All Blog Posts
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 …
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 g…
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 con…
Home Run for William “Dummy” Hoy
March 8, 2012
By Reid Dunlavey, Contributor
With Major League Baseball clubs reporting for spring training it got me thinking again about William “Dummy” Hoy (1862-1961). He was a baseball player who was deaf and played in four different major leagues from 1886 until 1902. He had a stint with the Cincinnati Reds and a year in Buffalo, New York playing with Hall of Fame catcher Connie Mack.
Some credit Hoy with the development of hand signals for safe and out calls because he couldn’t hear w…
Dr. Platt H. Skinner - Early Educator, Advocate, and Abolitionist
February 2, 2012
By Reid Dunlavey, Contributor Dr. Platt Henry Skinner. Photo courtesy of Gallaudet University
Conducting research on forgotten events and people that have impacted disability history can be difficult and at the same time very rewarding. This is the case in regards to a little known educator named Platt H. Skinner. In 1858 Skinner opened his “School for the Instruction of the Colored Deaf, Dumb and Blind” in what is today Niagara Falls, New York near the Suspension Bridge that crossed the b…
Sharing Noah's Story
January 26, 2012
By Nicole Forgione, Contributor When I was asked to do this week’s blog, I did not know what to write about at first, but a thought quickly came to mind. Since I manage the Facebook pages for People Inc. (www.facebook.com/peopleinc) and the Museum of disABILITY History (www.facebook.com/museumofdisability), it was brought to my attention the many national stories that were recently in the news about a young boy with Down syndrome who was in a Target ad. The news featured Rick Smith of NoahsD…
Comics Enter The Fight Against Polio Part 2
January 13, 2012
By David LoTempio, Contributor (With assistance from Steven Bennett for additional research) The 1940s were a dangerous and nervous time in America, and not just because of World War II. The nation experienced cyclical and increasingly widespread epidemics of polio during this period. While most people exposed to the virus would fully recover, the disease’s dramatic ability to paralyze or kill the infected left a profound fear through the country. The National Foundation for Infantile Paralys…