Resources
Here is an overview of useful resources for academics with disabilities and chronic conditions. If you have additional resources, please share them with us and we will add them to this list.
Resources for affected individuals
Blogs and Collections of Articles
- PhDisabled
- PhD students with disabilities and chronic illnesses blog about their experiences at the intersection of academia, disability and chronic illness.
- Nadine Müllers Blogs
- Lecturer Nadine Müller blogs about life as a disabled academic.
- Science Careers
- Collection of articles about successful scientists who overcame health challenges to get where they are today
- Science Careers
- Science Careers providing an overview of useful resources for scientists with disabilities and/or chronic diseases
- Postdocstreet
- A postdoc with depression who was blogging about his experiences (last updated 2013).
- Access2Science
- Provides articles and links on accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
- Scholar studio blog
- Series on tools for neurodiverse PhD students:
Scholarships and Grants
- Minority Postdoc
- Overview of postdoc funding opportunities for underrepresented minorities in the USA
- Foundation for Science and Disability
- The Student Award Program of FSD helps to increase opportunities in science, engineering, mathematics, technology, and premedical/dental areas for graduate or professional students with disabilities
- NEADS
- Canadian disability educational funding resources
- AMI Scholarship
- 5000$ scholarship for Canadian disabled students
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
- A Vanier CGS may be held by students who are registered part-time because of a disability or family responsibilities. For this purpose, disability is defined as "a functional limitation resulting from a physical, sensory or mental impairment, which, for an indefinite period, affects the ability of the student to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in his or her learning" and family responsibilities is defined as "the primary responsibility for providing personal care to a dependent family member (e.g., pre-school children, infirm spouse or parent) which affects the ability of the student to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in his or her learning". For eligible part-time students, the Vanier CGS will be equivalent to full-time funding spread over a longer period of time.
- Google Scholarship for students with disabilities
- Google provides PhD scholarships of 7000 Euros for students of computer science, computer engineering and related fields.
- Barrierefrei studieren (german website)
- German PhD funding for disabled individuals
- Funding for studies in Ireland for students with disabilities
- fund for student's with disabilities (Ireland) i.e. Eligible students can receive assistance from the Fund from PLC level right up to doctoral level.
- Snowdon Trust
- The Snowdon Trust provides support for disability-related costs for PhD students in the UK
- Disability Rights UK
- Overview of charities funding higher education for disabled people in the UK (e.g., PhD students)
- Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship for Neuroscience
- The Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship for Neuroscience is for outstanding scientists in the UK at an early stage of their research career who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances such as parenting or caring responsibilities or health issues.
USA
Canada
Europe
UK
Professional Networks
- MPG Equal Opportunities Group
- Support of the Max Planck Foundation for disabled academics.
- NADSN
- The National Association of Disabled Staff networks within all UK institutions of Higher Education
- Premia
- Premia was a UK-based project supporting disabled academics. Their website includes resources provinding an overview of suggested actions to overcome health challenges.
- Disability Specialty Group of the AAG
- Network of geographers aiming a more inclusive society
Disability legislation
- Disability legislation: practical guidance for academic staff
- Provides academic staff with clear information about how to apply UK disability legislation to teaching and learning
Guides
- Fire Safety For People With Disabilities
- Reference guide for the case of fire
- Social Security Disability Benefits Guide
- Understand how Social Security disability works and how to calculate your benefits.
Accessibility of Conferences
- Virtually Connecting
- This network enables you to participate in conferences virtually via a "virtual buddy" system
- Guidelines for conferences
- Guidelines to make conferences and workshops accessible. Aimed at philosophy, but much of the content is pertinent for all disciplines
Tools
- Scholar Studio Blog
- Tools for neurodiverse PhD students
- Access2Science
- Access to science provides accessible STEM content
Other
- DisabledGo
- Access guides to UK universities from DisabledGo
- STEMM
- A collection of useful resources from the Diversity Section of several UK funding bodies and professional organisations
- DRILL
-
DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning) is a five year U.K. wide programme funded by the BIG Lottery.
The programme which we believe to be a world first, aims to work in partnership with disabled people, academics and policy makers to build a better evidence base about approaches that enable people to live independently, which will be used to inform future policy and service provision, as well as giving greater voice to disabled people in the issues that impact them.
Co-production is a core principle underpinning the programme. Evidence of co-producton will be one of our key criteria for assessing bids and we will require research applicants to demonstrate how co-production methods will be used. We welcome bids from academics who share our commitment to this principle.
We will be making the call for research in April. To keep updated on the programme sign up to our mailing list or check out our website www.drilluk.org.uk.
We’re also looking for volunteers! We want this programme to leave a legacy. Part of this legacy is concerned with the upskilling of disabled people and their organisations. In the future we want to see more disabled people with the skills to undertake research and evaluations, and winning successful bids for funding. If you have experience of writing bids as part of a competitive research process then we could use your help. We will be hosting networking sessions to allow organisations to share some of their ideas on approaches to research and get support with the application process. If this is something that you would be interested in helping us out with then please email Sophie Walsh.