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On December 24, 1958, Mary Lou and Don Melloy were told their daughter Cindy should be placed in an institution. Mary Lou said, “My response was that they didn’t know what they were talking about…a very unhappy, aggressive mother left the room.”…

Bettye Dunham got her start in the disability field in 1975. She was a support person to an Indiana University student needing assistance with note taking and studying. Bettye says, “The things I learned from Chris really endeared me to the field.”…

“I found in going around the state and meeting with organizations, they didn't want to talk to one another," states Don Melloy of his experience in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s in organizing Arc chapters in Indiana. The original focus of The Arc was…

In 2006, we asked Darcus Nims to discuss her biggest accomplishment. She said, “Most proudest thing would be getting self-advocates started, that showing people that what all the special stuff that disability people can do, you know.” Darcus founded…

In describing the deinstitutionalization movement, Bill Gilkey says, “I think the process went pretty well and one reason for that was because they did have community mental health centers in place in many areas of Indiana. Bill Gilkey, a retired…

“I found in going around the state and meeting with organizations, they didn't want to talk to one another," states Don Melloy of his experience in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s in organizing Arc chapters in Indiana. The original focus of The Arc was…

Dr. Sue Gant has 40 plus years of working in the disability field. As an expert with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation, Dr. Gant spent the late 1990s through 2008 in Indiana assisting with the closure of New…

“He put me in the nursing home, and I didn’t like that very much,” explains Ruth Ann. When Ruth Ann’s grandmother passed away, her father was unable to care for Ruth Ann and placed her in a nursing home. Ruth Ann found it depressing. While attending…

“When I was young I knew nothing about any legislative activities or laws that would allow an individual with a disability to have any kind of civil rights because I stayed in several nursing homes and at that time, there were no patients' rights,”…

“The history of why there's the University Center for Excellence…is somewhat unique,” states David Mank. David was director of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community when he was interviewed in 2015. He shares the story about President…