A Conversation with Tom Olin & Jim Ward

Guests

Description:

Dr. Peter Blanck sits down with photographer Tom Olin and with Jim Ward, president of the Coalition for Disability Rights and Justice, in a discussion of the history of disability rights and where the disability rights movement is today. They talk about disability activism in the years leading up to and following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

Mr. Olin and Mr. Ward discuss ongoing efforts to transform disability rights into disability justice and agree that these two ideas aren’t as far apart as we think. They also point out that people with invisible disabilities face a unique form of discrimination and ableism, arguing that fixing these issues begins with focusing on the lived experiences of people with disabilities.

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Summary

• A discussion of the history of disability rights and where the disability rights movement is today.
• They talk about disability activism in the years leading up to and following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
• The ongoing efforts to transform disability rights into disability justice and that these two ideas aren’t as far apart as we think.
• People with invisible disabilities face a unique form of discrimination and ableism,
• Fixing these issues begins with focusing on the lived experiences of people with disabilities.

More about Tom Olin, social documentarian

Tom has been a social documentarian for more than four decades, primarily capturing the unfolding history of much of the Disability Rights Movement. Tom has spent his life in the grassroots, building an incredible collection of iconic photos of our historic struggle for civil rights and inclusion. Tom was instrumental in the “The Road To Freedom: Keeping the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)”, a yearlong, cross-country bus tour and traveling exhibit promoting the civil rights of people with disabilities and advocating for passage of the ADA Restoration Act of 2007.