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#ADA30InColor: Call for Stories

Graphic with a white background and at the top is a row of colorful paint in rainbow colors dripping down. Text in black at the bottom reads #ADA30InColor
Graphic with a white background and at the top is a row of colorful paint in rainbow colors dripping down. Text in black at the bottom reads #ADA30InColor

#ADA30InColor: Call for Stories

Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2020

The Disability Visibility Project will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a series of stories: #ADA30InColor. Disabled Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) 18 years and older in the United States are invited to submit a short pitch for an essay on the following themes: 

  • Reflection on what the ADA means to you (the good, bad, everything in between)
  • Your lived experiences as a disabled BIPOC 30 years after the passage of the ADA
  • Current and future concerns about disability rights and justice from your perspective
  • The work that remains within the disability community regarding diversity and intersectionality
  • Anything else you care deeply about related to disability and activism

Twelve submissions will be selected for publication. These 12 essays/videos (1000-2000 words or 15 minutes) will be published throughout the month of July on the Disability Visibility Project website and each selected person will receive $250 for their work. A text, audio, and plain language version of each essay will be published as well. Essays in video form will be captioned.  

Three ways to submit your story:

  1. Online survey: submit your short pitch here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7CT9PHH
  2. Video: Submit a video (under 5 minutes) with a short description of your pitch. Send a link (example: YouTube) or attach the video file in an email to alavant@lavantconsultinginc.com with your name and “ADA 30 in Color” in the email subject line.
  3. Audio or phone call: you can schedule a time for a phone call with Andraéa LaVant and answer the questions by phone. This call will be recorded. You can also record an audio file (under 5 minutes) and send it. Email alavant@lavantconsultinginc.com to schedule a time or attach an audio file with your pitch (examples: mp3, wav) with your name and “ADA 30 in Color” in the email subject line.

Questions?

Contact Andraéa LaVant, #ADA30InColor Project Coordinator

Email: alavant@lavantconsultinginc.com

Important Dates*

January 15: Call for Stories launch

February 28: Deadline for submissions

March 9: Contributors will be notified 

April 20: Deadline for first draft of essay

May 15: Final essay due, payment made to contributors shortly

July 1-31: 12 essays published on DVP website

July 26: #ADA30InColor Online Event  

*Approximate timeline

Guidelines and Other Details

Upon notification in March, each contributor will be required to sign a writer’s agreement and turn in a signed copy along with a W-9. Writers will be paid after turning in the final version of their essay.

Each essay should be 1000-2000 words. Use plain language as much as possible, include hyperlinks or footnotes as needed.

Videos will be no longer than 15 minutes, need to include captions (no auto-generated captions), and uploaded to YouTube. We can provide a transcript of your video if needed.

Contributors will also be asked to turn in a short bio (under 100 words), a high-resolution photo (optional), and image description with their first draft. Audio recordings will be made of the final essays and contributors are welcome to record their story but are not required to.

Essays, audio, video, quotes, and images will be used by the Disability Visibility Project on social media. All content published by the DVP is under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

 

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