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"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…

“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…

“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…

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…

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),…

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 is a photograph of the crowd attending a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The celebration was held at the Indianapolis Artsgarden on July 26, 2000.

“We can get things done. Yes, so it just made me more independent,” explains Courtney of her service dog, Donner. After applying for a service dog, it took two more years before Courtney was matched with Donner. Courtney talks about how his presence…

Karen Scherer began her career as a work adjustment specialist at Morgan County Rehabilitation Center in Martinsville, Indiana. She was soon asked to serve as the coordinator for the supported employment grant received by the center in 1986.

In…

John Dickerson, retired Executive Director of The Arc of Indiana, explains that after World War II, parents across the country began to think differently about the future of their children with disabilities. In 1951, there was a national meeting of…