4:30pm PT (plus 3 hours of independent work each day, determined individually by each Fellows’ chosen personal schedule), during the following times:

1. June 23 - June 27 [Hybrid, in-person program orientation/soft launch]
2. July 7 - August 1 [Virtual Summer intensive workshop]
3. August 22 [Culminating Virtual Symposium]

This commitment will include time for independent work on your proposed project as well as frequent meetings with the Emerge cohort and invited guests. Once the workshop concludes, fellows agree to participate in monthly check-in calls with Emerge cohort from August to December 2025, time TBD based on cohort availability. 

How do I apply to be considered for a spot in the Fellowship?

Fellows will be selected by a four-member selection committee of disability studies scholar-activists bringing together people with disabilities who represent the similarly diverse fields of work that we are hoping to see from our Emerge cohort. Fellows will be selected based on their past accomplishments, proposed individual projects, expressed experience and commitment to scholar-activist practice, and the perceived impact from participation in the Emerge opportunity.

If you’d like to discuss your specific needs before applying, contact alocust@sfsu.edu. We look forward to working with you to make this program accessible and have budgeted for ASL, live captioning, and partial financial support for personal care assistant support). 

Other questions?

Please see our FAQ answer sheet here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gLYLpzb0BPpV4t-ddz4e6_u-UJuL56csItNzCrGRDrs/edit?usp=sharing 

A Live Q&A will occur on November 1 at 12pm PT.

Inquiries, contact Emerge Program Director Alex Locust, alocust@sfsu.edu or 415-338-6010.

***Please do not contact our selection committee. Also, please note that Alex will not serve on the committee, so please refrain from reaching out unless you have a legitimate need for assistance with the application process. 

DUE DECEMBER 27th 12pm PT, APPLY NOW AT: https://forms.gle/ArtbZ8tgssgdvzyq7