[Ohio-talk] FW: A U.S. History of People with Disabilities

[Smith, JW]

Colleagues, I plan on getting this book and perhaps some of you might be interested as well?

Jw

Dr. JW Smith
Associate Professor
Interim Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies
School of Communication Studies
740-593-4838
smithj at ohio.edu<mailto:smithj at ohio.edu>

"Regarding the past, change what you can, and can what you can't."

From: Purdy, Darrell
Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2013 4:38 PM
To: Dagostino, Martin; Gut, Dianne; Fonseca, James; Hall-Jones, Jenny; Pesta, Jenny; Wadley, Joni; Jordan, Jennifer; Butcher, Joan; Smith, JW; Hawk, Lacey; Lininger, Leisha; Lonsinger, Linda; Mike Beaver; Blickle, Ruth; Baiye, Inya; Busch, Carey; Nelson, Marjorie; Haberkorn, Judi; Robin Brigante; Lewis, Carolyn; McCarthy, John; Stretton, Paige; Patterson, Stephen; Webb, Abagail; Planisek, Dick; Kremer, Greg; DeWert, Marjorie; Marty Dagostino; Hess, Michael; Noah Trembley; Reynolds, Sharon
Cc: Myers, Laura; Wyatt, Harry
Subject: A U.S. History of People with Disabilities

In the 1990's while serving as Wyoming's  Tech Act Project Director I had the opportunity to work with a wise and well-travelled disability rights advocate for the State of Wyoming who served on  my Wyoming Tech Act Council.  His name was Willy,  he lived with significant mobility and speech disabilities that came into his life as a result of a biker accident.  And of the many valuable lessons Willy offered me there is one lesson that stands out among the others.  Willy regularly admonished me to always remember and never forget the history belonging to the people who have come before me who lived with disabilities.  And he challenged if not expected me to make sure those who would come into my life didn't forget and always remembered this history too.  He offered that the history..."our history"  is what gives the context...the "why" of the work of inclusion and accessibility.   Without our history as a part of the context, he would argue, our work will not provide for the outcome we want and so desperately need.
There is a book I came across recently from which I have attached an excerpt, "A Disability History of the United States".  The book was published in 2012 and I have found it to be both instructive and powerfully moving (was for me).  In honoring Willy's admonition would you review the attached excerpt and consider even purchasing the book so together we can apply its lessons in and through our work at Ohio University?

Warmly,


Darrell Purdy,  M.Ed
Assistant Director for Employee Accommodation and Campus Accessibility
Office for Institutional Equity
An Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Ohio University
101 Harry B. Crewson House
Athens, Ohio 45701
(740) 593-1007
purdyd at ohio.edu<mailto:purdyd at ohio.edu>

http://www.ohio.edu/equity/

http://www.ohio.edu/policy/03-003.html

[cid:image001.gif at 01CE19BE.E4ACBED0]


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
----------
"All Things Are  Possible...Nothing Has To Be!"
Raymond Rood, Founder/Sr Consultant, The Genysys Group



The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA): Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, protect qualified individuals from discrimination on the basis of disability in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment. Disability discrimination includes not making reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, barring undue hardship.


-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 6479 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20130308/8f23fb15/attachment.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: A US History of People With Disabilities.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 22041 bytes
Desc: A US History of People With Disabilities.docx
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20130308/8f23fb15/attachment.docx>