Open Positions
Community Advisory Council
Purpose: The SDS Community Advisory Council (SDS-CAC) is intended to provide the SDS Executive Board (EB) with counsel from disability-focused activists, artists, academics, students, and practitioners. These council members will be asked to respond to occasional policies, programming initiatives, and community-focused events in an asynchronous way so as to allow diverse parties to participate without the need for in-person meetings. SDS-CAC members will be notified when there is material for their comment, and materials will be provided through a shared drive; comment periods will be long enough to ensure that all interested parties are able to provide feedback. SDS-CAC members will also be invited to an annual in-person meeting at the SDS conference (which will have teleconferencing options). SDS-CAC members are non-voting participants in SDS governance.
Intended participants: The SDS-CAC is meant to serve as a mechanism for people who support the mission of the SDS and are interested in serving as a resource, but do not have the time to commit to full EB participation. The workload is purposefully limited and SDS-CAC participants can elect to comment on any proposal provided to the SDS-CAC, but are not obliged to do so.
Terms of Involvement: SDS-CAC members should self-nominate themselves by submitting a cover letter stating their interests in being involved with SDS, their areas of expertise, and their history of involvement in similar roles. In addition, nominees should provide a recent copy of their resume or CV. The SDS EB will approve SDS-CAC applications in a rolling fashion, with a limit of 20 SDS-CAC members serving at any given time. SDS-CAC members are asked to commit to a three year term, which is renewable by approval of the SDS EB. If an SDS-CAC member is inactive for a year during their tenure, they will be asked to step down from the SDS-CAC so as to allow for the appointment of a new member. SDS-GAC members cannot concurrently serve in another role with SDS.
To apply, please send a copy of your CV or resume and a cover letter addressing your interest in the position to SDS president, Matthew Wolf-Meyer at president@disstudies.org. Applications will be reviewed by the SDS board on a rolling basis.
SDS Global Advisory Council
Purpose: The SDS Global Advisory Council (SDS-GAC) is intended to provide the SDS Executive Board (EB) with counsel from disability-focused activists, artists, academics, students, and practitioners who are located outside of the Americas and Western Europe. SDS-GAC members will be asked to respond to occasional policies, programming initiatives, and community-focused events in an asynchronous way so as to allow diverse parties to participate without the need for in-person meetings. SDS-GAC members will be notified when there is material for their comment, and materials will be provided through a shared drive; comment periods will be long enough to ensure that all interested parties are able to provide feedback. SDS-GAC members will also be invited to an annual in-person meeting at the SDS conference (which will have teleconferencing options). SDS-GAC members are non-voting participants in SDS governance.
Intended participants: The SDS-GAC is meant to serve as a mechanism for people who support the mission of the SDS and are interested in serving as a resource, but who are located in parts of the world where time zones preclude full participation (e.g. outside of the Americas and Western Europe). We have found that despite interests in supporting the involvement of community members from around the world, the challenges of coordinating across time zones prohibits many interested parties from full involvement in the SDS. The workload is purposefully limited and SDS-GAC participants can elect to comment on any proposal provided to the SDS-GAC, but are not obliged to do so.
Terms of Involvement: SDS-GAC members should self-nominate themselves by submitting a cover letter stating their interests in being involved with SDS, their areas of expertise, and their history of involvement in similar roles. In addition, nominees should provide a recent copy of their resume or CV. The SDS EB will approve SDS-GAC applications in a rolling fashion, with a limit of 20 SDS-GAB members serving at any given time. SDS-GAC members are asked to commit to a three year term, which is renewable by approval of the SDS EB. If an SDS-GAC member is inactive for a year during their tenure, they will be asked to step down from the SDS-GAC so as to allow for the appointment of a new member. SDS-GAC members cannot concurrently serve in another role with SDS.
To apply, please send a copy of your CV or resume and a cover letter addressing your interest in the position to SDS president, Matthew Wolf-Meyer at president@disstudies.org. Applications will be reviewed by the SDS board on a rolling basis.
Social Media Intern
The Society for Disability Studies is currently seeking social media interns. In this role, interns will manage the SDS’s social media accounts (on Twitter and Facebook–and potentially other platforms too), which includes creating content, engaging with audiences, and collaborating with SDS board members and other interns. This may include drawing attention to recent publications in Disability Studies Quarterly and engaging in public debates regarding emerging news events. Interns will rotate responsibilities, with the expectation of providing no more than one week of social media management every six weeks. In this role, interns will be asked to make a minimum number of posts each day on each platform in order to maintain a steady presence. This will be determined in consultation with the SDS executive board.
The SDS aims to engage its current membership through more active social media presence and grow the SDS through engagement with new audiences. The SDS has long prioritized facilitating conversations between scholarly, activist, and artistic communities, and we anticipate that a renewed commitment to a robust social media presence will further this goal. Social media interns will highlight the perspectives of early career researchers, activists, and artists. SDS is committed to supporting the inclusion of interns from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, and interns will receive direct mentoring support from current board members, primarily through the Media & Communications committee.
To apply, please send a copy of your CV or resume and a cover letter addressing your interest in the position and experiences with social media to SDS president, Matthew Wolf-Meyer at president@disstudies.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Social media interns are asked to commit to a minimum of two years in the role and can extend the position annually through request. Social media interns receive membership in the Society for Disability Studies for the duration of their internship as well as a waiver for conference fees for the annual SDS conference.
