Take advantage of an exciting networking opportunity and make valuable connections!

The American Historical Association’s Advisory Committee on Disability is establishing a mentoring program in which graduate students doing work in the history of disability or related historical fields will be matched with established faculty mentors. History graduate students with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

Volunteer mentors will be matched with students who are either pursuing a graduate degree in the same subfield of history or who have the same disability, if they choose to disclose that information. The program is based on communications either through e-mail or by phone or Skype in order to nurture the mentor-mentee relationship. Frequency and mode of contact may vary but must be no less than one to two hours every four to six weeks for at least one year.

The mentor-mentee relationship would be an informal connection in which the graduate student could ask the faculty member for advice on how to handle challenges they may face on the job market, in the classroom, during exams, doing research, dealing with administrative roadblocks, and the like.

Who qualifies for the program?

Graduate students pursuing a PhD in history, history of science, or history of medicine with a specialization in disability history who have a demonstrated interest in developing a career as a researcher and teacher/faculty in the history of disability.

Faculty who work or teach in history, history of science, or history of medicine with a specialization in disability history who would like to mentor future historians of disability.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. However, matches will be made in September and January of each academic year.

Mentors and mentees, please go to the following URL to submit your application: http://historians.org/resources/disability/mentorship.cfm.

If you have any questions, please contact Mentorship Program Officers Sandy Sufian (sufians@uic.edu) or Mike Rembis (marembis@buffalo.edu) of the Advisory Committee on Disability.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.