Call for Papers: Disability Law

October 11, 2013 - CALLS FOR PAPERS, Civil Rights Law, Criminal Law, Disability Law, Elder Law, Election Law, Estates & Trusts, Family Law, Health Law, Immigration Law, Law and Gender, Law and Race, Law and Sexuality, Property Law

The American University Washington College of Law’s Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law is pleased to invite papers, for publication in its Issue 22.3, on the timely and important topic of disability law. The submission deadline is Nov. 25, 2013.

The Issue will feature an article on Disability Policy for Legal Education entitled “Forty Years of Disability Policy in Legal Education and the Legal Profession: What Has Changed and What Are the New Issues?” written by disability law expert Professor Laura Rothstein from Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

Since the 1960s, there has been an increase in federal legislation that relates directly or indirectly to individuals with disabilities. Statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Assistive Technology Act, as well as the creation of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, have expanded the rights for persons with disabilities and raised public awareness. However, people with disabilities continue to be subjected to discrimination and limited in their opportunities for full participation in society. Disability law and the issues facing people with disabilities relate to every aspect of life and intersect with numerous areas of the law. The Journal hopes to engage in a discussion about these issues and is currently seeking articles on current issues in disability law; its interaction with other areas of law (i.e., gender, race, etc.); and its future directions. We welcome papers from scholars and practitioners on the topic (we cannot accept student pieces).

Possible topics are the impact of disability law on or the intersection of disability law with:

  • Reproductive Rights
  • Family Law
  • LGBT Law
  • Voting Rights
  • Prisons
  • Housing
  • Transportation
  • Elder Law
  • Guardianship
  • Race
  • Immigration

This list is non-exhaustive and we welcome any papers focused on the topic of disability law. Papers selected for publication will be featured in our volume 22.3 issue, which is tentatively slated to be published in late spring/early summer of 2014.

Please direct all questions and final submissions to Rachel Schulman and Claudia Trotch, Senior Content Editors, at genderlaw-articles-editor@wcl.american.edu. Technical requirements are detailed below.

Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law
What Makes an Article “Publishable?”

A final draft of an article will be deemed to be of “publishable quality” so long as it:

1. Presents a new argument or perspective about a timely legal issue (on occasion the Journal may select articles that are not entirely legal in nature if the Journal feels that the piece compliments the theme of the articles accompanying it);

2. Includes a clearly discernible thesis in the introductory paragraphs and proceeds in a logical manner that readers with limited knowledge about the subject area can easily follow;

3. Is submitted by the final deadline established by the Journal. Extensions delay the publication process and will be granted under extreme circumstances only;

4. Is generally free of grammatical and typographical errors;

5. Relies on several different sources;

6. Contains completed footnotes that comply with the 19th edition of the Bluebook (a footnote is required each time the author quotes another work or references an assertion from another piece to support a textual proposition, and the citation should include a page number of the source). While Journal staff will attempt to locate sources for blank or newly-inserted footnotes for author assertions, the author remains responsible for locating the applicable source if the Journal is unsuccessful in its preliminary screening. Footnotes including language such as “need support for this” or “find source” will not be deemed completed and will be returned to the author for completion); and,

7. Is approximately 20,000 words or less including footnotes (in certain circumstances longer pieces will be considered. Articles that are significantly longer will be accepted for publication at the Journal’s discretion dependent upon the number and size of articles that will be published in the same volume).

This list is not exhaustive; factors such as strength of the argument, novelty, complexity, and overall appeal will also be considered. The Journal retains the right to exercise its discretion when offering publication. Failure to comply with any of these requirements may result in the Journal’s refusal to publish the article at issue.

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