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Against the Grain: Educating and Redefining Disability in Great Depression-Era Indianapolis

Online Lecture and Q&A Session

Join us via Zoom for an online lecture tracing Indianapolis disability history through the hardships of the Great Depression and the rise of the John Hope and James E. Roberts schools.

Expanding Our Story
Meeting the demands of daily life proved challenging for most Hoosiers during the Great Depression. Those with physical disabilities certainly faced additional obstacles to educational and socioeconomic opportunities. In 1936, Indiana established the James E. Roberts School for Crippled Children as its first public school for students with physical disabilities, though enrollment was initially restricted to white students. Two years later, segregated John Hope School No. 26 added a unit for "Crippled Children," serving Black students from around the state. Both schools offered rooms for physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and recreation. Perhaps even more important, the institutions provided a social environment and sought to help students build their self-confidence. This presentation will examine how the two schools served their students during the Great Depression and amid racial segregation. Registration is required.

Presented by: Public Historian Nicole Poletika

• Explore Indianapolis History
  • Reading list explores the social, educational, and systemic realities faced by Hoosiers with different abilities. The collection features both fiction and nonfiction titles.

This online lecture is part of the Expanding Our Story programs hosted on Zoom by the Indianapolis Special Collections Room (ISCR). It is being held as an online meeting/webinar via Zoom. Registered attendees will receive the Zoom link via email within 2 hours before the online meeting/webinar. Made possible by a grant from The Clowes Fund.

Age Group: Adults

Contact: Special Collections Librarian Montoya Barker

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