All Blog Posts in "Inclusion"
Inclusion: The Joy of Drumming
October 7, 2013
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor In a community called Colony Unzen in Nagasaki prefecture in Japan, people who have conditions that are disabling live in residential homes with the support of professionals and neighbors. While some of these individuals formerly lived in institutions, they are now encouraged to live as independently as possible. Several of them started drumming as a form of rehabilitation and recreation. Through constant practice and training, they formed a professional drum…
Valor Becoming An Officer
September 27, 2013
By Thomas Stearns, Researcher Just a couple of days after contacting author John W. Quinn on Facebook, the Museum of disABILITY History received a signed copy of his autobiography Someone Like Me: An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy. Inside, the title page contained a hand-written message of pure determination: “Work Hard. Never Give Up. Dream Big!”—words that will undoubtedly serve as a powerful source of inspiration to everyone who visits the museum and encounters…
History of a Home
December 28, 2012
By Meghan McMonagle, Contributor You cannot help but be moved when you are confronted with images of old asylums at the Museum of disABILITY History, located in Buffalo, NY. The majestic exteriors poorly represent the deplorable conditions concealed inside for patients who were forced to reside there, removed from participating in society. Asylums have become a part of America’s past; however, parts of our society still resist the integration of people with disabling conditions into their …