All Blog Posts
The World as it Could Be – Part Two
July 18, 2012
By Brie Kishel, Contributor School districts across New York State are scrambling to implement anti-bullying programs in order to conform to the “Dignity for All Students Act” (DASA). The legislation requires school districts to protect their students by prohibiting the harassment and discrimination of any student, reporting all bullying incidents that occur and enforcing swift and severe consequences for bullying behavior. As a result of this legislation, both students and staff are being taug…
The Niagara County Almshouse Cemetery
June 22, 2012
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor Surrounded by a thorny thicket of nearly impenetrable foliage, the Niagara County Almshouse Cemetery sits on a remote hill in Lockport, NY. Here lie the remains of approximately 1,400 people who lived and died at the almshouse from 1830 until 1916. As one walks up the path to approach the cemetery, songbirds chatter in the treetops. Densely overgrown bristly shrubs sit to the left of the path while an open grassy field is on the right. The taller treed area o…
Teaching American History through Cemeteries
June 14, 2012
By Reid Dunlavey, Contributor On June 4, 2012, I had the opportunity to give a presentation to 25 elementary teachers at Forest Lawn Cemetery. There were five presenters and we all had to use the cemetery as a teaching tool in our presentations. This was not an easy task. My first thought was how or even why would an elementary teacher use death and a cemetery to teach history? After thinking about whom of significance was buried there and if any of those people had any impact on children and s…
The World as it Could Be – Part One
May 10, 2012
By Brie Kishel, Contributor It is a topic that is hard to ignore. Not only because it has been prominent on television and in the newspaper, but because of the vast influence of social networking sites within the past decade. Bullying has escalated from being a social injustice that took place mainly on the playground or in graffiti written on the bathroom stall to cyber bullying, a new form of attack which provides an arena for a bully to publicly humiliate their victim to thousands of bystand…
The Underground Railroad in Niagara Falls
May 4, 2012
By Bradford Watts, Contributor The Underground Railroad occupies a central place in American history and folklore. The “railroad” refers to the routes followed by brave African American individuals who escaped from slavery during the mid-nineteenth century, as well as the people, networks, places and structures that collectively provided for and supported their efforts to gain their freedom. Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area c…
In the News
April 27, 2012
Compiled by Nicole Forgione, Contributor There are many news articles and blogs about disability related issues. Here are some recent ones of interest to check out. What are some of your favorite disability related blogs you visit often? Where do you get your disability related news from? Let us know in the comments section. Thanks! CNN Health: A heart shattered by a glimpse into autism http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/16/health/autism-homeless-man/index.html CNN U.S.: Down syndrome student fights …
Kryptonite
April 19, 2012
By Douglas Platt, Museum Curator We all probably have a weakness, a soft-spot or Achilles’ heel; something that renders us vulnerable ….it’s our kryptonite. Even Superman, who could change the course of mighty rivers and bend steel in his bare hands, has his….well, kryptonite. The Museum’s collection contains “The Super-Panhandler of Metropolis” (Action Comics No. 396 -1971) which has a futuristic “1990s” storyline that features Superman/Clark Kent “powerless in a wheelchair” and hounded by ga…
The Find
March 16, 2012
By Douglas Platt, Museum Curator One aspect of building and overseeing the collection for the Museum of disABILITY History is what I call “The Find.” It is the moment when you realize that a recent acquisition has expanded the breadth and depth of the collection exponentially. My most recent “Find” arrived in a photograph album. The Museum recently acquired a dark brown photo album, bound with a brown shoe-lace. Upon opening the album, the first two photos were 7 x10 inch photographs of a conc…