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In 1964, Paul decided to interview at the Fort Wayne State School as a recreation aide. They had football and baseball games, dances, and a summer camp. Although these activities were fun, the experience was different in retrospect. The daily living…

“Forty-seven years ago I gave birth to a child who was born with multiple disabilities. This was back in New Hampshire. It was before there were any laws about education or anything. And I found problems getting services for her. They wouldn't let…

"Now disability politics, you know, is not Republican or Democrats, it's really nonpartisan but you still have to be recognized as someone who's reliable and trustworthy," observes Jim Hammond in this 2013 interview. Working with legislators was part…

When he arrived in South Bend in 1980, the field of rehabilitation in Indiana "was in desperate need of some rapid growth," recalls George Soper. George had moved from Iowa, where he completed a doctoral work in the area of rehabilitation. Having…

"So you take funding, you take turmoil, you take parents, you take need, and then you had that end of society and their reactions to a person with 'mental retardation'..." When Steve (Stephen L.) Hinkle took on the challenges and leadership of the…

"People coming into the business today, I can't imagine them seeing the advancement and the progress that we saw." Randy Krieble talks about witnessing the evolution of institutional custody and control of people with disablities into…

Dee Ann Hart discusses her educational opportunities in the late 1960s and the impact her decision to attend the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired had on her and her family. She attended the school for 14 years, entering in 1969.

"What do they mean, us kind of people?" Darcus wanted to learn math skills. She wanted to learn how to type. Unfortunately, her teachers would tell her those skills were for "regular" people. When Darcus turned 18, no one asked her what she wanted to…

“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…

In the 1970s, schools systems throughout the state of Indiana sent children with challenging behaviors to the Developmental Training Center (DTC) for educational support and service. Kim Davis, an employee at the DTC during that time, talks about the…