Update of “Oral histories of activists in the disability rights movement between 1970 and 2020”
October 2021
It’s been one year since the “Oral histories of activists in the disability rights movement between 1970 and 2020” project has launched. This project is umbrellaed under Carleton University’s Disability Research Group (CUDRG) and is directed by Dr. Therese Jennissen, from the School of Social Work and Dr. Dominique Marshall from the Department of History.
With a short summer break, the project is ongoing. Figure 1 shows how we will progress in this project.
Figure 1: CUDRG Project Journey
To date, eleven participants have been interviewed to share their lived experiences and the importance of advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. Considering pandemic restrictions and the geographic location of our participants, we conducted interviews via Zoom, connecting via interviews with activists across the country. Methodologically, we conducted interviews one-to-one and in pairs. There were distinct benefits in conducting oral history interviews in pairs, as it provided discussion-based interviews and promoted participant storytelling. Participants shared stories that linked their personal experiences of disability and experiences in disability activism to historical, social, and political contexts. Consultant Hollis Peirce, author of Academic Accessibility: A Case Study of Carleton University from a Physically Disabled Perspective, 1942 – 2019[JvR1] , continues to be integral in co-interviewing. We are also happy to welcome our newest team member, Sandy Baron. Sandy Barron received his PhD in History from Carleton University in 2021. He is a lecturer in History at Collège Universal in Gatineau, Quebec. He is currently at work transforming his dissertation on deaf education and politics in Western Canada into a biography on R.J.D. Williams (1894-1973), a deaf activist in Saskatchewan.
Want to know more about some of our interviews? Here are previews into three of our participants:
Dr. Nancy Hansen was interviewed on February 18, 2021 by Margaret Janse van Rensburg. She is an Associate Professor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Disability Studies at the University of Manitoba. She has been actively involved with various Canadian disability groups for many years. She is co-editor of the Routledge History of Disability and Untold Stories: A Canadian Disability History Reader.
Dr. Roy Hanes was interviewed on March 2, 2021 by Margaret Janse van Rensburg. He was integral in developing the idea for this project as a recent retiree from Carleton University’s School of Social Work. He has over forty years in experience and expertise working with and for disabled people, being involved in disability rights organizing since 1984.
Traci Walters was interviewed on March 19, 2021, and April 6, 2021, by Margaret Janse van Rensburg. Traci Walters was the National Director of Independent Living Canada from 1993 – 2010 and is a celebrated disability rights activist who has worked in the Independent Living Movement throughout her life.
We identified some initial themes, you can check them here in Blog 2. The team has conducted and will continue to collect histories of disability activists through organizing and recording interviews. Thanks to new funding, we will conduct interviews related to disability activism at Carleton University. We will share stories and findings through presentations, publications, and a virtual exhibit. We will make the interviews accessible through Carleton University’s Archives and Special Collections for you to explore. These materials will allow for the continuation of the disability rights movement. Activists have done a lot of work; however, the movement is ongoing!We want to thank Dr. Adrian Chan and Kelly Fritsch for further monetary support with this project, in addition to the initial funds from the School of Social Work and the Faculty of Public Affairs.