CFP: Ethnographica Journal on Culture and Disability (EJCD)

Ethnographica Journal on Culture and Disability has announced its second call for articles. The deadline for submission for the second issue is 30th August 2012. Articles can also be sent later for following issues.

They are inviting articles from different areas of disability studies informed by culture, though they especially welcome papers which take an ethnographic approach. This means research that is especially from a qualitative nature and by which culture is described and data collection is based on methods such as participant observation and interviews.

There are many possible topics, the following being just a small sample of suggestions:

• aging intersecting with gender and ethnicity
• public policies in developing and developed countries
• disability as a consequence of work environment
• (bio) technology, transborder and transhuman aspects of disability

Manuscripts submitted to “Ethnographica Journal on Culture and Disability” should not be under simultaneous consideration by any other journal, nor should they have been published elsewhere. The review process takes an average of 3 months.

More information in the journal, such as its aims, scope and submission information can be found here: http://soc.kuleuven.be/ejcd.

The first issue of EJCD can also be found there and includes an article entitled Disrupting ‘Disability’ and ‘Doing’ it Differently: Professional Talk and Children’s Lives by China Mills (soon to be a keynote at the forthcoming Normalcy and the Mundance Conference in Chester, UK).

Event: DRF ‘Encore’ Seminar: 25th May 2012 (Sheffield, UK)

The final DRF seminar of the 2011-12 academic year is scheduled for tomorrow (3rd May 2012)  and we are pleased to announce that there will be an encore.

Date/Time: Fri. 25th May 2012 (Friday) 1.00pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Room 10212 in the Arundel Building, City Campus, Sheffield Hallam University (More information on the venue can be found here.) Please note the change to our usual room.

Join us for:

Everything about us without us: the struggle of disability activists for Independent Living in Iceland

Embla Ágústsdóttir, chairwoman of the independent living cooperative in Iceland (NPA miðstöðin), embla@npa.is

&

Freyja Haraldsdóttir, directress, of the independent living cooperative in Iceland (NPA miðstöðin), freyja@npa.is

Iceland is one of the countries that lacks policy and practice for personal assistance and independent living for disabled people. A user-led cooperative on personal assistance was founded by 33 disabled citizens in Iceland in 2010, who have since been fighting for the recognition of personal assistance as a way in providing services.

The government decided in the beginning of 2011 to start a three-year pilot project following the transference of services for disabled people from the state to the municipalities. This pilot project has been delayed but is in its first stages and will be ongoing until the end of year 2014 when personal assistance is supposed to become a legal right.

In this presentation we want to shed some light on the struggle for independent living in Iceland. We want to share our experience on how this process has developed from the viewpoint of disability activists and how we have experienced the need to fight for our involvement and having a voice, even when it comes to working with disability organizations and the academia.

Is, after all, everything about us supposed to be without us?

Please feel free to circulate.

European Disability Forum seeks ‘Policy Officer’ and ‘European Parliamentary Officer’: Are you the One?

The European Disability Forum has announced the opening of 2 positions: Policy Officer and; European Parliamentary Officer.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 17 November 2011 ~ Dates of the interview: 24-25-26 November 2011

POLICY OFFICER: More information on EDF website

EDF is seeking a dynamic policy officer with good knowledge on transport, accessibility, gender equality, inclusion and non-discrimination. The ideal candidate is committed to a human rights/social model approach to disability, understanding of social policy in relation to disability policies, able to work effectively in English and French and to assimilate and communicate information. The knowledge of EU policies, EU institutions and procedures will be an asset.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY OFFICER:  More information on EDF website

EDF is also looking for someone with good knowledge on the European Parliament, its committees, EU legislative process, relations with other institutions and consultative bodies and an ability to promote adequate legislation and policies based on human rights, social inclusion and non-discrimination for people with disabilities. The ideal candidate is: committed to a human rights approach to disability, has a good understanding of the interplay of disability with other policy areas, able to work effectively in English and French and to synthesise and communicate information. The knowledge of EU policies, EU institutions and procedures is essential.

Details of Upcoming DRF Seminars

DRF Seminar #6 *FREE!*: Tuesday 12th April 2011: 2pm-4pm

Venue: Room 10111 (First Floor) Arundel Building, Charles Street, City Campus, Sheffield Hallam University, S1 1WB 

Programme:

• ‘Working in Pammakaristos Foundation in Greece and doing my research programme’ ~ Ellianna Mantaka-Brinkmann (Department of Education, Childhood and Inclusion, Sheffield Hallam University)
• Discussion: Plans for the DRF into 2011-12?

 DRF Seminar #7 *FREE!*: Thursday 12th May 2011: 1pm-3pm 

Venue: Room 10111 (First Floor) Arundel Building, Charles Street, City Campus, Sheffield Hallam University, S1 1WB 

Programme:

• “Imagined Possibilities: exploring teachers’ perspectives on factors influencing the educational opportunities for children with the label of autism in a mainstream school context.”~ Sue Chantler (Department of Education, Childhood and Inclusion, Sheffield Hallam University):

In this research study for my professional doctorate I worked with a group of primary school teachers to examine their reflections on the factors which influence the educational opportunities for children with the label of autism in a mainstream school context. The focus for this seminar will be on what emerges on working with the data, including some reflection by the researcher on her chosen methodology.

• “A visible / invisible identity” ~ Erin Pritchard (Department of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University)

It can be argued that disability is viewed as homogenous where by non-disabled individuals are unaware of the various disabilities that exist, instead having a stereotypical view of disability and therefore effecting who counts as disabled. I want to show how stereotypes of disability and representations of dwarfs construct a misleading view of dwarfism, often not being regarded as a disability which in turn causes social problems and problems of identity. Although dwarfism is a very visible disability which attracts a lot of negative attention it is not often viewed as a disability by both disabled and non-disabled people due to what is regarded and seen as a disability by them. Using the social model of disability and recent interviews that I have conducted with dwarfs this paper seeks to demonstrate how dwarfism is a disability constructed by an unaccommodating built environment and by an attitudinal environment.

We will be drawing up the schedule for 2011-2012 in due course ~ if you, or anybody you know, would like to present at a future DRF seminar please contact Rebecca Mallett on r.mallett@shu.ac.uk. Alternatively, let us know if there is an issue/article/book you’d like to facilitate a round table discussion on.