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"Let's wait and see what he can do," is what doctors told Sharon after the birth of her son in the 1980s. Fortunately, Sharon didn't wait around. She searched out services for him and as he got older, she continued to advocate for him by enrolling…

The second annual Central Indiana Invitational Wheelchair Games took place on April 28 and 29, 1979 at Carmel High School, north of Indianapolis. Events in swimming, weightlifting, field sports (including javelin, discus, shot put, and club throw),…

"It's been a real adventure, but he just was thrown in the mix with his three brothers." Al and Linda Hublar talk about the lack of support and resources available when their son Mark was born with Down syndrome in the 1960s. They have made a point…

“You don’t have the right to deny them the opportunity to try this.” Mary Lou Melloy's daughter, Cindy, was born in 1958. Doctors told the family they should put Cindy in a residential facility. Mary Lou and her husband, Don, had other plans for…

A little over 30 years ago, a doctor told Sharon Hauss to put her infant son in an institution. Sharon’s response, “He’s my son. I couldn’t do it.” Her son, Michael Ely, went on to be fully included in school. Using part of a script he wrote for the…

This black and white photograph shows a view of the Indiana State School for the Blind, now known as the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The institution was established in 1847. The building on North Street in Indianapolis was…