Don’t miss! American Democracy exhibit – closing October 10 at the Heinz History Center – includes disability rights | Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium

Photo shows detail from the disability rights segment of the American Democracy exhibit. On the right is a red T-shirt with the words “My Voice Counts: I Vote” in large white letters. On the left is a voting machine used in an advocacy effort to educate voters with disabilities. — Detail from the disability rights segment of the American Democracy exhibit

Don’t miss the chance to explore the history of what it means to be an American citizen at the exhibit American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith, on exhibit at the Heinz History Center through October 10.

Developed in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the wide-ranging exhibition explores citizen participation, debate and compromise – from the nation’s formation to the momentous issues of the 21^st century. The nation’s struggle to ensure civil rights, including the rights of people with disabilities, is highlighted.

The exhibit calls special attention to the work of local disability rights activists Paul Dick, Rachel Freund, Paul O’Hanlon and Eileen Schackleton, through objects and images, with the intention to help the public understand that access means more that just accessible voting machines–it means ensuring access to the entire democratic system.

You can learn more about the exhibition here.