News

History has not been kind to people with disabilities. The sad part is the actual living humans were subject to these conditions in state hospitals such as Pennhurst. WPDHAC … [Read more...] about The History of Systemic Abuse at Pennhurst State Hospital

WPDHAC Project Director Pancho Timmons participated in the 9th Annual Disability & Change Symposium, sponsored by Institute on Disabilities at Temple University on March 30th.  Disability and … [Read more...] about WPDHAC Project Director Pancho Timmons participated in the 9th Annual Disability & Change Symposium

Two new video interviews in the Consortium’s “Voices of Change” series highlight significant aspects of Western Pennsylvania disability history. In one interview, Father George Strohmeyer, … [Read more...] about New “Voices of Change” videos feature L’Arche Erie, advocate Nancy Murray and Special Olympian Marisa Niwa

Read Katie Clare Smith's obituary here. On February 27, 2022, the world lost a wonderful and loving human-being. Katherine Clare Smith passed away at UPMC Mercy after battling a couple of major … [Read more...] about In Remembrance of Katie Clare Smith

As an entity created by and for people with disabilities, we at WPDHAC are deeply saddened and disgusted by the actions of the caregivers mentioned in this article. People with disabilities are … [Read more...] about WPDHAC Statement on Beaver County Special Needs Facility Former Caretakes Indictment on Federal Hate Crimes in Abuse of Patients

LJ Woolcock (they/them/theirs) is a librarian, archivist, and public historian. They received their Master's degree with a concentration in archives from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in … [Read more...] about The Consortium Welcomes New Preservation Scholar