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“I was learning something about that Title and how we could apply it to the community in which we lived in and how it can help people's lives.” When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, Betty Williams wanted to learn more about how the…

Richmond, Indiana native Betty Williams was appointed to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities in 2014. She served as President of both the national organization Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered and of the statewide…

This is a school photo of Betty Louise Williams (1959-2018) in 1974, during her time in junior high school. Betty grew up in Richmond, Indiana in the 1960s and 70s. She became a leader in the self-advocacy movement, serving as president of both…

This photograph shows Betty Louise Williams (1959-2018) as a young girl, wearing a pink dress. Betty grew up in Richmond, Indiana in the 1960s and 70s. She became a leader in the self-advocacy movement, serving as president of both Self-Advocates of…

In 2016, Betty Williams received the Champions of Equal Opportunity Award from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. Betty received the award for her leadership in promoting voting rights, serving on committees…

This photograph shows Betty Louise Williams (1959-2018) as a girl, sitting on a bicycle in front of a Christmas tree. Betty grew up in Richmond, Indiana in the 1960s and 70s. She became a leader in the self-advocacy movement, serving as president of…

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 wish I had recorded all the stories that we heard during those interviews,” stated Bettye Dunham on interviewing Muscatatuck State Hospital and Training Center residents for jobs at the Jennings Training Center in the 1970s. She talked to…

Byron (“Bikey”) Smith, age 8, on the lap of Vice President Richard Nixon during a trip to Washington D.C. in 1953. Byron, then a student at the Indiana School for the Blind, was in the capitol with his parents as the guest of a Chicago television…

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…