John Dickerson Interview

John Dickerson Interview

Government Services

Legislation

Disability Rights Movement

The Arc of Indiana

Family

Self-Advocates of Indiana (SAI)

"Dickerson, I finally get it," a fiscally conservative State Senator from Hendricks County remarked. "He said, 'I'm on the board of directors of the bank and we hired this fellow with a disability. I don't even know what his disability is, but he's one of our best damn employees.'" As executive director of The Arc of Indiana, John Dickerson worked with legislators for decades to "fight on behalf of parents of individuals with disabilities to make the systems responsive." John recounts the evolution of what became the second largest Arc in the country in his 2013 interview. The group emerged out of the national movement by parents who had offspring with intellectual disabilities and wanted to band together to improve the lives of their children. The organization was known as the Indiana Association for Retarded Children when it was founded in 1956. John discusses the changing names of the association as a reflection of changes in language about people with disabilities, as well as The Arc's close relationship with self-advocates.

John talks about the organization's influence on public policy. "The Arc isn't particularly well known in the general public. But we're remarkably well known with policymakers and legislators." He discusses The Arc's effort to get information to families about benefits and services, an initiative to support small businesses owned by people with developmental disabilities, and The Arc Master Trust. The latter is a mechanism enabling families to leave money to benefit their son or daughter with a disability.

John considers the leadership role Indiana has played in the disability arena nationally, despite its relatively low profile. He reminisces about the late Elbert Johns, who was a long-time executive director of Stone Belt Arc in Bloomington. John Dickerson retired as Executive Director of The Arc of Indiana in 2015.

Read John Dickerson interview transcript.

Indiana Disability History Project

2017-08-21

John Dickerson - Interviewee

Jennie Todd - Interviewer

Peggy Holtz - Videographer/Editor

Copyright © 2017 The Trustees of Indiana University

020-do

video/mp4

English

Moving Image

020-mi

Open to all users

"John Dickerson Interview" YouTube video, 01:17:57, interview 020-mi, Indiana Disability History Project, posted by "Indiana Disability History" on August 21, 2017, https://youtu.be/xeq9Qsflams.

Indiana

19 - 2013