Disability Studies : News Archive

Disabled Veterans in History Lecture

          

Funded by The Ability Center of Greater Toledo and Co-sponsored by the University of Toledo College of Arts and Sciences, The Disability Studies Program, and the Department of Political Science and Public Administration.  On April 29, 2003 at 7pm in The University of Toledo Scott Park Campus Auditorium, Dr. David A. Gerber, Professor of History, State University at Buffalo, gave a free lecture exploring the long-neglected history of those who have sustained injuries or chronic illnesses while serving in uniform.  The lecture was attended by University of Toledo students, staff, and faculty, Ability Center representatives, veterans, and community members. 

Dr. Gerber spoke about the disabled veteran's movement from World War I to the Vietnam War.  He discussed the culture of disabled veterans and the steps government, public, and private agencies made towards acclimating the veterans into American life after sustaining injuries.  Dr. Gerber also spoke about the intersections of race and gender with the disabled veterans movement.

The Toledo City Council presented Dr. Gerber with an official proclamation honoring him for his work on behalf of the city of Toledo and disabled veterans.

The Creating A Disability History Archive Project is a two-phase project.  Phase I, a working conference was held on Friday, October 25, 2002 at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library (an accessible meeting space for people with disabilities.)  The purposes of the conference were to educate the Toledo area community as to the importance of the hidden history of disability and to encourage the disability community to contribute their organizational records to the development of archive, to document the history of the community. More than one dozen organizations have committed to contribute records to the project.

Phase II, the initial collection phase of the project, will extend from October 25, 2002 to October 24, 2003.  This phase was initiated at the working conference.  Each participant was asked to complete a brief questionaire on the history of their organizations.  This information will be used to follow-up with disability groups that express interest in contributing their records.  It is expected that other disability organizations will also contribute records as the news of the project spreads.  These records will be processed, preserved, and housed at the Canaday Center for Special Collections at the University of Toledo using accepted archival standards.  The Canaday Center is open to researchers from the community and the University.  The Office of Accessibility at the University of Toledo will assist in making certain that the collection is accessible to people with disabilities.

Sponsoring organizations include the University of Toledo's Disability Studies Program, the Canaday Center for Special Collections, and the Department of History, and The Ability Center of Greater Toledo.  Additional collaborators include:  The Epilepsy Center, The Deaf Resource Center, Assistance Dogs of America, Inc., and the Toledo Chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Outside evaluators for the project are drawn from both the disability and academic communities.