On November 2nd, on the occasion the virtual talk given by Hollis Peirce and Dominique Marshall on “The Progression of Disability Rights on Ottawa,” for the series #BeyondBytown organised by the Bytown Museum, the Carleton University Disability Research Group launched the virtual exhibit “Oral Histories of Disability Rights Activists.” It can be found here (https://carleton.ca/disability-research-group/our-exhibits/), on the recently revamped website of the CUDRG.
Hollis Peirce, MA alumnus from the Department of History, acted as consultant for the twelve oral histories, as did Sandy Barron, PhD alumnus. We interviewed Roy Hanes, who is Adjunct Professor in the Department and a long time disability activist, as well Ke Wang, who prototyped the “Contactless” technology on the Paterson Hall elevator, at the invitation of the CUDRG, before it was adopted at Pearson Airport during – and because of – the pandemic. I was co-PI, together with Therese Jennissen from the School of Social Work. We would all be glad to talk to you, if you were interested to write a story.
The making of the project is also described in an article published last Spring, to which three more Department’s allies contributed, Accessibility Institute Research Coordinator Ryan Patterson (CI), Beth Robertson, PhD graduate and Adjunct Professor, and Carleton archivist Chris Trainor, also Adjunct Professor:
Jennissen, Therese, Dominique Marshall, Chris Trainor, and Beth Robertson. 2023. “Creating, Archiving and Exhibiting Disability History: The Oral Histories of Disability Activists of the Carleton University Disability Research Group”. First Monday 28 (1).