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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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73 results for: Disabilities

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Image of Woman in a finished Center Park apartment, Seattle, August 30, 1970
Photograph

Woman in a finished Center Park apartment, Seattle, August 30, 1970

Center Park Apartments in Seattle’s Rainier Valley was the first apartment complex in the nation built solely for people with physical and mental disabilities and their caregivers. Largely through the tireless efforts of local activist Ida May Daly and others in the community, the Seattle Housing Authority received state and federal funds for the project. Accessible features in the 150…
ID Number:1986.5.52708.36
Date:1970
Image of Ned Behnke in his studio, Seattle, August 1981
Photograph

Ned Behnke in his studio, Seattle, August 1981

Robert E. "Ned" Behnke (1948-1989) began painting while a student at Bellevue High School, and had a career as an artist, teacher, and advocate for the deaf community. Born deaf, Behnke helped found an arts program for deaf students at Cornish College of the Arts in 1974. He also taught art in the public schools through a Seattle Arts Commission…
ID Number:2000.107.018.33.01
Date:1981
Image of Ned Behnke painting in his studio, Seattle, August 1981
Photograph

Ned Behnke painting in his studio, Seattle, August 1981

Robert E. "Ned" Behnke (1948-1989) began painting while a student at Bellevue High School, and had a career as an artist, teacher, and advocate for the deaf community. Born deaf, Behnke helped found an arts program for deaf students at Cornish College of the Arts in 1974. He also taught art in the public schools through a Seattle Arts Commission…
ID Number:2000.107.018.33.02
Date:1981
Image of Ida May Daly, Seattle, September 1979
Photograph

Ida May Daly, Seattle, September 1979

Ida May Daly, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, developed muscular dystrophy at age three. While this progressive disease weakened her muscles and confined her to a wheelchair in her thirties, it challenged her to become a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. In the 1950s, she worked with the Seattle Parks Department to found and run the Handicapped Center, which…
ID Number:2000.107.044.037.01
Date:1979
Image of Ida Daly at Center Park Apartments for the Handicapped, Seattle, September 1979
Photograph

Ida Daly at Center Park Apartments for the Handicapped, Seattle, September 1979

Ida May Daly, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, developed muscular dystrophy at age three. While this progressive disease weakened her muscles and confined her to a wheelchair in her thirties, it challenged her to become a tireless advocate for disabled people. In the 1950s, she worked with the Seattle Parks Department to found and run the Handicapped Center, which provided…
ID Number:2000.107.044.037.02
Date:1979
Image of Ida Daly in her office with Hazel Flagler Begeman, Seattle, August 1973
Photograph

Ida Daly in her office with Hazel Flagler Begeman, Seattle, August 1973

Ida May Flagler Daly, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, developed muscular dystrophy at age three. While this progressive disease weakened her muscles and confined her to a wheelchair in her thirties, it challenged her to become a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. In the 1950s, she worked with the Seattle Parks Department to found and run the Handicapped Center,…
ID Number:2000.107.044.037.03
Date:1973
Image of Staff and residents at Daybreak adult family home for people with disabiities, Seattle, December 1984
Photograph

Staff and residents at Daybreak adult family home for people with disabiities, Seattle, December 1984

In 1983, Washington state developed a program for people with certain disabilities to live more independently than they would in institutions. An individualized plan was developed for each person. Two people who benefited from this were Kristina Lasicka and Karolann Elliott, both aged 22 and both deaf and partially blind. With the help of two assistants who knew sign language,…
ID Number:2000.107.082.13.04
Date:1984
Image of Paul Koyne at a drill press making parts for Boeing at the United Cerebral Palsy machine shop, Seattle, October 1975
Photograph

Paul Koyne at a drill press making parts for Boeing at the United Cerebral Palsy machine shop, Seattle, October 1975

Sheltered workshops offer people with disabilities training opportunities and paid work. Starting around 1950, the Boeing Company began contracting with sheltered workshops to make some of its aircraft parts. These might range from simple clips to complex machine parts. Employees had 40-hour work weeks.In 1975, the United Cerebral Palsy Association ran one of the six workshops doing work for Boeing.…
ID Number:2000.107.082.13.05
Date:1975
Image of Sam Smith and Tim Hill unveiling
Photograph

Sam Smith and Tim Hill unveiling "Make Life Accessible" campaign billboard, April 14, 1986

This image shows Seattle City Council president Sam Smith (right) with King County Executive Tim Hill at the unveiling of the Make Life Accessible campaign. Smith used a wheelchair beginning in 1985, after losing a leg to diabetes. The Make Life Accessible campaign was run by Seattle's Resource Center for the Handicapped, and aimed to help people with disabilities find…
ID Number:2000.107.082.13.06
Date:1986
Image of Woman in wheelchair entering a family planning clinic, Seattle, February 1980
Photograph

Woman in wheelchair entering a family planning clinic, Seattle, February 1980

Over the years, people with disabilities have found it difficult to access the range of help they need to live independently. The intersection of disability with sexuality and family planning was particularly challenging, as such needs of people with disabilities were often ignored. Seattle’s Family Planning and Disability Project tried to remedy this by reaching out directly to medical professionals,…
ID Number:2000.107.082.14.01
Date:1980
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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