Submissions

The Disability Policy Foundry is a nontraditional space to develop, publish, and advance disability policy grounded in lived experience.

We welcome submissions from disabled people and advocates across backgrounds and experiences. You do not need formal credentials or prior publishing experience to submit.

Accessible, clear, and thoughtful ideas matter more than academic language.

Who Can Submit

• Disabled people (broadly defined)

• People with lived experience navigating disability policy systems

• Advocates, students, researchers, organizers, caregivers, community members, and more

You do not need:

• A policy degree

• Prior publications

• Academic affiliation

Submission Guidelines

We accept a wide range of work, including:

• Policy columns, briefs, memos, white papers, and reports

  • Landscape analyses 

  • Policy analysis of local, state, and federal policy, legislation, regulatory action, administration action (ex. Executive Order)

  • New policy ideas at local, state, or federal level

• Lived experience analyses

• Legislative and regulatory analysis

• Analysis/recommendations on non-government policy (ex. corporate policy)

• Original qualitative or quantitative data regarding policy impact (surveys, interviews, etc.)

• Multimedia products (video, audio, visual work)

We are especially interested in work that connects lived experience to policy change.

Accessibility Guidelines

We are committed to accessibility in both content and format.

Plain language and Easy Read versions encouraged. (Learn more from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network).

All images must include alt text.

We are happy to help provide captions and audio descriptions for videos as our editorial capacity increases.

Editorial Review

All submissions are reviewed by the Disability Policy Foundry editorial team. While we are not able to publish every submission, we carefully consider each piece and aim to support a wide range of voices and policy perspectives.

Originality & AI Use

Submissions should be original work. If you used AI tools in developing your submission, please disclose how they were used. We encourage our community members to learn about how the AI ecosystem can impact the disability community. Learn more from the Center for Democracy & Technology. 

Rights & Permissions

• Authors retain ownership (copyright) of their work.

• By submitting, you grant the Disability Policy Foundry a non-exclusive license to publish your work.

• You may republish your work elsewhere with attribution: “Originally published by the Disability Policy Foundry” and a link to its published version.

If your work has been previously published, you are responsible for ensuring you have permission to republish it.

Contributor Options

Contributors may choose how they are credited:

• Full name

• First name only

• Initials

• Pseudonym

You may also choose to:

• Include a short bio

• Share contact information (optional, for media or collaboration opportunities)

Contributor Commitment

• Authors retain ownership of their work

• Contributors may publish under their name or a pseudonym

• Work may be shared with journalists and policymakers (with your consent)

Views expressed are those of the authors. Any inaccuracies lie with the author. Decisions to publish content are at the discretion of the Disability Policy Foundry editorial team.

Compensation

We are not currently able to offer payment for submissions. This is a limitation of being a new, currently fundraising project, not a reflection of the value of this work. We believe disabled people should be paid for their policy expertise, and building a funded model for contributor compensation is the core priority as this project grows. As funding becomes available, priority for paid opportunities will be given to past contributors. 

Future Opportunities

The Disability Policy Foundry is committed to building visibility and opportunity for contributors.

Contributors may be invited to:

• Participate in panels or discussions

• Speak with journalists or media

• Join podcasts or public events

• Engage in future policy or advocacy work

What Happens After You Submit 

1. Submission received

2. Editorial review

3. Decision to publish (at the discretion of the Disability Policy Foundry team. We will try to publish as many products as we can on a rolling basis!)

4. Light editing process if accepted

5. Publication and promotion

Submit Your Work

Ready to share your ideas? Submit your work using the Google form below. 

Alternatively, please email your submission to disabilitypolicyfoundry@gmail.com with the subject “Submission.”