2023 Election: Candidate Statements

Thank you to everyone who shared and participated in the 2023 Accessibility & Disability Section election call for candidates! We appreciate all of the nominations that we received. The names and statements of the candidates standing in the election are posted below. Please take a moment to review them.

Section members will be voting for:

• 3 Steering Committee members (three-year terms)
• 1 Early-career member (one-year term)

Ballots will be sent by SAA through Survey Monkey — keep an eye on your inbox for a link! The ballot will be open from June 26 to July 17.

The section will hold a special election for Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect later in the year.

Steering Committee Member Candidates

The following candidates are running for the Steering Committee:

Dylan Goodwin, Archivist, Special Collections, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

Bio statement:

Dylan (they/them) is a neurodivergent archivist with several physical disabilities, who is currently working as an Archivist in the Special Collections division of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As an early career archivist, they have been navigating the challenges of growing a sustainable career as a disabled person and are especially interested in advocating for accessibility and disability awareness in early-career roles, LIS education, and in the recruitment process. They obtained an MLIS degree from San Jose State University in 2022 and hold a BA in Psychology from CSU Channel Islands. They served as the ADS Early Career Member in the 2022-2023 cycle.

Statement of interest:

We all have read the statement in a job posting: “Must be able to lift 40 lbs.” It’s practically a baseline requirement for the archival field—possess an MLS degree, have a strong knowledge of archival description, and be able to lift 40 pounds. While an able-bodied person may think nothing of the requirement, that phrase says a lot to disabled applicants. Disability is greatly underrepresented in archives, both in collections and in personnel. Without advocacy, these gaps will only continue to grow.

Serving on the ADS steering committee as an Early Career Member has been an amazing experience, and I am eager to continue the work the section does. As I leave that role, I hope to become a regular member of the steering committee and welcome new committee members to the team. I look forward to some of the intersectional projects we’ve been working on with other sections and would enjoy continuing to advocate for inclusion and accessibility in the archival field. Disability is an often overlooked aspect of diversity initiative, but the ADS is a fantastic advocate and I would be thrilled to put my skills to work here once more.

Amanda McGrory (she/her/hers), Archivist and Collections Curator, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

Bio and statement of interest:

I am currently the Archivist & Collections Curator for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, as well as a four-time Paralympian in Track and Field. I’ve been in my current position for three years, and my primary goal over that time has been to increase the representation of disabled athletes and their stories within our collections. As a full-time wheelchair user, I am wholly dedicated to accessibility for all within the archives field, for users and also professionals. I am currently a member of the Guidelines for Accessible Archives working group, and will have a chapter published in forthcoming Preserving Disability book. Within the Olympic & Paralympic Committee, I chair our organization’s disability Community Resource Group and consult on various accessibility issues. Outside of my position with the Committee, I volunteer with an assortment of grassroots adaptive sports organizations, provide expert analysis for NBC and ESPN on the sport of wheelchair road racing, and hold a board seat with Angel City Sports, the largest regional adaptive sports organization in the United States. My professional experience as an archivist in a repository collecting disability history as well as my lived experience as an individual with a disability makes me a great fit for this section with a unique combination of personal and professional knowledge related accessibility and disability.

Tarienne Mitchell, Cataloging Archivist, Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Bio and statement of interest:

Tarienne, a graduate of the Library Science program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has over ten years of experience working in archives. Tarienne served as co-chair and then chair of the Archivist and Archives of Color Section (AAC) from 2019 until 2021. During her time as section chair, the AAC co-hosted online discussions with other sections about topics important to section members. She and the steering committee worked with the Accessibility and Disability Section’s leadership to host a successful panel and discussion about self-advocacy in the workplace. As a person with an invisible disability, Tarienne is passionate about doing what she can to help create awareness, advocate for accessibility, and support the community.

Grace Musgrave, Accessioning Archivist, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University

Bio statement:

Grace Musgrave is the Accessioning Archivist at the West Virginia and Regional History Center (WVRHC) of West Virginia University, where she has worked since 2018 in varying capacities as an intern and both a temporary and permanent processing assistant. She received her MLIS from Kent State University and a BA in Music from the University of Dayton. Grace is a member of the Society of American Archivists and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference and is also on the SAA Key Contact Subcommittee as the contact for West Virginia.

Statement of interest:

It would be an honor to serve the Accessibility and Disability Section Steering Committee. As a neurodivergent archivist, I find it very important to ensure that both archives professionals and users have an accessible and safe environment in which to work and research, both physically and digitally. Additionally, I am especially interested in how collections involving disabilities are described; a significant portion of my work at the WVRHC over the years has involved updating legacy description and to some extent, reparative description, and I would like to see more recommendations or guidelines regarding redescription and description for disability-related collections.

I am also eager to connect with other archivists dedicated to accessibility, as I only became involved organizationally in the field in 2022 when appointed into my current position. I am very enthusiastic about the work this Section does (especially the Archivists at Home resource) and am keen to be a part of it. Thank you for your consideration!

Early-Career Member Candidates

Jess Bolwar, Assistant Reference Librarian, Arapahoe Community College

Bio and statement of interest:

I am interested in running for the Accessibility and Disability Steering Committee because I have been immersed in creating accessible finding aids, documentation, and programs in my recent work for the National Park Service (Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area) and Arapahoe Community College. In 2021, I obtained my MLIS which encouraged me to explore different technology and ways of thinking to provide accessibility and fulfill community's needs. As I've gotten more involved I am impressed by the efforts already being made and want to continue those efforts. I am excited to contribute to the Preserving Disability book launch and collaborate with the Disability Committee.