Ford and Mellon Foundations Name 2022 Disability Futures Fellows

The 2022 cohort of Disability Futures Fellows has been unveiled by the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This initiative, which began in 2020, offers $50,000 in unrestricted funding to artists with disabilities. Among this year's recipients are visual artist and filmmaker Alison O'Daniel, musician and poet JJJJJerome Ellis, and writer and professor Khadijah Queen. Emil Kang, Program Director at the Mellon Foundation, highlighted the fellowship's aim to combat the historical neglect of disabled artists in institutional settings. The selection process spanned a year, involving research and nominations from disabled professionals, to enhance visibility across various disciplines and locations. The fellows hail from cities such as New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, Hopkins (Minnesota), and Burlington (Vermont), working in areas ranging from choreography to architecture. This announcement coincided with the conclusion of Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.