The language used to talk about disability is constantly evolving, and this guide makes an effort to reflect the language choice of both established and emerging scholars & activists. We welcome any questions, thoughts or comments about this subject guide at research@chicagohistory.org. Please use "Disability Studies Guide" in the subject line.
The material in CHM collections may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These items are presented as part of the historical record. The Chicago History Museum has an institution-wide initiative to critically consider the language used to describe people and materials, and we invite you to read more about our related projects.
Chicago Hearing Society records [manuscripts]
Call Number: MSS Lot C
Originally founded as the Chicago League for the Hard of Hearing in 1916. The collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, news clippings, and financial records for the organization.
Chicago Special Olympics visual materials, [graphic] approximately 1968-1995, bulk 1980-198
Call Number: 2002.0037 PSM
Black-and-white photographic prints and color photographic copies documenting activities of the Special Olympics in Chicago, primarily in the 1980s, including images of basketball, tee-ball, bowling, gymnastics, swimming, and track and field events at Grant Park and other Chicago parks, as well as medal winners and award ceremonies.
DADvocate City of Chicago Department of Aging and Disability
Call Number: HV1471.C4 D46 OVERSIZE
CHM has volume 1, issue 1. Summer 1985.
Call Number: MSS Lot B
Personal papers of Dr. Robert H. Babcock (1851-1930), a blind Chicago physician.
Misericordia Home for special children news-letter.
Call Number: HV899 .M5
Torch (Spaulding High School).
Call Number: Yrbk Spal HS
The Torch is the yearbook for Spaulding High School, Chicago's first public high school for children with disabilities. It opened in 1908 and graduated its last class in 2004. Chicago History Museum has: 1970; 1972; 1974; 1976; 1977; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984; 1985; 1986; 1987; 1992; 1994; 1996; 1997.
United Charities of Chicago records [manuscript], 1867-1998.
Call Number: MSS Lot U
Correspondence, minutes, bylaws, financial records, annual reports, news clippings, newsletters, radio scripts, statistical and intake reports, manuals, pamphlets, scrapbooks, case files, and other materials of United Charities (UC) relating to older people, economic conditions, ethnic groups, African Americans, camping programs, divorce, employees' organizations, legal aid, mental disabilities, social services, children, and unmarried mothers in Chicago.
Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list. Disability services and the disability community's history is indelibly part of Chicago's history, so, in addition to these resources, know that books and collections about general Chicago history should also contain information about people with disabilities. Unfortunately, they (and other marginalized communities) are often misrepresented or unfairly excluded from the discussion, a concept known as archival silence.
Chicago Wheelchair Travel Accessibility Guide
This guide details the accessibility of Chicago's sidewalks, tourist attractions, taxis, hotels, and more for people who use wheelchairs.
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities - Accessibility Compliance
Institution Images
CHM has digital and/or print photographs of multiple mental health facilities in Chicago and Illinois. A few examples are listed below.
Illinois Institute for the Visually Handicapped [graphic]
Call number: HB-29074 PPL
Exterior and interior views of the Illinois Institute for the Visually Handicapped, later know as the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education, at the Division of Rehabilitation Services Office at 1151 South Wood Street in Chicago (Ill.), designed by Harry Weese & Associates. Exterior views include a two-story, brick building with two wings connected by a central reception area. Interior views include a hallway, a dining hall, and a view from a stairway showing a lounge area and a library on the second floor. Photographed for the architects by Bob Harr.
[Images of medical facility plans and drawings] [graphic].
Call number: HB-35679 PPL
Images of architectural plans and drawings for the intellectual disability facility in Tinley Park (Ill.) (name unknown), Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Villa Park (Ill.), and Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey (Ill.). Job file contains views A-G2. Art, photographer. Perkins and Will, client.
Psychiatric Institute and Hospital [graphic].
Call number: HB-07255 PPL
Includes exterior and interior views of an unidentified psychiatric institute and hospital. Exterior views shows front and side elevations of a multistory brick structure. Interior views show lobby and an operating room as seen from viewing area above. Photographed for architects Burnham & Hammond.
Building with three arches at the entrance at Chicago State Hospital [graphic].
Call number: DN-0006809
View of a building with three arches at the entrance at Chicago State Hospital, formerly known as Dunning Mental Institute, in the Dunning community area of Chicago, Illinois. This image was taken as part of a Chicago Railways Company Trolley Trip.
Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind in Chicago (Ill.). [graphic]
Call Number: HB-19043 PPL
Exterior and interior views of the Chicago Lighthouse.
A collaborative project of the Chicago History Museum, the Newberry Library, and Northwestern University, this historical reference work covers Chicago and the entire Chicago metropolitan area. Includes entries on social services, almshouses, disability & the law, and hospitals.
Studs Terkel Radio Archive - Interiew with Susan Nussbaum and Michael Pachovas
Studs Terkel program interview with Susan Nussbaum, founder of Access Living; and Michael Pachovas, founder of Disabled Prisoners Program about the Disabled Persons Freedom Rally held in 1981.
Studs Terkel Radio Archive - Healthcare, Medicine, Mental Health
The archive contains conversations about mental illness, addiction, alternative healthcare models, changing social views of illnesses such as cancer and AIDS, explorations of living with various disabilities, debates about child development, unblinking discussions about confronting death and explorations of how health might be viewed differently in other parts of the world and periods in history.