While the computer age has revolutionized the world and forever changed the way that information is received, it has also given almost unlimited ability for people to stretch the truth, distort reality, and give imaginary thoughts a non- fictional spin. Hidden behind pseudonyms and user names, people are given an unchecked license to lie.

A few years ago, I was trying to find more information about the Wheater Road Cemetery in Collins, NY, which had served patients of the Gowanda Psychiatric Center. Not surprisingly, very little facts were available. What I did find was a website which listed the cemetery as “haunted.” There was even a picture of a ghostly form near the Clear Creek side of the burial grounds. Somewhat skeptical as I am, I thought I needed to open up a bit and perhaps then I might see a ghost!

On many hot summer days over a three year span, I would go out to Wheater Road to set up for our restoration work. I would step out onto the dewy grass and breathe in the beauty of this long abandoned place. Once I saw cagey red fox near the entrance. Red winged blackbirds would chatter away at me. Hawks and turkey vultures could sometimes be seen in the higher sky, searching for a new meal. Small snakes could be found slithering through the tall grass. Woodchucks had constructed an elaborate network of tunnels throughout the cemetery. One day, as I was talking to a co- worker, I stepped right into one of these holes and my right side was suddenly about six inches shorter! But, I never saw a ghost.

The Wheater Road Cemetery in Collins, NY – can you find a ghost in this photo?

I guess some of the haunted lore comes from the perception that institutional life was full of daily torture and that the souls of those departed still wander the earth. While sensationalized images of electro-convulsive therapy provoke strong sentiments, the institutional life that I saw was not quite so news worthy. Yes, there were out-dated behavioral approaches and excessive use of psychotropic medication. The patients seemed to be lonely but it would be hard not to be lonely when one lives with thousands of other people.

On another website, I found that parts of the Allegheny National Forest and specifically, Camp Cornplanter, are also haunted. Apparently, in my many years of working at the first residential camp for people with disabilities in North America, I had overlooked the wandering spirits. I recall the stunning flight of the ruffed grouse, the pokey porcupines wandering about in the dark, the deer snorting in the woods at dawn, and the Eastern black bear lazily eating black raspberries. Not only was the camp haunted, I was “shocked” to learn recently that the nearby forest has also been home to Bigfoot for years. While I do admit to hearing some strange hoots and hollers in the woods at night, I attributed those to owls or young folks, sowing their wild oats in the woods!

The Dining Hall at Camp Cornplanter – can you find a ghost in this photo?

Camp Cornplanter served the Polk State School and Hospital, a sprawling institution in Western Pennsylvania. Each summer, there would be, “Polk Week” , in which several of the cabins would be exclusively for Polk residents. My first Polk Week was rainy and exceptionally cool, so the campers whom I served wore long black raincoats which had been sent with them. These gentlemen took a lot of medications so we could not stray far from the nurse during the day. They drank a lot of coffee and many of them smoked heavily. We built campfires where we could so that we could stay warm. One gentleman had hearing difficulties but could sing, usually spiritual hymns, in a way so unique I can’t adequately describe it. He would do a little jig around the fire and eventually, we all would join him in song. The only thing that haunts me is how beautiful that song sounded and how well I can remember it to this day………………

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Sister help to trim the sails, Hallelujah

Sister help to trim the sails, Hallelujah

Jordan’s river is deep and wide, Hallelujah

And I’ve got a home on the other side, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael’s boat is a music boat, Hallelujah

Michael’s boat is a music boat, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

The trumpets sound the jubilee, Hallelujah

The trumpets sound for you and me, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah

Written by Charles Ware, circa 1860

The fall of 1928 was an exciting time for John and Molly and their young family in Whitesboro, New York, a sleepy town outside of Utica. Molly was expecting their fifth child and their older children were eagerly looking forward to the change of seasons and holiday season.

Born in New York City, John was orphaned at an early age and was raised by members of his extended family in Central New York. He was a book keeper for a local business, volunteered at St. Paul’s Church, and was an accomplished pianist. Molly was born to a German immigrant family in 1889. She was the local telephone operator prior to her marriage and her voice was known to nearly everyone in the community.

Molly before her marriage.

In 1928, Franklin Roosevelt had been elected Governor of New York State. For many, family life revolved around the home, church, local picnics and field days. Molly’s parents owned a large tract of land which they divided as their own children married.

Molly and John’s home was built on the banks of a creek and had a large, enclosed porch. The huge living room had a beamed ceiling, fireplace, and enclosed book cases. In the dining room sat a baby grand piano which the couple would play to entertain guests. Molly’s extended family would frequently gather at the home for breakfast, after Sunday Mass.

Molly with one of her children in front of the family home

In the fall of 1928, Molly suddenly lost her fifth child. While some in the family reported that she had a miscarriage, others indicated that her child was born with hydrocephaly or water on the brain. Shortly thereafter, their oldest child, Alma, contracted pneumonia. Molly provided exhaustive care to her daughter, day and night. At last, Alma recovered. However, Molly’s husband John came down with the ailment as well. After just five days of the illness, he died at the age of forty-one.

Exhausted and grief stricken, Molly seemed unable to absorb the shock of the loss of her child and husband in the space of several weeks. According to her obituary, she,

“….had contracted a cold, was forced to her bed and was unable to attend her husband’s funeral. A few days later, a more serious ailment developed and she was removed to the institution. There, for a time, her life hung in the balance. Thursday, a change for the better renewed hopes of near and dear ones. Friday came another change, and she sank rapidly to the end.”

Obituary, “Soon United with Husband in Death”,(1929, March 8), Utica Daily Press.

John and Molly Soper Hardiman were my grandparents. My father was just four years old when these tragic events occurred. He and his siblings were split up and sent to live with aunts and uncles. Their beautiful home was torn down, board by board, and every bit of it sold. I don’t know which psychiatric institution my grandmother died in- it may have been Utica or Marcy. The New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica opened in 1843. Marcy is now the Central New York Psychiatric Center and provides services to persons incarcerated in the correctional system. What I do know is that John and Molly had an outspoken, artistic daughter who also died young at age twenty- three. Their three sons, each completely different from the next, were extraordinary influences in my life. Each of them was informally adopted into the lives of the families of three sets of aunts and uncles. And, each of them was devoted to family and the preservation of the memory of their parents.

Sources: Photographs of Richard J. Hardiman, letters and conversations with Frances Soper Nickerson, Robert F. Hardiman and John Vincent Hardiman

Because Niagara County has the notable Niagara Escarpment running along its width – east to west – there were and still are many natural springs as the ground water eventually flows north to Lake Ontario.

Research and reading about mineral springs in the eastern United States shows a pattern of discovery by early travelers and settlers and their reports often mention the local Native Americans using the springs for medicinal purposes. A spring was a clear water spring or mineral spring. The mineral spring generally had a smell and taste that was different from clear water. This was an early indication that the spring was a mineral spring. Once the spring was known as a mineral spring, local residents began using the waters to cure their medical problems as medicine of the times had little to offer. Soon businessmen would have the spring analyzed and would commercialize the spring and begin bottling and selling the water and/or building a sanitarium. The facility would then attract tourists and soon after, the very ill and invalids, all searching for a cure from this new mineral spring with its claims for healing.

Reviewing early accounts about the Niagara Region shows a similar pattern, there are many references to springs. Many of the Native American trails, which later became our roads, led to springs or had springs along the way. The springs were important as a geographic reference and drinking water for travelers and their animals. Soon after settlement, the springs became important for commercial purposes and medicinal use. It is felt that early construction projects such as the Erie Canal, bridges, railroads, sewer projects and water tunnels have disrupted some of the springs although many still remain.

Listed in the 1866 United States Geological Survey of the Mineral Springs of the United States was a well-known medicinal spring located in the Gulf, north of Lockport. It was analyzed as a saltine spring with traces of iron. An analysis of the “Lockport Mineral Water” was conducted by chemist George Hadley of Castleton, VT in 1861. From his analysis came this conclusion, “I have a strong conviction that it will prove a mineral water of great value and that it will establish for itself sooner or later a high reputation.” Mineral water from this spring which claimed to cure many ills was bottled and sold and an attempt was made to attract investors to build a sanitarium at the site. The area around the spring was known as “Wood Glen” and was advertised in the Lockport Daily Journal and Courier in 1861:

The Lockport Mineral Spring ran the following notice in May of 1862, “…The mineral spring of our townsman Mr. St. John, located about a mile and a half west of the village is deserving of public favor. It is most romantically located, and the water for mineral and medical properties will compare favorably with that of the most noted watering places in the world.”

The businessmen involved in the Lockport Mineral Spring in the 1860s include William W. Nicholls (1817-1878), brother of the well-known Lockport lawyer Luman H. Nicholls (1815-1864), and perhaps John R. St. John (1805-1868). It is believed that Luman Nicholls purchased property in the Gulf prior to the Civil War, which in later years was owned by Oliver Tinney. Mr. Tinney was known to live near the Mineral Spring. An 1875 map of the Town of Lockport indicates O. Tinney owning property on West Jackson Street nearby his neighbor, Mrs. S. St. John. We have yet to discover the names of those involved in the Lockport Mineral Spring venture of the early 1900s.

BlogIn 1964, a group connected to the Lockport Parks visited the Gulf area to determine if a Gulf Park should be established. In the group was Thomas Mulvey and Samuel Sposito, Park Board members; Lawrence R. Martin, Acting Superintendent of Parks and Raymond C. Betsch, President of the Common Council. The reporter described finding “an old spring…in the mouth of a small cave-like opening,” on the banks of Indian Creek. Further down the creek, they found the remains of an old well house for the spring and a stone bottling basin with a 1911 date on it. (Public Support for Gulf Park Awaited by Park Commissioners, Lockport NY Union Sun and Journal: August 22, 1964)

There are many old accounts that mention springs throughout the full Gulf area from the Little Indian Falls and west to the old city dump and the larger Indian Falls. This particular mineral spring is located in the Roland T. Grant Gulf Wilderness Park, west of the West Jackson Street entrance and is located on 18 Mile (or Indian) Creek.

It took the research team from the Museum of disABILITY History, Jim Boles, Melissa Royer, Tracy Harrienger and Will Philipps, several months to find the spring and the remains of the well house and stone bottling basin. It was finally discovered on a stormy day in November 2012. However, there are many unanswered questions about the spring. There is written evidence that the spring was used for commercial bottling as early as 1861 and there is information that it was being revived as a commercial operation in 1906 although it is difficult to determine the layout of the bottling operation as it likely changed in the 50 years between 1861 – 1911. This is what we found:

 As described in the 1965 newspaper account, there is a 1911 date on the top of the basin. The stone bottling basin is a short distance from the spring house. Our present thought is that the bottling basin may have been higher off the ground on a log or stone-work platform and it was washed downstream and downhill from the spring house in a flood.

Further up the creek we found what is believed to be the foundation of the old spring house with what looks like a spring bubbling up within the structure. This is some distance from the bottling basin. How did the basin move? The spring presently has a strong sulphur odor. Early analysis of the Lockport Mineral Water by chemist George Hadley indicated that included in the composition of the water was sulphureted hydrogen and a number of salts. Further plans are to have the spring water analyzed to compare with the 1861 report.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             J. One last mystery between the bottling basin and the spring house foundation is a stone mound with a stone and cement frame in the center.

The mineral spring was in operation for a number of years and this may be an earlier foundation for a bottling basin.

The Museum of disABILITY History has been researching medicinal (healing) springs in the County for the past several years and would like to hear from readers that know of mineral, salt, or clear water springs in Niagara County as the material will eventually be included in a book that we are working on about the healing sanitariums, waters, food and tonics of Niagara County, NY. 

The Museum of disABILITY History recently acquired two fascinating therapeutic instruments from the early twentieth century, both high frequency generators known as “The Master Violet Ray” and the “Monitor Electric Battery.” Both were made for in-home use and carried the tagline, “no home should be without one.” Today’s entry focuses on the Master Violet Ray.

Manufactured by the Master Electric Company in Chicago, Illinois, the instrument is described as “a diffusion of an electrical current of tremendous power and resistance, into millions of tiny harmless units” and was purported to cure “innumerable instances” of illness and bodily discomfort.

Violet Ray devices were based on the theory that “all human ailments, with the exception of certain highly contagious and infectious diseases, [could] be traced to faulty circulation and impure blood.” When a person’s blood failed to circulate in a healthy manner, it became stagnant and absorbed impurities, resulting in “a condition of self-poison” that left the body susceptible to disease.

The Master Violet Ray’s “penetrating current” reportedly quickened vital processes and stimulated circulation, thereby washing away impurities from the affected region(s) and allowing the “purifying processes of nature” to occur. The blood, now free of poisons, was then “able to take up oxygen . . . and nutrition . . . and [return] laden with tissue-building material to every part of the body.” This process of regenerative stimulation, known as a “cellular massage,” restored energy and vitality to the entire bodily system – or so the manufacturer claimed.

Customers applied the device’s electrical current through “vacuum applicators” or electrodes, which diffused the current into “sprays of a beautiful deep violet color.” These sprays vibrated to and fro thousands of times per second and produced the “pleasing, invigorating, and corrective effect” characteristic of the Master Violet Ray’s cellular massage.

The device could be applied to the “most delicate parts of the body without the slightest harm,” as indicated by the various types of applicators available for purchase – seemingly one for every orifice. If one so desired, they could acquire electrodes specially designed for usage on the eyes, ears, nasal cavity, and inside the throat. For the more adventurous, there were “urethral electrodes,” “vaginal electrodes,” and “rectal electrodes” – though the manufacturer stressed “competent supervision” for these applicators.

The novel technology used in Violet Ray devices, (they were made possible by the “Tesla coil,” invented by the “electrical wizard” Nikola Tesla in the 1890s), along with their affordability and availability, made them an appealing option to people searching for quick and easy therapeutic relief. Endorsed by hospitals, sanitariums, and physicians, thousands of people across the United States used Violet Ray devices – and for a wide variety of issues, as suggested by this enticing advertisement from a late 1920s issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine:

“Let us tell you how thousands of men and women suffering from rheumatism, neuritis, paralysis, nervousness, skin diseases, headaches, constipation, sprains, prostate trouble, goiter, and many other ailments, even hay fever and asthma, have found quick relief – new health and vitality with this marvelous, scientific invention. Pains vanish almost instantly.” [1]

However, despite assurances that there was “no quackery or uncertainty” about the healing powers of Violet Ray devices, the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration sued manufacturers in the 1950s for “false and misleading” therapeutic claims.[2] Shortly thereafter, Violet Ray devices became illegal to produce and advertise, and most units were ordered destroyed. Master Electric Co., which manufactured our device, was the last of over three dozen manufacturers to exist in the United States.[3] Today, Violet Ray devices are still produced outside of the U.S. and are still used in Europe.

Although manufacturers may have exaggerated the therapeutic potential of Violet Ray devices, they certainly did not lie when they stated that these devices “last indefinitely” – ours still works beautifully.

 Sources:

• The Master Violet Ray instructional booklet (Master Electric Co., publish date unknown)
• FDA Papers, Volume 1 (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1967), 36
  http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/fdanj/bitstream/123456789/12749/3/ddnj04319.pdf
• Popular Mechanics Magazine, vol. 50, no. 5 (Hearst Magazines, November 1928)

For more information on Violet Ray devices:

• http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/MuseumVioletRays.htm 
• Ellis Neiburger, “Shocking Dentistry: Modern Clinical Applications for an Old Dental Device,” Chairside Magazine (Fall, 2009); http://www.glidewelldental.com/dentist/chairside/issues/fall2009/clinical-techniques1.aspx
• Paul S. Cohen and Brenda H. Cohen, America’s Scientific Treasures: A Travel Companion (American Chemical Society, 1998), 312.
• Bill Fawcett, It Looked Good on Paper: Bizarre Inventions, Design Disasters, and Engineering Follies
  (HarperCollins, 2009), 229-231.

By Meghan McMonagle, Contributor

You can’t help but be moved when you are confronted with images of old asylums at the Museum of disABILITY History (Buffalo, NY). The majestic exteriors poorly represent the deplorable conditions concealed inside for patients who were forced to reside there, removed from participating in society.

Asylums have become a part of America’s past; however, parts of our society still resist the integration of individuals with disabling conditions into their communities. Recently covered in Disability Scoop, an online source for developmental disability news, a California city is facing charges for allegedly preventing the inclusion of group homes for the disabled by means of discriminatory enforcement measures. In 2008, changes were made to zoning rules which restricted the operation of group homes in the city of San Jacinto, California. These rule changes were followed by a series of home visits where complainants say “city officials interrogated residents with disabilities asking about their conditions, their treatment and what types of government benefits they received, among other issues.”

But one doesn’t have to look so far as California to see the controversy of group home inclusion. Just this past September, a group home for five disabled individuals in Ipswitch, Massachusetts faced community out lash and petitions were disseminated to prevent further construction. Locally, in October 2012, a community member in the Town of Tonawanda used The Buffalo News to criticize the petitions circulating objecting to the addition of a group home facility in their community. (Read his letter here.)

Whether the story originates in California, Massachusetts or Western New York, one common thread seemed to be responsible for the fight against inclusion of group homes in communities; the fear of the unknown. For those of us who have grown up with family members, classmates and co-workers with disabilities, it seems difficult to imagine someone having so few of experiences with individuals with disabilities to maintain a fear of their presence in the community. It is these stories of exclusion that remind me the importance of educational experiences such as the Museum of DisABILITY, the Kids on the Block of WNY and all the work the People Inc. Employee Ambassadors do. I wonder how the local community of Tonawanda, despite being surrounded by all of these wonderful assets, still has community members consumed with fear of the disabled. My hope is that some day soon, the Museum will include artifacts that make visitors say, “remember back when group homes were petitioned against?” These stories are a constant reminder that individuals with disabilities must continue to push limits and challenge societal norms to accomplish all that they are able to and all that they are entitled to, such as the right to a happy home.

For more powerful images, Abandoned Asylums of New England will soon be available for purchase at the Museum of disABILITY or online at www.store.museumofdisability.org/bookscards.php. Through photography, John Gray captured the final throes of the once majestic monuments of medical treatment that were state institutions for treating people with disabilities. Gray, of New England, spent twelve years taking photos that are eerie, while at the same time architecturally beautiful, of abandoned asylums in various towns and villages that mark New England’s landscape. 

References:

Andriatch, Bruce. “Andriatch: Closed minds preventing open hearts”. The Buffalo News. 9 October 2012. Accessed: 19 November 2012. http://buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121009/CITYANDREGION/121009190

Heasley, Shaun. “Feds Accuse City of Barring Group Homes”. Disability Scoop. 14 November 2012. Accessed: 19 November 2012. http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/11/14/feds-barring-group-homes/16835/

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) has made some significant strides, but more needs to be done. We need to keep pushing because areas that contribute to life satisfaction are still problematic, namely gainful employment.

“I would give anything in the world if I could work, but now it’s much more obvious that I am disabled,” said Deborah Lewis, who has fibromyalgia, in an interview with SHRM Online. “I can’t even get an application. No one wants to take a chance that something might happen to me and that I would sue them.”

“So many employers are missing out on well-educated people just because they don’t fit into their image of what an employee should look like, act like or sound like,” she added.

Deborah is not alone. There are thousands of competent and skilled Americans in the labor market that are unemployed.

The following is an excerpt from a report by Elaine Katz, Vice President of the Kessler Foundation, who oversaw the completion of an in-depth survey of people with disabilities. This survey assessed the effectiveness of the ADA 20 years later:

“Education and political participation were the two areas where the gaps have narrowed. Employment, however, remains responsible for the largest gap between people with and without disabilities. Among working-age people with disabilities, only 21 percent reported working either full- or part-time, compared with 59 percent of people without disabilities—a gap of 38 percentage points. This gap has decreased since it was first examined (from 43 percent in 1998), but it remains large and its decline has been slow. Moreover, this persistent gap impedes progress in other key areas for people with disabilities, such as income, access to health care, and socialization. The second largest gap was in a new indicator, Internet usage—85 percent vs. 54 percent for people with disabilities, a difference of 31 points. This was followed by indicators of lower income and greater financial struggles among people with disabilities.”

“Over the past two decades, we have seen gains in public awareness and access for people with disabilities, as well as advances in medical care and rehabilitation. These survey findings show that much still needs to be done to ensure that these gains translate into improvement in areas that contribute to life satisfaction. Clearly, passage of legislation is just the first step toward ensuring equal rights. As with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, legislation needs public support to achieve its goal.”

“This is an important step toward a national effort to expand employment opportunities for the country’s largest minority. To narrow the gaps that have persisted for 20 years, cooperative efforts from disability organizations, the business community, and government will be required. On the national level, we need to promote the talents of people with disabilities, reinforce their value in the workplace, and expand our networks with employers to ensure that a diverse workplace includes people with disabilities.”

“People with disabilities represent a critical talent pool that is underserved and underutilized,” says Shirley Davis, director of global diversity and inclusion at the Society for Human Resource Management, as reported by Pamela Babcock. Many are confident in this and are taking action. Steps are being taken at the university sector to develop the managerial skills of leaders with disabilities. The UCLA Leadership Institute for Managers with Disabilities aims to help mid-career professionals with disabilities catapult their careers to the next level. This unique program develops “leadership styles and skills, mentoring and personal development, organizational savvy, and strategic leadership.” President Barack Obama has taken action as well. In 2010, he passed an executive order to hire more people with disabilities in the public sector. He wants to use the American government to lead the way and set the example for the rest of the country.

But ultimately, the push for more opportunities for people with disabilities beyond the realm of entry-level staffing will be led by those at the top of the corporate hierarchy. According to Nadine O. Vogel, president at Springboard Consulting, these issues have yet to be felt at senior management positions of a great deal of American companies.

Each of us, in the public, can do our part to end this discrimination. It is hurting the life satisfaction of a major portion of our population. Although the ADA has helped, we must learn from history. We cannot settle for anything less than the best for each other.

The most successful movements in American history were driven by ordinary people that didn’t settle. The fight for womens’ suffrage and rights, abolition of slavery, Racial equality and civil rights in the 50s and 60s. The fight for disabled rights is no different. We can learn from history as we move forward with an understanding that great social change takes a great deal of time, dedication and patience. Not taking away from the importance and influence of the bill, the ADA should be built upon and is a stepping stone for greater things to come.

Let’s look back and reflect on the civil rights movement. Was the 15^th Amendment enough for people who wanted racial freedom and equality? Sure, it gave the right to vote to ex-slaves, but this 1870 amendment did not squash racism. In 1955, Brown v. Board established that separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. This was a landmark case that served to be a crushing blow to the Jim Crow status quo. But what if it stopped there? Was discrimination over because of the law? What if people settled for that, knowing more could be done? We wouldn’t have Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his “I Have A Dream” speech and leading boycotts. We wouldn’t have the Greensboro sit-ins. We wouldn’t have the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. People did not settle, they knew well that they had a fight that would take many years.

The fight for womens’ rights was no cakewalk, either. It took nearly 72 years after the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention for women to get the right to vote with the 19^th amendment passed in 1920. Even after that, women were discriminated against in the workplace. The feminist movement helped to increase opportunity and fight against the glass ceiling in the workplace. Even today, women face challenges in the workplace.

I must echo Elaine Katz when she asserts that legislation needs public support achieve its goal. I believe that if we continue to push on together for disability we can achieve unimaginably greater things.   

References:

1. Kessler Foundation/National Organization on Disability. The 2010 Survey of Americans With Disabilities. http://www.2010DisabilitySurveys.org. Accessed August 17, 2010.
2. Obama B. Executive Order: Increasing federal employment of individuals with disabilities. July 26, 2010. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individuals-with-disabilities. Sept 9, 2010.
3. “Has the Americans with Disabilities Act Made a Difference?” http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/HastheADAMadeaDifference.aspx. July 9, 2010.
4. Babcock, Pamela. “Targeted Development for Managers with Disabilities.” http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Articles/Pages/ManagerswithDisabilities.aspx. July 21, 2010.

July 26, 2012, marked the 22^ndanniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, (ADA). President George H.W. Bush signed the act into law in 1990, which proved to be one of the most far-reaching civil rights bills in the U.S. history. Understandably, it also marked a huge step in the long struggle for disability civil rights. Thanks to the bill, individuals with disabilities are more protected. To name a few of the provisions in the ADA, employers now face serious consequences for discriminating against qualified persons with disabilities in the labor market. It also prohibits discrimination in regards to the full and equal enjoyment of goods and services, such as education, access to stores, and transportation.

Since the passing of the bill into law, the world of disability has gained so much through subsequent ADA case law rulings. In Barden v. Sacramento (1999), the public street improvements by the City of Sacramento did not make sidewalks accessible to persons with disabilities. The court ruled that this was unlawful and accommodations were made, with many cities and municipalities around the nation following suit.

In what is now considered a landmark case, Lois Curtis and her friend Elaine Wilson were unnecessarily and unjustly segregated in a state hospital in Georgia when they could have lived in a more normal, integrated, community-based setting. They lived most of their adult life confined in state institutions, until Curtis and Wilson sued the state of Georgia in 1999 after repeated requests to be permitted to live in a community home. In the end, Olmstead v. L.C. ruled in favor of Curtis and Wilson, establishing that under the ADA, the institutional isolation of people with disabilities was a form of illegal discrimination. After moving into a community home, it was reported that Elaine said she felt loved and cared for where she lived. In the state institution, she “had felt like she was sitting in a little box with no way out.” Being outdoors and making Kool Aid were simple things that meant so much to both of them. Elaine decorated her own room, loved to organize picture albums, shopped, cooked, and attended family functions. Not to mention, she became increasingly independent—she was able to take full responsibility for her medical needs, an area in her life that institutional aids thought was problematic.  Unfortunately Wilson passed away in 2004, but is dearly missed. 

Lois Curtis has been living her life to the fullest ever since the case ended. Lois is now living in her own home, has reconnected with family and made new friends. She is a passionate civil rights activist for disability rights regarding institutionalization. “I want to tell everybody, so people can get out, she shared.” Traveling throughout the country, she serves as an inspirational speaker and is affiliated with ADAPT, a grassroots disability rights organization. Curtis received the Act of Courage Award from the Tubman African American Museum.

Not to mention, she is also a successful folk artist, and has had several art shows at several galleries across Georgia and the country. She even presented her artwork, a self-portrait titled “Girl in the Orange Dress,” to President Barack Obama at the White House in 2011!

The Olmstead decision has had an incredible impact on thousands of Americans with disabilities. One instance revolves around Doug. He is a 41-year old Virginia man with Down syndrome who has serious cognitive disabilities and requires assistance with most daily living activities. He lived at Southeastern Virginia Training Center for 20 years before moving into a group home. While using a wheelchair at SEVTC, he now walks all the time. He also doesn’t have to eat pureed meals anymore. He loves pancakes, chocolate cookies and burgers. His father, James, commented: “…the services being provided have exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds, and Doug is happier and more active than I ever imagined was possible.”

At 47, Michele was struck by a drunk driver and became quadriplegic. After applying for community based services, she was told there were insufficient funds for those, and in order to get those she would have to move into a nursing home for an extended period.  She sued the state of Florida under the ADA and Olmstead, and is now living at home with community-based services. “Olmstead allowed me to stay at home versus being forced to be institutionalized. To be able to remain in the community means all the difference in the world. It gives me the freedom to live as normal of a life as I possibly can after my life altering accident.”

Thousands of Americans like Doug and Michele have benefited from the Olmstead decision.

Though not a tangible legislative impact, ADA gave hope to a new generation of young people with disabilities. This new generation has high expectations, as they continue to break down barriers. For instance, a Yale Medical School student became the first to complete the Ivy League medical school program as a wheelchair user in 2000. 

This is an excerpt from a piece written by Sierra Gregg, a brilliant Computer Science major and intern at the Office of Presidential Libraries:

“I was born visually impaired one year after the signing of the ADA. I have grown up in a world where my visual impairment is not a hindrance to my success, only a characteristic of who I am. The ADA has made it possible for me to get the help I need to work toward my academic and professional goals.”

Disability is getting its voice heard in Hollywood too. In my previous blog, I mentioned the activism of rising young actor RJ Mitte. He is currently trailblazing for disability rights in the entertainment industry as the passionate spokesperson for IAMPWD, the Screen Actors Guild’s campaign to fight casting discrimination in Hollywood.

Today, individuals with disabilities have more political visibility than ever.

But as we celebrate the wide-reaching effects of this great bill, we need to acknowledge that there is still a great deal of work to be done regarding disability policy. We can still track violations of equal employment opportunity laws. Disabled people everywhere say they still suffer discrimination and maltreatment. Stay tuned for the next article as to how we can change this!

References:

“Barden v. Sacramento.” http://www.dralegal.org/cases/public_entities/barden_v_sacramento.php.

“From the Archives: A Landmark Moment for Americans with Disabilities.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/26/archives-landmark-moment-americans-disabilities.

“Olmstead v LC and EW Landmark Case.” http://www.atlantalegalaid.org/impact.htm.

“Faces of Olmstead.” http://www.ada.gov/olmstead/faces_of_olmstead.htm.

A man named Doug gave me a tour of the Museum that paints the bitter realities of how those with “differences” have been viewed throughout history. They were known as “imbeciles” “idiots” and “morons” more recently than we would like to admit. It is hard to imagine these terms were once freely tossed around in educated social circles and/or were seen as politically correct. But even with this unvarnished view of history…some aspects of the tour stood out like fine lines of sunlight fighting their way through tight blinds. There were the occasional sports heroes and I learned the hand signals in baseball were germinated from the first hearing-impaired player around the start of the last century. Furthermore, there were a nice number of individuals who decided that they could not live with the miserable realities that clung to “their kind.” I witnessed historical examples of individuals who really played the horrible hand they were dealt in this life. Some people with disabilities found their niche. Those with dwarfism ended up posing as fantastical creatures in movies like “The Wizard of Oz” and even had shows to raise money for their conditions. I have some faith they were very happy while playing the hand they were dealt. The exhibit also talks about those who were exiled from their communities and even deported from this country out of fear their imbecility would contaminate the normal population’s gene pool! I am sure there was a lot of bullying during those days and it would take another museum to do it justice.

Bullying is a merciless reality for so many individuals these days and it is especially tenacious for those individuals who suffer from disabilities. We have evolved in society so that someone with a very noticeable physical or intellectual disability is not tormented. We were taught better than that in early childhood. You know? Don’t stare at someone with a disability! And how dare you laugh at that man in the wheelchair? You know better. But what about that grey area where someone just seems like a kook or is abnormal? Maybe they have a disability or are just downright weird? But the purpose of my visit to Buffalo was not to determine who deserves to be made fun of and who is entitled to be left alone. As is the case in all of my presentations, I try to emphasize bullying is a disabling misery that leaves newly-disabled individuals in its wake!

The auditorium at the University of Buffalo was vast enough to accommodate hundreds of attendees. They started off the night by screening the movie “Bully” that paints a brutal and somewhat-hopeless portrait of schoolyard torment. It is haunting and now I understand why most theatres refused to show it. People tend to flock to the movies to escape their troubles. But “Bully” has the effect of making you relive the horrors of junior high school. The main subject in the movie is a painfully-awkward child named, Alex Hopkins, with oversized lips. He is one of the survivors, however. One of the most wrenching scenes involves a child in a casket who has given up in the worst way possible. There was really only one way to end the abuse…

The movie is not possible to describe in a blog entry because it is too painful. It was a terrible movie because there was no ending that gives a semblance of hope of this epidemic ever getting better. Perhaps this is the whole point because it is time for us to finally write our own ending! My subsequent speech was received with modest applause and minimal book sales (compared to the other presentations), but it was the only time when I did not mind so much. The night was all about the movie and I believe the audience was too emotionally-drained to stand up and cheer. I would like to thank the Weinstein Company, the kids depicted in the movie, and all those involved who made us want to rise that particular night. The greatest lesson I learned from “Bully” is how “Apathy is the glove in which evil slips its hand.” Therefore, it is time to rise!

The 8^th Annual disABILITIES Film Festival and Speaker Series on October 4, 2012, hosted by the Museum of disABILITY History and People Inc., turned out to be a night to remember! We packed the house! Our attendance was nearly 500.

After some mingling and light refreshments in the lobby, we all headed to the Mainstage Theatre at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts. The feature film was Bully, directed by award-winning and esteemed documentarian Lee Hirsch. This touching documentary film focused on the issue of bullying in America, capturing the devastation done to middle and high school kids and the collateral damage done to their families.

It was a clarion call for people to unite against bullying; an “epidemic” that has caused suicides of great kids who were mercilessly tormented with violence, hateful language and neglect. And unfortunately, bullying is an issue that has been not been substantially addressed by the vast majority of school administrators. Many administrators have the perspective that bullying is a “rite of passage” or that it’s “just part of growing up.” But the emotional damage done to kids like Alex, 12 who just wanted a friend, and Kelby, 16 who was ostracized for her sexual orientation, brings serious doubt to such dismissals. I could tell by sitting in the middle of the audience that people were indignant about the plight of our children during school hours and their bus rides home.

After the sobering but hopeful message of the film, our main speaker, Jesse Saperstein, took to the stage. He is an author, activist, and motivational speaker who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism.

Jesse was charismatic, funny, and daring during his talk. While peppering his presentation with humor and witticisms, he also shared some dark moments. He told his own story about bullying. He told a vivid story of a girl he met on the web that he fell in love with. They exchanged emails and chat on AOL Instant Messenger. It brightened up his world to chat with her and gave him cause to wake up in the morning. Until one day the emails and the IMs stopped; as Jesse eventually discovered that he had been the butt of a cruel prank. There was no such girl. It was all a lie and he was the laughing stalk. One thing he stressed was that bullying doesn’t stop after secondary school; it just takes a different form. Upon entering college, Jesse wanted very badly to have a prom date. After asking several women on campus to go out with him, he was eventually known around campus as the weird “Sketchy Jesse.” This hurt him tremendously. Thus, he was keen in emphasizing that one of the bigger ongoing battles of his life includes being misunderstood and prejudged by society. But despite his battle with Asperger’s, he keeps his head high and moves forward, loving people along the way, sharing positive morsels of wisdom he has learned along his journey. It is a higher calling for all of us.

Upon meeting and talking with Jesse, you will quickly learn that he is one of the most sincere, humble, loving people you will ever meet. He values and cherishes connection and relationships with people. And despite being the author of a best-selling book and giving scores of presentations to hundreds of people across the country, he will authentically invite you to add him as a friend on Facebook!

Our team had the privilege of spending some time with him before the disABILITIES Film Fest, as he paid a visit to the Museum of disABILITY History! In the topphoto, L-R, Curator Douglas Platt, Museum Director Tess Fraser and Jesse. In the bottom photo, you can see Jesse taking a tour of the Museum with Douglas.

In 1908, the Buffalo Psychiatric Hospital opened the Lakeside Colony on property rented from the L.A. Dwight family in Wilson, NY. The Colony operated for a little over 4 years and consisted of thirty-three acres, a stone house and farm buildings in the Roosevelt Beach area of Wilson NY. With frontage on both Lake Ontario and Twelve Mile Creek, the Wilson farm provided the patients from Buffalo State Hospital recreation in the form of swimming, fishing, gardening, farming and outings to the nearby small village of Wilson, NY.

It was reported in the 22^nd Annual Report to the State Commission in Lunacy, 1909-1910, that 44 patients were housed at the Colony. Also in this year, the farm produced crops valued at $733.98, much of which was sent to the main Buffalo Hospital for use.

In 1909 the farm was open the whole year to ease overcrowding at the Buffalo Hospital and 77 men and 74 women were housed at the Colony.

The hospital sent some of its convalescent patients to the Wilson farm for two weeks at a time during summer months, where they would stay in the old stone house. It was believed that escaping from Buffalo to the fresh country air afforded great benefit, “giving a place where the eye is not stopped in its outward look by the grim walls of factories, or in its upward search by the smoke of a great city.” The convalescent patients were able to “do as they like and the fresh air and liberty do them more good than anything else could…the percentage of cures among these patients has been most gratifying and the evident of all very marked.” It was considered a successful experiment.

Mentioned in the 40^th Annual Report of the Buffalo State Hospital reports was the high number of patients who found permanent employment in the nearby fruit farms. Also in this report, it was suggested that the farm not be purchased because the area was growing and it no longer would be a quiet retreat.

The State Hospital tried for years to get permission from NY State to purchase the property for $6500 but it was never approved. In 1913, the farm was sold to a private owner and the Buffalo State Hospital Annex in Wilson, NY closed.

References:

1. State of New York, State Commission in Lunacy, 22^nd Annual Report, 10/1/1909 – 9/30/1910
2. 14^th Annual Report of the Buffalo State Hospital to the State Commission in Lunacy, year ending 9/30/1910.
3. Public Papers of Charles E. Hughes, Governor 1910
4. Dept. of Commerce and Labor Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910.
5. Tonawanda Evening News, North Tonawanda, Friday April, 8, 1910

 Thank you to the Niagara County, NY Historical Society and Asst. Director, Ann Marie Linnabery.