Move to Include

Educators say they are working hard to make school an equitable experience for all. But they’re confronting challenges with addressing language barriers, spotty internet connections and the needs of students with disabilities who relied on the routine of the school day.

Face masks inhibit the spread of the coronavirus. But for people with visual or hearing problems, they make lip-reading almost impossible.

Woodturner John Furniss — who goes by “The Blind Woodsman” —shares his story of losing his sight as a teenager then finding his calling as an artist.

Over a period of 60 years, the state forcibly sterilized over 2,6000 Oregonians. From 1923 to 1983, Oregon law allowed for compulsory sterilization of those deemed unfit for reproduction. It was part of a broader eugenics movement to remove “undesirable” individuals from the gene pool.

For nearly 100 years, Fairview was Oregon's primary institution for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Twenty years ago, the last resident left as the center closed amid lawsuits and investigations.

More than 40 years ago, a small group of Oregon teenagers with developmental disabilities helped launch a global self-advocacy movement. Residents of a state-run institution started holding regular meetings to support each other. Together they formed the organization People First.

The cremated remains of more than 3,500 Oregonians
sit unclaimed in the state’s custody. They are the forgotten and abandoned residents of Oregon’s state institutions. But now, some are finally making it home.

There's a new water crisis on the Warm Springs Reservation. Black people with disabilities are especially at risk of police violence. And the Oregon Supreme Court is waiving the Bar exam requirement for 2020 law school graduates.

Adaptive skiers and volunteers come together on central Oregon's Mount Bachelor to help remove barriers and make skiing accessible to people with disabilities.