Disability Research Mentorship Program for Black Graduate Students

An Overview of the Research Mentorship Program

Who Is Involved?

Students work with Carli Friedman, PhD, CQL's Director of Research, during this mentorship program.

When Did It Start?

We began this Mentorship Program in June 2020 and it continues today, with new students selected annually.

What Is The Project?

Students are supported and mentored to develop a peer-reviewed journal article about people with disabilities with CQL data.

Why Was It Created?

The Mentorship Program was created to help provide Black students with opportunities to build up their resumes with research publications.

Where Is The Impact?

Upon completion, students will have a peer-reviewed journal article that they can add to their CV.

How Does It Help The Field?

Students' research projects will be about improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Inside Our Research Mentorship Program

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, which called out the glaring racial injustices and horrific police brutality affecting the lives of Black people across the United States, CQL introduced this research Mentorship Program to help provide opportunities for Black graduate students studying disability.

Background

We know that when trying to find jobs, academics and researchers are often judged on their history of publications and presentations; yet, graduate students’ ability to achieve these things is largely based on who gives them opportunities to access existing projects, funding, and/or data. We recognize that systemic racism, prejudice, and microaggressions all impact who gets those opportunities. For these reasons, we introduced the research Mentorship Program specifically aimed at helping provide Black students with opportunities to build up their resumes with research publications.

Aims

This Mentorship Program will support and mentor the students as they navigate the research and peer-review publication process. By the end of this Mentorship Program, the aim is for students to have an accepted/in-press or under review peer-reviewed publication which they can add to their CV.

About the Process

Students will receive guidance regarding how to conduct research for publication and successfully navigate the peer-review process. We will help provide guidance for students in refining research questions, conducting literature reviews, conducting the analysis, structuring and writing the journal article, submitting the article for peer review, and responding to feedback from reviewers. The length of the Mentorship Program is flexible, but will probably last about a year. If applicable, we are also happy to sign off on independent study hours for your graduate program.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted annually (late spring/early summer). Applicants must be a Black graduate student in the United States studying disability but students are not required to have experience with quantitative analysis or a history of peer-reviewed publications. Black graduate students with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

2024 Disability Research Mentorship Program for Black Graduate Students

The Disability Research Mentorship Program for Black Graduate Students will support and mentor the students as they navigate the research and peer-review publication process.