On this day in disability history.
September 13th, 1956 -- Geri Jewell, the first
person with a disability (cerebral palsy) to have a regular role on a
prime-time television series, is born. She is best known as Cousin Geri on the
NBC sitcom “The Facts of Life.” She began her career doing standup
comedy at the Comedy Store in California in 1978. In 1980 she performed at the
2nd annual Media Access Awards, when she was introduced to Norman Lear by
producer Fern Field. After her groundbreaking role on “Facts,” she
appeared on such shows as “The Great Space Coaster,” “Sesame
Street,” “21 Jump Street,” “The Young and the
Restless,” “Strong Medicine,” the HBO hit series
“Deadwood” and the Emmy Award-winning movie “Two of a
Kind.” In January 2009 she was the main entertainment, alongside dancer
Bill Shannon, at the Disability Power & Pride Ball, part of the inaugural
activities for President Barack Obama.
September 16th, 2008 -- The U.S. Paralympic
wheelchair rugby team wins the gold medal in Beijing. The U.S. team defeated
Australia 53-44 in the championship match. The victory eased the sting of a
loss to Canada in the semifinals in Athens, Greece, in 2004, a story documented
in the movie “Murderball.” The 2005 film was nominated for Best
Documentary Feature at the 78th Academy Awards.
October 6th, 2000 -- "CSI" debuts on the CBS
television network featuring disabled actor Robert David Hall, starring as
coroner Dr. Albert Robbins. Hall made his usage of Canadian crutches a key
feature of his portrayal. In 1978, Hall had to have both of his legs amputated
as a result of an accident in which an 18-wheel truck crushed his car. The
accident also caused the gasoline tank of the car to explode, causing burns
over 65% of his body. He now uses prosthetic limbs. He is a prominent advocate
for disabled Americans and is on the board of directors of the National
Organization on Disability.
October 18th, 1932 -- Hugh Gregory Gallagher,
“grandfather of the disability rights movement,” is born. In late
adolescence, Gallagher developed polio and would rely on a wheelchair for
mobility. He wrote the definitive biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
titled “FDR's Splendid Deception,” which chronicled the disabled life
FDR hid with help from the press during his time as president. He was a strong
advocate for the statue of FDR in a wheelchair that was eventually displayed in
Washington, D.C. He was instrumental in the passage of the 1968 Architectural
Barriers Act.
October 24th, 2008 -- The Fred Fay Advanced
Leadership Forum holds its first meeting, hosted by the Boston Center for
Independent Living. The purpose of the forum, named after one of BCIL’s
founders and a longtime leader in national disability advocacy, was to bring
current leaders of the disability rights movement together with the emerging
generation of leaders to plan the movement's future direction. The forum's goal
was to give participants the background, training, information and expertise
that they could use in advocating for disability rights. A position letter
summarizing the participants’ thoughts was distributed to national
disability rights organizations with the goals of generating dialogue on
relevant issues and broadening the scope and impact of the disability rights
movement.
October 28th, 1914 -- Jonas Salk, best known for
his discovery and development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, is
born in New York City. After Salk, a medical researcher and virologist,
developed his vaccine, mass trials held in 1953 on 1,830,000 children proved
its efficacy. The vaccine was introduced in 1955. Salk received many honors,
including a Congressional gold medal for his "great achievement in the field of
medicine."
-- Compiled from various sources by Mike
Reynolds |
