Mellon Foundation Awards $1.5M for Disability Studies
Three-year collaboration between UC Davis and Yale connects disability and chronic illness
'An American studies professor in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science has received a $1.5 million award from the Mellon Foundation for a project to explore the intersection of research on disability and chronic illness. The three-year project in partnership with Yale University aims to develop a national network of scholars, culture workers and organizers who will bring disability justice approaches to the study of chronic illness.
“Enduring Conditions: A Disability, Illness, and Care Collaboratory” is being led by Associate Professor Ryan Lee Cartwright in conjunction with Kalindi Vora, a professor at Yale University and former director of the UC Davis Feminist Research Institute.
"This definitely gives UC Davis the opportunity to develop a national presence in disability studies,” said Cartwright, who taught the first UC Davis disability studies class last year. “UC Davis has the potential to be a leader in the field. We hope to grow disability studies beyond the three years of this project and to deepen our relationships with community organizations. This is an exciting moment.”'