‘Out From Under: Disability, History and Things to Remember’

From the [Toronto] Star:

A new exhibit in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto tells the story of disability through a collection of artifacts.

It exposes a part of Canada’s history that has been away locked in trunks, silenced by stigma and held in people’s hearts. It tells the story of disability.

Some of the objects – a ventilator used in the polio epidemic of the 1950s, a public health poster from the 1920s warning of the danger posed by “morons,” a 1948 Shriner’s Circus program depicting grateful “crippled kiddies” –- are discomfiting artifacts. Others – a Canadian flag, a well-used trunk – draw their power from the moments or attitudes they represent.

The exhibition, which opened last Thursday, is not for casual visitors. It is for people who are prepared to look hard, read carefully and walk away troubled.

From the exhibit’s website:

A display of thirteen diverse objects reveals a rich and nuanced story that pays tribute to the resilience, creativity, and the civic and cultural contributions of Canadians with disabilities.

The exhibit shares the museum with one called Darwin: The Evolution Revolution.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm and is filed under history, international, NOT2BEMISSED. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.