About the Disability Social History Project

The Disability History Project is a community history project and we welcome your participation. This is an opportunity for disabled people to reclaim disability history and determine how to define ourselves and our struggles. People with disabilities have an exciting and rich history that should be shared with the world. (See: Why Study Disability History?)

Please contact us about anything that you would like to see become part of the Disability Social History Project, including your disabled heroes, important events in disability history, and resources. Also, please email regarding any accessibility issues with the website.

Stephen Dias

Stephen Dias was the content producer for the Disability Social History Project. He was a long time disability activist who participated in the Section 504 demonstration in San Francisco in 1977. Stephen collected and archived books, ephemera, and artifacts relating to disability history. He passed away October 17, 2012, leaving two (adopted) daughters with disabilities. We miss him.

A man in a wheelchair holds a poster at his back that says "We shall overcome."
Stephen Dias at the 1977 504 protests at the federal building in San Francisco. Credit Anthony Tusler/About Disability

Patricia Chadwick

Patricia Chadwick is the Disability Social History Project web site producer and designer. She has a web development and broadcast media background. Chadwick has produced radio programs on disability issues, and co-produced the video, “Disabled Women: Visions and Voices from the Fourth World Conference on Women. She writes on media and disability issues and advocates for digital accessibility. Chadwick has written grants for disability history projects and for educating journalists about reporting on disability. See more at Visions & Voices.