October 2021 Virtual Display #2: Disability History Month
Did you know that October is Disability History Month in Washington State? Learn more about the history of the disability rights movement with these resources, including information about disability organizations in Washington and Oregon.
Follow the links below to check out some ebooks, videos, articles, and other digital resources. To access ebooks click the link next to “Get It Now At:” and sign in with your lab username and password. Some may have a link at the top of the page that says “Check for full text” instead. Non-library resources do not require a Clark Labs account.
eBooks
Disability Histories by Susan Burch, Michael A. Rembis, & Frances Lee Bernstein
What We Have Done: An Oral History of the Disability Rights Movement by Fred Pelka
Human Rights and Disability Advocacy by Maya Sabatello & Marianne Schulze
Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design
Other Resources
Articles
Disability Rights Movement | Backgrounders
Americans with disabilities are a group of approximately 40.7 million people that today lead independent, self-affirming lives and who define themselves according to their personhood—their ideas, beliefs, hopes and dreams—above and beyond their disability. Since the mid 1900s, people with disabilities have pushed for the recognition of disability as an aspect of identity that influences the experiences of an individual, not as the sole-defining feature of a person.
“On March 22, 1909, Washington became the second state in the nation to pass a law allowing for the forced sterilization of people with disabilities and other citizens in the name of improving society. Why was eugenics so widely popular during the early 20th century? What is the significance today of the hidden and complex history of eugenics? This project, Eugenics and Disability: History and Legacy in Washington, begins to explore this local history and discuss how it may be relevant to contemporary attitudes and policies that impact people with disabilities and other communities.”
‘Nothing About Us Without Us’: 16 Moments in the Fight for Disability Rights, The New York Times
“Though it is difficult to distill modern disability history in one thread, here are a handful of moments that have stood out in the collective memories of disability advocates.”
One Out of Five: Disability History and Pride Project
“This teaching resource has been updated as of September 2020 and includes new modifications for virtual instruction and elementary school classrooms, in addition to the original materials designed for middle and high school students. One Out of Five was designed by the Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds in partnership with Rooted in Rights and two local educators, Adina Rosenberg and Sarah Arvey.”
Schools for blind, deaf still evolving after 130 years, The Columbian
“It was 130 years ago this month when the territorial Legislature approved a bill to create the Washington School for Defective Youth to educate ‘the deaf, blind and feeble-minded children of the Territory of Washington.’ Thankfully, public attitudes toward people with disabilities have changed drastically since 1886. That’s not all that’s changed. New technology helps bring services to blind and deaf people in ways never before possible and opens doors for them to navigate successfully in the world.”
Websites
Our Mission & WSD History – Washington School for the Deaf (PDF)
Videos and Podcasts
A History of the Washington School for the Deaf
Podcast – The Disability History Association
Featured Image Photo Credit: Prescott School District, Prescott, WA