Marlboro College celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a series of events during the first week of November. Events included film screenings, talks, and discussions, as well as a campus-wide action on November 5 where community members spent a full day using walkers, wheelchairs, and other assistive devices.
“As a faculty member with a disability who is also a professional actress and writer, the anniversary of the ADA is a timely reminder of the need to create cultural awareness of diversity and opportunities for people with disabilities,” said Brenda Foley, Marlboro theater and gender studies professor. She is currently undertaking a research project and play, titled Forever Unknown, which responds to the need for artists with disabilities to write and perform their own historical representation.
Disability rights advocate Sarah Launderville (Vermont Council on Independent Living) led a special, community-wide discussion during “dedicated hour,” and Deborah Lisi-Baker (Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, University of Vermont) shared her perspectives on inclusion. There were screenings of Lives Worth Living, a documentary on the disability rights movement (pictured), and Disability Liberated, a work by the performance artist group Sins Invalid on disability and prisons.
