Guests: Tom Olin, Photographer and Social Documentarian
Jim Ward, former Director of Public Policy at the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, as well as founder and president of the Coalition for Disability Rights and Justice
Host: Peter Blanck, Ph.D., J.D., Chairman, Burton Blatt Institute, University Professor, Syracuse University
Recording Date: June 28, 2022
Archive: A Conversation with Tom Olin and Jim Ward
Contents
About the 504@50 Podcast Series
504@50 is a special interview series created in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In the series, we speak with leaders of the disability rights movement who advance the cause of equal rights through their tireless work.
The 504@50 Series is produced by the Southeast ADA Center, the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University and in collaboration with the Disability Inclusive Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. Check out the Section 504@50 website at section504at50.org
About This Episode
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.
Learn More about Tom Olin and His Work
Note: All videos listed below are captioned and all podcasts include transcripts.
- Tom Olin Collection
Tom Olin has taken photos of the disability rights movement in the U.S. since 1984.
Link: tomolincollection.com - RespectAbility Interviews Photographer and Activist Tom Olin
[Video: 49 minutes, 24 seconds]
Source: RespectAbility (December 13, 2022)
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=pN7liRJ6I34 - Podcast: What’s Up WID: The Role of Artists in Disability Activism | Listen | American Sign Language Video | Transcripts
Tom Olin, a photographer and disability activist, discusses the role of artists in disability activism and the importance of community organizing. Watch video with American Sign Language (ASL) and read transcripts on the website. [Audio: 49 minutes, 42 seconds]
Source: World Institute on Disability (WID) (September 24, 2021)
Link: wid.org/whats-up-wid-the-role-of-artists-in-disability-activism - ADA 30 – A Virtual Look Back with Tom Olin Photos
[Video: 1 hour, 13 minutes]
Source: The Ability Center of Greater Toledo (July 16, 2020)
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=PSuVo2jg0Qg - Photographer Tom Olin Talks About His Photos of ADA Battle
[Video: 1 minute, 16 seconds]
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel (May 13, 2015)
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=ijCMIINToxA - Tom Olin, Georgia Disability Community Oral History
[Video: 2 hours, 11 minutes]
Source: Russell Library Oral History (September 23, 2015)
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=NKzkCnIPva8 - Podcast and Transcript: Disability Visibility Project Interview with Tom Olin
Marilyn Golden interviewed Tom Olin for the Disability Visibility Project™ at StoryCorps San Francisco. Tom talks about his work as a photographer at disability rights protests and actions. He also talks about the power of representation, and the kind of impact he hopes to have with his photography. [Audio: 4 minutes, 26 seconds]
Source: Disability Visibility Project (DVP) (November 19, 2014)
Link: disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2017/06/16/dvp-interview-tom-olin-and-marilyn-golden - Article: Tom Olin — Chief Photographer of the ABILITY Movement
Source: Ability Magazine (2007)
Link: abilitymagazine.com/tom-olin-chief-photographer-of-the-ability-movement
Understanding Disability Rights History
- Coalition for Disability Rights and Justice (CDRJ)
Jim Ward is president of this disability-led alliance of disability rights, civil rights and social justice organizations united to defend and strengthen human rights.
Link: cdrj.org - Road to Freedom Bus Tour
The Coalition for Disability Rights and Justice (CDRJ) was one of many organizations that supported the Road to Freedom Bus Tour in 2007-2008.
Link: cdrj.org/home/programs/road-to-freedom - Road to Freedom – Keeping the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Source: Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Link: dredf.org/2006/11/15/road-to-freedom - National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
NDRN works on behalf of the Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&As) and Client Assistance Programs (CAPs), the nation’s largest providers of legal advocacy services for people with disabilities.
Link: ndrn.org - Video: Geraldo Rivera’s 1972 Report, ‘Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace.’
[Captions; 27minutes, 32 seconds]
Note: Search YouTube for “Willowbrook” to find related content.
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=bpVEjzO6Dd0 - A Short History of Justin Dart, Jr., “Father” of the ADA
Source: Center for Disability Rights
Link: cdrnys.org/blog/advocacy/a-short-history-of-justin-dart-jr-father-of-the-ada - Justin Dart Biography
Link: justindart.com/biography - Involuntary Sterilization of Disabled Americans: An Historical Overview
Source: ABC Law Centers (November 6, 2018)
Link: abclawcenters.com/blog/2018/11/06/involuntary-sterilization-of-disabled-americans-an-historical-overview - Not Dead Yet
Link: notdeadyet.org - American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT)
Link: adapt.org - ADA History – In Their Own Words
This video diary of ADA history has three parts: Origins of the ADA, Crafting the Law, and ADA Becomes Law.
Source: Administration for Community Living (ACL)
Link: acl.gov/ada/origins-of-the-ada - Disability Visibility Project Oral History Interviews
Each interview includes an edited audio clip, image description, and text transcript.
Source: Disability Visibility Project (DVP)
Link: disabilityvisibilityproject.com/dvp-interviews - Disability History Museum
Source: Straight Ahead Pictures, Inc.
Link: disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/index.html - Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement Oral History Project
A collection of interviews and other materials exploring the social and political history of the disability movement from the 1960s to the present.
Source: University of California at Berkeley
Link: bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/drilm/index.html - History of the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement
Source: Bancroft Library at University of California Berkeley
Link: berkeley.edu/collections/drilm/index.html - American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities
Source: Bancroft Library at University of California Berkeley
Link: berkeley.edu/collections/drilm/collection/items/accd.html - The History of Disabilities Webinar Series (Parts 1-4)
Accessible audio, video, presentation materials, and transcripts are available. Each webinar is 90 minutes. Note: There is no continuing education credit for archived webinars.
Webinars: Parts 1-4 (2018)
Source: Southeast ADA Center
Link: disabilitywebinars.org/archives/history-of-disabilities
ADA Live Podcasts on Disability Rights History
You can access all ADA Live! episodes with archived audio, accessible transcripts, and resources at ADAlive.org. Listen on the SoundCloud ADA Live! channel at soundcloud.com/adalive.
Source: Southeast ADA Center
- Protection and Advocacy Systems for People with Disabilities | Resources
Note: The resource list for this episode includes many of the groups and topics that Tom Olin and Jim Ward talk about. Episode description: Curt Decker, founder and Executive Director of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) talks about the history of the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) System, important legislation, and current projects.
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-91
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-91-resources - Breaking Barriers for Disability Rights: Historical Reflections with Judy Heumann | Resources
Note: We first spoke with Judy Heumann in June 2020. The June 2020 resource list was updated in July 2022 for our new interview.
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-107
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-107-resources - History and the Future of Disability Rights: A Conversation with Judy Heumann | Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-82
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-82-resource - The ADA Then and Now: Celebrate ADA 30th Anniversary with the Honorable Tony Coelho | Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-83
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-83-resources - The ADA Turns 30. The Future of Disability Rights with Lex Frieden
There is no resource list for this episode.
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-83b - Celebration of the ADA Anniversary – A Conversation with Senator Tom Harkin | Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-70
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-70-resources
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Visit the Section 504@50 website at: section504at50.org
The 504@50 Series is produced by the Southeast ADA Center, the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and in collaboration with the Disability Inclusive Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.