Ford Foundation Global Fellowship Investing in Individuals: Disability Futures Fellows
The stories we tell and the art we create deepen our understanding of the world. Disabled artists, filmmakers, and journalists use the different lenses they carry—including their disability—to push thinking, foster imagination, and advance the cultural landscape.
Created by, for and with disabled practitioners, Disability Futures is an initiative—developed in partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by United States Artists—to spotlight the work of disabled creatives across disciplines and geography and amplify their voices individually and collectively.
This cohort of 20 creatives is exceptionally diverse, with an emphasis on disabled practitioners who have been further marginalized by racism, sexism, and heterosexism. The fellows were nominated by their peers to both honor legacies of achievement and elevate emerging artistry and ideas. They span multiple generations and practices, ranging from choreography to filmmaking to architecture and design. They come from established cultural centers, like Brooklyn, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area, but also hail from smaller communities like Hopkins, Minnesota and Burlington, Vermont.
Born out of a year-long effort with disabled artists across the United States, Disability Futures aims to shed light on the dearth of visibility of disabled creatives and position these creatives as leaders for accessibility, language, and care. Our hope is to spur additional attention, engagement, and support for disability-led content, productions, and projects in the years to come.
With their voices elevated and their excellence recognized by all, we look forward to seeing how the Disability Futures Fellows continue to reimagine the future of arts and culture.