The initiative supports the pursuit of new scholarship aimed at better understanding and addressing the concerns of faculty and staff on the Ann Arbor campus who have disabilities.

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It aligns with existing efforts to strengthen the institutional commitment to an inclusive and accessible campus, and embraces a broad definition of disability, which includes mental, physical, sensory and cognitive differences.

All funded proposals address the Vision 2034 pillars of health and well-being and life-changing education. The initiative is made possible with gift funds.

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“The response to our Disability Scholarship Initiative has been remarkable, highlighting the deep well of expertise and passion within our academic community,” said Provost Laurie McCauley. “As these innovative projects take shape, they will do more than advance scholarship. They’ll fundamentally transform how we support and empower our colleagues with disabilities.

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“What excites me most is seeing how this work will ripple across departments, fostering collaborations that break down traditional barriers and create lasting positive change. This isn’t just about academic discourse. It’s about building a more inclusive and accessible university for everyone who calls Michigan home.”

After collating feedback from a public request for comment in the summer of 2024, the Provost’s Office issued a call for proposals during the fall semester.

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Projects were encouraged to be interdisciplinary and could embrace a broad range of methodologies, interventions and implementation approaches, and emphasize work that would increase the understanding or address concerns of Ann Arbor faculty and staff with disabilities. All projects needed to outline a communications and dissemination plan that would be accessible to the U-M community.

Two mechanisms were offered:

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• The Emerging Scholars in Disabilities Program supported Ph.D. students or postdoctoral fellows, in partnership with their faculty mentor.

• The Catalyst Program is led by faculty of any rank and track with up to three years of funding.

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The Provost’s Office received 22 proposals that spanned nearly all Ann Arbor schools or colleges. Of these, an external panel of reviewers recommended six proposals for funding — one Emerging Scholars project and five in the Catalyst Program. Projects are anticipated to begin early this year.

The Emerging Scholars project is “How do neurodivergent faculty use and envision generative AI tools for their academic life?” The principal investigator is Hira Jamshed, a Ph.D. student in the School of Information.

Catalyst Program projects are:

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• “(Doing) Disability research from the (disabled) margins: Constructing community and conceptualizing support” — Co-principal investigators are Emmalon Davis, assistant professor of philosophy, and Ann Heffernan, assistant professor of political science, LSA.

• “Long COVID, disability, & work: Exploring the lived experience of University of Michigan faculty and staff on the Ann Arbor campus” — Principal investigator is Abigail Dumes, associate professor and associate chair of women’s and gender studies, LSA.

• “Disability and research safety infrastructure” — Principal investigator is Karl Jepsen, professor of orthopaedic surgery and associate dean for research, Medical School; professor of biomedical engineering, College of Engineering and Medical School.

• “What does a quiet working space look like? Visualizing faculty and staff preferences at the University of Michigan” — Principal investigator is Joy Knoblauch, associate professor of architecture, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.

• “Build it and they will come — An anti-ableist workplace to enhance our ability to advance health equity for individuals with disabilities” — Principal investigator is Michael McKee, professor of family medicine, and of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and associate director of the Center for Disability Health and Wellness, Medical School.​

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“These proposals epitomize the tremendous talents of our U-M community to bring their knowledge and skills to advance understanding. Our office is honored to support this exciting scholarship and eagerly awaits the findings of each project team,” said Christopher R. Friese, vice provost for academic and faculty affairs.​