Preserving Disability: Disability & the Archival Profession

Events Registration & Information

Part 1: THIS MONDAY! February 10 at 11am-12:30pm EST

Details: Hear from some of the contributors of Preserving Disability in the first instalment of our group book launch! This event will feature the book’s co-editors, Dr. Lydia Tang & Dr. Gracen Brilmyer and some of our authors, who will discuss their contributions on the intersection of disabled archivists & archival work:

• Michael Marlatt, author of “But Don’t Those Cause You Seizures!?”: Epilepsy Activism through Film Archiving
• Jennifer McGillan, author of The Intersection of Personal and Professional Bodies: Disability, Mutual Aid, Covid-19, and the Archives
• Hilary Stace, author of The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse and State-based care in Aotearoa New Zealand and the opportunity it provides to hear, research and archive stories of disability history
• Alexandra Pucciarelli, author of Seeing Sickness: Archival and Embodied Encounters with the Medical Panopticon
• Zakiya Collier, author of Rehousing Archivists: Attending to a Livable Future for A Black, Queer Disabled Memory Worker

Part 2: February 20 at 3pm-4:30pm EST

Details: Hear from more contributors of Preserving Disability in the second instalment of our group book launch with Library Juice Press! This event will feature the book’s co-editors, Dr. Lydia Tang & Dr. Gracen Brilmyer and some of our authors, who will discuss their contributions at the intersection of disability, job-seeking, and archivists’ identity:

• Chris Tanguay, author of Are You the Gatekeeper?: Job Advertisements as Barriers to Employment for Disabled Archivists
• Iris Afantchao, author of Exploratory Archives as Community Care: A Self-Reflection
• Zachary Tumlin, author of “Ability to Lift” Your “Little Black Clouds”
• Veronica Denison & Gracen Brilmyer, authors of “Once I show up… they’re not going to hire me”: Job searches, interviewing, and disclosure for disabled archivists 

About the Book: Preserving Disability: Disability and the Archival Profession weaves together first-person narratives and case studies contributed from disabled archivists and disabled archives users, bringing critical perspectives and approaches to the archival profession. Contributed chapters span topics such as accessibility of archives and first-person experiences researching disability collections for disabled archives users; disclosure and accommodations and self-advocacy of disabled archivists; and processing and stewarding disability-related collections. Collectively, these works address the nuances of both disability and archives-critically drawing attention to the histories, present experiences, and future possibilities of the archival profession.