Disability, Technology, Art, Ethnography, Activism, and Access
Karen Nakamura, Professor
Anthropology
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed for this project.
The Berkeley Disability Lab (https://disabilitylab.berkeley.edu/) has been working on several projects involving disability, technology, art, activism, and access in the Bay Area. We welcome students from all fields of the university (arts, engineering, social sciences, communications, CS, design, music, architecture, etc.), and people with personal experience of disability or exclusion are particularly welcome.
We are currently looking for students with audio editing experience, mechanical engineering experience, and repair, diagnostic and equipment management experience. Lab meets in person every Friday from 12-2 PM.
We are also looking for undergraduate researchers to participate in Ballistic Geographies: Investigating the Environmental and Social Impacts of U.S. Military Expansion in Guam and the Philippines. This project examines how U.S. military expansion in Guam and the Philippines affects local ecosystems, health, governance, and disability/ debility among impacted communities. By focusing on issues such as environmental degradation, public health, local sovereignty, and how militarization can exacerbate patterns of debility, the research aims to identify both historical and contemporary impacts of foreign military infrastructure. Archival records, policy documents, and environmental data will form the core of this project.
Position Description: The selected candidate will support the project’s pre-fieldwork phase by collecting, organizing, and analyzing data from a variety of sources. There is no requirement to travel to Guam or the Philippines at this stage. Instead, the focus is on building a strong foundation for upcoming fieldwork through preliminary data gathering, outreach, and organizational tasks.
Day-to-Day Supervisor: Nathan Tilton, Graduate Student
Weekly Meetings: Attendance at a regular weekly check-in is required, where progress, challenges, and next steps will be discussed.
Key Responsibilities:
Archival Research
Locate and retrieve historical documents, newspaper articles, government records, and policy papers
Organize digital and physical archival materials for efficient reference during fieldwork
Data Collection and Management
Compile environmental statistics, health data, disability/debility indicators, and demographic information from publicly available databases and government sources
Maintain a structured database (e.g., Excel, SPSS) tracking variables such as health outcomes, land-use changes, and pollution indicators
Clean and organize datasets for initial analysis
Networking and Outreach
Contact potential collaborators, scholars, and advocacy organizations (e.g., environmental groups, veterans’ associations, disability justice groups) to gather existing research, policy reports, and community perspectives
Coordinate and schedule virtual calls with stakeholders to discuss shared goals and data-sharing opportunities
Preliminary Analysis
Conduct descriptive statistical analyses (e.g., frequency counts, correlations) to identify patterns in environmental pollution, health records, disability/debility impacts, or socio-economic indicators
Summarize early findings in concise reports that highlight notable trends or data gaps
Literature Review and Synthesis
Survey academic literature and policy papers related to militarization, public health, environmental anthropology, postcolonial studies, and disability/debility frameworks
Prepare annotated bibliographies and written summaries to inform the research direction and upcoming fieldwork activities
Administrative and Logistical Support
Maintain project files, track data-collection progress, and organize correspondence with external contacts
Assist with drafting protocols or IRB amendments if additional ethics approvals become necessary
Skills and Qualifications
Required:
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Demonstrated experience in archival research (library, internet-based)
Proficiency in basic statistical analysis (Excel, SPSS, or similar)
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Preferred:
Familiarity with environmental science, public health, or social science research methods
Interest in or prior coursework on Southeast Asia, Oceania, militarization, postcolonial studies, or disability studies
Experience with qualitative data software (e.g., NVivo) or GIS/mapping tools
Timeline and Commitment
You will participate in weekly meetings to align on deliverables.
Team projects that we have run in the past include:
* Environmental Sensing – creation of tools that map the sensorial environment (light/noise/volatile chemicals) in order to create more inclusive spaces for people with light/sound/chemical sensitivities
*Team Criptionary - We are seeking undergraduate students with skills in database design and management, backend and frontend development, web hosting and deployment, security and data protection, UX design, and project management to join our team in building an innovative online database.
In Spring 2025 we look forward to continuing some of these projects while also organizing several disability related conferences.
Role: Coming up with the technologies will require:
1. Background research and reading
2. Research specific user needs
3. Design monitoring, evaluation, adaptation tech
4. Field test the adaptations / monitoring with user feedback
5. Writing up the design in a way that can be shared and hacked by the disability community
5. Iterate design
Students will learn how to conduct research into adaptive technology and design. They will learn how to conduct field interviews and run field tests and how to iterate feedback into the design process.
Qualifications: Qualifications: Students with lived experience with disabilities, neurodiversity, or environmental sensitivity are particularly invited to apply. Background experience with standard makerspace tools (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, 3D design tools, CNC, 3D printing, videography and editing, etc.) would be a plus but can also be learned through this lab.
Required: Students must be available for the weekly all-lab meeting and lunch every Friday from 12-2p. This is in addition to your own project team scrum meetings, which you can decide with your teammates and the lab manager. We ask that members dedicate 6-8 a week to the URAP (3hrs for meetings; 3-5 for specific project work). Required: Students will need to agree with both a lab code of conduct agreement as well as lab equipment safety requirements and trainings.
For Criptionary -
Database Design and Management:
Proficiency in SQL for creating, querying, and managing relational databases.
Familiarity with Database Management Systems (DBMS) such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, or similar.
Understanding of Database Design principles, including creating tables, defining relationships, and ensuring data normalization.
Backend Development:
Experience with Server-Side Programming Languages like Python, Java, PHP, or Node.js to develop the logic that interacts with the database.
Knowledge of APIs (RESTful or GraphQL) to enable communication between the database and the front end.
Skills in Authentication and Authorization to implement secure access controls.
Frontend Development:
Basic understanding of HTML/CSS for structuring and styling web pages.
Proficiency in JavaScript (or frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js) to build dynamic user interfaces.
Experience with AJAX for loading data asynchronously without page reloads.
Web Hosting and Deployment:
Familiarity with Web Servers like Apache, Nginx, or cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) for hosting the database.
Understanding of Version Control systems (e.g., Git) to manage code and collaborate effectively.
Interest in Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices to automate deployment processes.
Security and Data Protection:
Basic knowledge of Data Encryption techniques to secure data.
Understanding of SQL Injection Prevention and best practices for protecting databases from attacks.
Awareness of Data Privacy Regulations and how to ensure compliance.
User Experience (UX) Design:
Skills in User Interface (UI) Design to create intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
Awareness of Accessibility Standards to make the database interface accessible to all users.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Gloria Kunder, Graduate Student
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: https://disabilitylab.berkeley.edu/
Related website: http://disability.jp/nakamura