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US History: Changemakers (2025): Disability Rights Movement

Resources on key changemakers .

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Photo by Rosefirerising. flickr. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Overview of the History of Special Education

Special Education: The 50-Year Fight for the Right to Learn

Ed Roberts & Judy Heumann

Ed Roberts, Judy Heumann, & the Disability Rights Movement

Berkeley disability activists took cues from the civil rights era — and sparked a national movement (KALW)
Includes audio.
Ed Roberts’ Wheelchair Records a Story of Obstacles Overcome (Smithsonian Magazine)
Disability History: The Disability Rights Movement
30 Years After a Landmark Disability Law, the Fight for Access and Equality Continues

Deaf Advocates

Deaf Rights Advocates

How Deaf Advocates Won the Battle for Closed Captioning and Changed the Way Americans Watch TV
Malcolm J. Norwood, Father of Closed Captioning
Interview with Dr. Malcolm J. Norwood (24:54)
Video
Community Self-Determination and Civil Rights
Archived link. May be slow to load.

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