The Impactful Advocacy of Paul Dick
June 2020
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Did you get a chance to catch up with the Heinz History Center for a #HistoryLunchBreak on Twitter on June 5? If you did, we hope you enjoyed reading about the life of Paul Dick. Along with his wife, Holly, Paul led advocacy efforts for accessible transportation in Allegheny County. You can read the Twitter thread here.
More information on Paul and Holly Dick and their important work is available at the Detre Library and Archives. In addition, the Consortium has been working with the Heinz History Center and other partners on a short film about Paul’s life. The film is due to be released this summer in time for the ADA thirtieth anniversary in July. Look for more information on the film soon!
The donation of the Paul and Holly Dick collection to the Heinz History Center was made possible through the work of Holly Dick, and through partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium.
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ADA Thirtieth Anniversary Celebrations
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ADA 30 logo in red and blue featuring symbols representing people with disabilities. Text reads: 'ADA for Allegheny County and Pittsburgh - ADA30 Americans with Disabilities Act 1990-2020: Thirty Years Strong.'
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The thirtieth anniversary of the historic signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act is coming up on July 26! You can learn about the act’s passage and local accessibility efforts on the Fisa Foundation website. In addition, ACHIEVA is in the process of compiling a book collecting personal statements telling of the impact the ADA has had on people’s lives.
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Pennsylvania State symbol in bright green with a front facing strong fist in white with a circle surrounding it. Words in alternate colors of white and royal blue say Disability Pride Virtual PA, Celebrating 30th Anniversary of the ADA.
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Disability Pride Philadelphia expands annual celebration
Disability Pride Philadelphia is celebrating the ADA anniversary virtually with a variety of events from June 27 through July 26. This annual celebration has been expanded to include all of Pennsylvania! Registration is free and virtual programming will be accessible. A schedule of the month’s events is here.
Disability Pride Virtual PA 2020 will include a film and discussion event co-sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium. “Learning from History and the ADA: Beyond the Walls of the Institution” explores the history of institutionalization, current issues in community-based services, and advocacy to close the remaining institutions in Pennsylvania.
The event features “From Wrongs to Rights,” a short video exploring Western Pennsylvania advocacy that exposed issues in Pennsylvania state institutions. This film and two others -- “i go home” and “Valuing Lives: Wolf Wolfensberger and the Principle of Normalization”-- will be available to view from June 27 through July 26 via the Disability Pride Virtual PA website.
A facilitated discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, from 4:30 to 5:30pm ET. Invited participants include self-advocate Brenda Dare, independent living project manager for Transitional Paths to Independent Living, and Nancy Thaler, former deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs.
Event co-sponsors are the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, the Pennhurst Memorial & Preservation Alliance, and ADA 30 Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
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Pennsylvania COVID-19 Resources
AID in PA has released guides for family members and caregivers “designed to provide a road map for families and caregivers to determine their loved ones strengths and needs when it comes to being ready to go back into the community.” The road map and its accompanying list of resources break the transition process into domains, including physical health, mental and behavioral health, and whether an individual wishes to return to the community at large.
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In the News
Disability Rights Pennsylvania shared news of movements toward justice in policing currently taking place in Pennsylvania’s legislature as of June 9. Read these updates in the Advocacy Matters news release here and learn about the #BlackDisabledLivesMatter march.
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Bridget Malley has worked with the Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium as a Preservation Scholar since January 2019. She currently serves as a steering committee member with the Society of American Archivists’ Accessibility and Disability Section.
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ADA 30 Logo in red and blue featuring symbols representing people with disabilities. Text reads: 'ADA for Allegheny County & Pittsburgh - ADA30 Americans with Disabilities Act 1990-2020: 30 Years Strong.'
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Have you taken our survey?
SURVEY
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If you haven't taken our survey yet, please do. The Consortium serves as a clearinghouse for records and artifacts that tell the story of disability rights history and activism in Western Pennsylvania.
If you know of such items or information, we'd like to add them to the listings on our website. If you need help preserving them, we can help with that too.
Contact us at info@wpdhac.org.
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