Kudos to:

Jane Campbell of London, the Co-Director of Britain's National Center for Independent Living, has been awarded an MBE in the recent Queen's Birthday Honors, in recognition of her services to people with disabilities. Campbell is well-known on both sides of the Atlantic for her innovative approach to development of training courses in equity issues.....Mary Lou Breslin, a founder of the U.S. Disability Rights and Education Fund, received in July a Paul Hearne award in celebration of her more than 30 years dedication to the disability rights movement. Breslin, who teaches a graduate course in international disability activities at the University of San Francisco, has been responsible for some of the more insightful progress reports on implementation of the ADA and other U.S. disability legislation.....Dr. Amir Majid, reader in public international law at the London Guildhall University, has been appointed as adviser to Margaret Hodge, Britain's Minister for Disabled People. Dr. Majid was the first blind person to practice as a barrister in the UK and, according to the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation, is the first person in the world to achieve the dual qualification of barrister and doctor of civil law.......

Tom Hoopengarder is the new coordinator of the World Bank's disability group and manager of its Social Protection Disability Team. An economist, he succeeds Louise Fox, who will be moving to China. In its announcement, the Bank stated, "In the next several months Tom will be reaching out to develop strategic partnerships, "commenting as well that awareness of disability issues and their importance had increased among Bank staff......Colin Barnes has just been awarded a Chair at Leeds University as professor of Disability Studies. As noted by Mark Priestly of the Leeds Disability Research Unit in his announcement, this is "a considerable and well-earned achievement, both for Colin and for Disability Studies.".......Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, a deaf woman, was elected to the Parliament of South Africa in June, and she took her swearing-in oath in sign language.  Read more about Newhoudt-Druchen's career and plans to improve life for deaf South Africans in the Governance section of this issue of disabilityworld.....

Mr. Deng Pufang, leader of the Chinese Disabled Persons Federation, and a delegation visited the South Africa disability community late last year and a reciprocal visit by a South African delegation was planned for June.......Bert Massie is Chairman of the newly-founded UK Disability Rights Commission which began operations in April, and you can read more about this government body in the disabilityworld Governance section.......Heidi Van Arnem, who was just named one of the 25 most powerful women on the internet, has opened what may be the first disability dot.com owned by a woman: www.icanonline.com In a press release inviting readers to contact her directly (Hvanarnem@icanonline.net), Van Arnem points out that her 16 years as a quadriplegic have taught her how valuable it is to connect with others and locate the right resources and is determined to provide this opportunity for others through the 15 channels of her website.

........and speaking of women's achievements, the big news of summer 2000 in the USA was the awarding of a MacArthur "genius grant" to Susan Sygall, founder and director of Mobility International USA, a group working to improve the access of disabled students and adults to international exchange and study programs. Laura Hershey did a great interview with Susie at www.cando.com and more biographical details are available in the women's section of disabilityworld. As far as we know, Sygall is the first woman to receive a MacArthur for disability-related work. To read about the MacArthur Foundation, go to www.macfdn.org  Reportedly, filming starts this summer of the life of John Callahan, a disabled cartoonist who calls himself "the AntiQuad."  Robin Williams will play the part of Callahan, who has several books of his cartoons in print.
 

ADA+10

As we go to "press"with this June-July issue, the U.S. disabilitybuzz is loudest from Washington, D.C. Normally in summer, life in D.C. becomes increasingly soporific as the semi-tropical heat envelops the place President Kennedy described as having "Northern charm and Southern efficiency." But, starting this week and building towards July 26, the entire city will be taken over with events and celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. President Clinton has announced that the White House will hold its ADA event at the memorial for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The next issue of disabilityworld will report on the outcomes of these events, ranging from demonstrations and rallies about ADA backlash, to international seminars planned for this autumn. Beginning in Houston earlier this summer, a burning Torch has been relayed from one city to another by disability activists, to conclude at the United Nations in New York late July.
 

Disability History Corner

David Braddock has put together a beautifully illustrated, first class booklet on "The Archives and Library on Disability" of the Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago. The archive grew out of Prof. Braddock's professional library and the collection now contains a catalogued inventory of over 12,000 books, manuscripts and non-print materials. The collection covers three areas of study: 1) Mental Disability, 2) Physical and Sensory Disability and 3) General Disability Studies.

Shown here is the cover of "The Opal,"1856, magazine edited by the patients of the State Lunatic Asylum, Utica, New York.
 

The Mental Disability section contains over 8000 documents and non-print materials, divided into two components: mental retardation and developmental disabilities; and mental health/illness. This includes a collection of "Asylum Reports" dating back to 1848. The Mental Health/Illness section includes 2000 documents, including journals in English and French dating back to 1829. The Physical and Sensory Disability area contains approximately 800 books and related documents, in three collections: blindness, deafness and physical disability. Early works include a first edition of Daniel Defoe's 1720 publication, The History of the Life and Adventures of Mr. Duncan Campbell. This is believed to be the first novel in English literature in which the leading character is deaf.

Details: Department of Disability and Human Development, the University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608. Tel 312 413 1647; tty 312 413 0453; fax 312 413 1630; email braddock@uic.edu; web www.uic.edu/depts/idhd/archives