The Center for Health Equity at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community embarked on an exciting initiative to document highlights of the history of people with disabilities in our state - The Indiana Disability History Project. We used video, audio, and digital technology to record and safeguard memories of movement leaders and pioneers with and without disabilities, such as community activists, family members, professional service providers, and public officials.
This project was funded by the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD).
Visit Indiana Disability HistoryProject initiatives included online exhibits and educational products based upon the IDHP’s collection of video-recorded interviews.
From Segregation to Integration: Oral History About the Education of Children with Disabilities: Four ready-to-use lesson plans about disability history in Indiana for students in grades 4 through 6.
Educational Video on Indiana Disability History: An online catalog of IDHP video clips, organized by video topic, for use by educators and others doing training on disability topics.
Journey to Full Citizenship: Indiana’s Disability History: A short documentary video providing an overview of 200 years of change in the lives of Hoosiers with disabilities.
In 2020-2022, project staff conducted interviews with a focus on two key issues. Specifically, staff interviewed Hoosiers with disabilities about (1) the disability experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) the inequities experienced by people with disabilities who are racial and ethnic minorities. Other Project activities included creation of an educational tool that disability service providers can use in delivering training to direct service professionals. The training materials include video clips from the IDHP’s online collection of oral history.