All Blog Posts in "New York State"
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…
Early State Schools of New York
November 16, 2011
By Thomas Stearns, Contributor Our publications department at the Museum of disABILITY History is currently in the midst of several fascinating projects. One of which is a book that explores the history behind the first publicly funded institutions of New York State that provided care and education for people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities. *During the era when these institutions were established (1851 – 1912), people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities were generically…
Did you know...
November 2, 2011
By Melissa Royer, Contributor In my quest for information regarding helping services of the past, I have learned many interesting facts relevant to disability history in New York that fuel my interest and pursuit of knowledge in long forgotten days. Did you know… …The first New York State School for people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities was opened in Albany, N.Y. at the former “Bulls Head Tavern.” The year was 1851 and it was known as the Idiot Asylum or the Asylum for Idiots. …