Awards

This grant has been created to remove structural barriers that prevent disabled researchers, students, and practitioners from engaging fully with the field of design history. It recognises that access needs are not uniform and that greater equity in the discipline requires concrete support for disabled members.

Grants will be awarded to assist with disability-related costs that facilitate participation in the field of design history. These may include (but are not limited to): assistive technology or software, travel costs incurred as a result of mobility needs, personal assistance or care during conferences or fieldwork, sign language interpreters or captioning services, and other costs essential to accessing research spaces, events, or resources.

A total of £3000 is awarded annually for the Accessible Design History Grant. The amount will be distributed across applications of merit, with no single award exceeding £1000. Applications are anonymised and reviewed by members of the DHS Executive Committee.

Funding Details

• £3000 is available annually, with individual awards of up to £1000.
• Applications are anonymised and reviewed by members of the DHS Executive
  Committee.
• Funds are allocated based on merit and need.

Who Can Apply

• The award welcomes applications from DHS members who self-identify as
  disabled, as well as those seeking to use the funding to create access or
  provide support for disabled colleagues, collaborators, or participants.
• Applications are welcome from students and Early Career Researchers
  (ECRs), defined as those within five years of completing their PhD.
• One application per person will be considered per year.

What We Fund

• Access-related support that facilitates involvement in design history research,
  events, or professional development.
  Technology and equipment that improves access.
  Additional costs incurred due to disability when undertaking research or travel.
• This award aligns with the DHS’s ongoing commitment to equity, accessibility, and
  inclusion. We believe that a truly inclusive discipline must actively dismantle the
  structural barriers that marginalise disabled voices. We especially welcome
  applications from individuals who experience intersecting forms of marginalisation.

The Application Process:

Applications are welcome all year round. The grant will remain open from 1st January each year until all allocated funds have been distributed.

Applicants are requested not to send CVs, as these will not be taken into consideration in the judging process.

The application form can be downloaded from this webpage.

Applications should be sent to the DHS Senior Administrator, Jenna Allsopp-Douglas at designhistorysociety@gmail.com

If you have questions or would prefer to discuss your access needs before applying, please contact Jenna at the address above.

We aim to inform all applicants of the outcome of their submission within three weeks of the submission deadline via email

The DHS Executive reserves all rights to accept or reject any application

Please ensure you read the following statements before submitting your application:

Equity and Inclusion Statement: The DHS is committed to equity and inclusion and believes that engaging with a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives not only enriches the discourse but also uncovers new narratives within design history. In line with this commitment we encourage applications that represent, or whose work foregrounds, diverse perspectives and under-represented narratives within the field of design history.

Environmentally-Conscious Research: The DHS recognises that the climate crisis requires profound changes in the way research is planned, conducted and disseminated. In this light, we ask that grant applicants consider how their project has been shaped with an environmentally-conscious approach in relation to travel, participation and use of resources. This aligns both with the DHS' growing commitment to eco-conscious research and encouragement of research practices grounded in decolonial methodologies that centre the environment.

Travel: Applicants are encouraged to use public transportation such as rail or bus services, or car sharing. To help applicants understand the carbon footprint of their travel, applicants in Europe are encouraged to use the EcoPassenger carbon calculator and, for travel outside of Europe, the Climate Care calculator.

Research Methods and Dissemination: Applicants are encouraged to consider how aspects of their research might be conducted online (such as online interviews, requesting scans of archival material, etc.) and digital means for presenting and disseminating their research (online exhibitions, symposia, conferences, etc.).