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Muriel LaDuke's third child, Tim, was born in New Albany, Indiana with physical disabilities. A few months after his birth in 1959, a doctor told her not to bother teaching Tim to do anything. When Tim was about five, doctors suggested Muscatatuck.…

“I was like 21 and decided to set down and write a book,” says Melissa. Ever since she was a young child in Lafayette, Indiana, Melissa wanted to write a book about how we are all different in some way or another. Her book is called, “Follow Your…

"Let's wait and see what he can do," is what doctors told Sharon after the birth of her son in the 1980s. Fortunately, Sharon didn't wait around. She searched out services for him and as he got older, she continued to advocate for him by enrolling…

"Costa was one of the most passionate individuals you would ever meet," says Jim Hammond of his friend Costa Miller, former CEO of the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. Jim reflects on Costa's career and the impact he had on the…

Andy Imlay, a part-time stand-up comedian who performs across southern Indiana, shares stories about life, school, and relationships, and using the power of laughter to address common misconceptions about people with disabilities. Andy is from…

“The Arc name is an interesting story in itself,” says John Dickerson of the history of The Arc. It was in the late ‘40s when parents across the country started organizing to discuss opportunities for their children. The first Indiana state…

"I joke with everybody that I take a day, I sit at home with a two-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi and a huge box of tissues and I read all the essays,” recounts Donna about the Attitude Essay Contest. The contest encourages elementary and middle school…

This is a school photo of Betty Louise Williams (1959-2018) in 1974, during her time in junior high school. Betty grew up in Richmond, Indiana in the 1960s and 70s. She became a leader in the self-advocacy movement, serving as president of both…

Mark J. Hublar of New Albany, Indiana on a trip to Washington, D.C. where he met with several members of Congress and attended the National Down Syndrome Congress. The photo was taken by his father, Al Hublar, on February 26, 2009.

"We had legislators who came in and talked to people about how to communicate with a legislator, how to write to legislators." The Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD) had its first Partners in Policymaking graduation class…