Chris Bell Memorial Scholarship
The Chris Bell Memorial Scholarship honors the life and scholarship of Chris Bell, disability scholar and activist, former Society for Disability Studies president and co-founder of the SDS People of Color Caucus. In his article “White Disability Studies” (in the Disability Studies Reader) he was an early proponent of including issues of race within the field of disability studies, and his essay “To Act is to be Committed” discusses the challenges of activism with/in the academy. Chris’s work explored issues of race, disability, AIDS, illness, class and sexuality. A t the time of his death in 2009, he was an ARRT Fellow at the Center for Human Policy, Law and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. The Chris Bell Memorial Scholarship seeks to support people of color doing scholarly work in the field of disability studies, with preference for those whose work aligns with Chris’s commitment to intersectionality, identity politics and activism.
Eligible applicants must self-identify as a low income, student, or international person of color who will present at the Society for Disability Studies annual conference. Dependent on need, the scholarship will help cover some of the costs of travel to and participation in the Society for Disability Studies annual conference. We expect to award 1-2 awards of $500 to $1,000 each. Download the application here.
SDS General Scholarships to Attend 2012 Conference in Denver
SDS has a modest amount of money allocated for scholarships to help support the attendance of people who are low income, international, or student attendees presenting at the Society for Disability Studies annual meetings. In the past, based on applicant need, we have tended to divide this money equally among all people applying for funds and we have given priority to members and to international participants. The award varies from $50 to $250. The average award in the past has been around $150. This is dependent on the number of applicants. Download the application here.