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The Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD) dedicated its Spark newsletter’s Summer 2015 issue to the 25th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act. The issue contains the following articles:

The ADA: A Life- and…

This photograph shows the “ADA Legacy” tour bus, parked at the Monroe County History Center in Bloomington, Indiana on June 19, 2015. In front of the bus is Al Tolbert, retired director of the Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living (SICIL),…

This 1931 black and white photograph shows an aerial view of the Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis. Credit: Bass Photo Co Collection, Indiana Historical Society. Collection P0130; Folder B15:F9; Negative…

“Back in the '80s, we didn't think about the Independent Living movement being a civil rights thing.” With the introduction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) legislation prior to its passage in 1990, says Al Tolbert, “the Independent Living…

“I've seen some things change, a lot of things change for the better,” says Al Tolbert of the disabilities rights movement. In 1971, Al was in a training accident in Germany that left him paralyzed. After his accident, Al got involved in the…

"I was in a hospital before I was discharged. Nobody told me about unemployment. Nobody told me about what we'd face in life in a wheelchair," recounts Al Tolbert in this video interview excerpt. "I think we're doing a better job than we did after…

"He slammed the paper on the principal's table and he says 'Don't tell me that this child is retarded - look at what she's done.'" As a child in Hammond, Indiana, Andrea Pepler-Murray had been placed in segregated special education classes. It took…

"If you've ever seen the movie 'Forrest Gump', my mom was kind of like Forrest's mom." Andy was born with cerebral palsy in 1979, but his mom made sure he had the same opportunities as a child without disabilities. In the 1980s, Andy was mainstreamed…

"I was laid off work for six months." In an excerpt of a 2021 interview, Ashley Porter describes her experience of unemployment and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities such as ballroom dancing were no longer possible, meetings…

"They was mean to me. And I'm glad I'm not in an institution no more.” Beth was sent to an Indiana institution when she was young. She didn’t have the opportunity to go to school but states she learned to write and do math. After leaving Muscatatuck…