July 22 Virtual Disability History Event

Learning from our History: Living Beyond the Walls of the Institution

Wednesday, July 22, 4:30-6:00pm

Join the Western Pennsylvania Disability History Consortium, Temple University Institute on Disabilities, and Pennhurst Memoral and Preservation Alliance for a facilitated virtual discussion of the obstacles to living beyond the walls of institutionalized settings, current issues in community-based services, and what the future might hold. Invited participants include:

Brenda Dare, self-advocate, Independent Living Project Manager for Transitional Paths to Independent Living;
Jamie Ray-Leonetti, Associate Director of Policy, Institute on Disabilities at Temple University;
Debbie Robinson, Executive Director, Speaking for Ourselves;
Nancy Thaler, former Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs.

Before the discussion, view one or more of the videos that will help frame the discussion:

From Wrongs to Rights (2013 / 8 minutes) tells the story of early 1970s activism in Western Pennsylvania that exposed the use of cages at Polk institution and led to the firing of the superintendent. The activism created momentum for the de-institutionalization movement.

i go home (2016 / 56 minutes) recounts the history of barring children with intellectual disability from public schools and advising parents to send them to institutions. A late-1960s Philadelphia television news expose’ shed light on deplorable conditions inside the walls of Pennhurst institution and motivated the public to demand change.

Valuing Lives: Wolf Wolfensberger and the Principle of Normalization (2015 / 57 min.) explores the principle of “normalization”—a revolutionary idea in human services in the 1970s that challenged long-held assumptions about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and became the framework for human services. The historic shift in thinking was made popular by iconoclastic professor Wolf Wolfensberger. (Password for video: wolfdoc)

This event is offered in conjunction with Disability Pride Virtual PA, a 30-day statewide celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and ADA30 Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

To pre-register for this event or to join the event in progress, visit the Disability Pride Virtual PA website. Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided.