History Quilt

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All of the quilt squares on this page were made between 1995-1997.

Amy's first square

"The Americans with Disabilities Act July 26, 1990"

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

This square is approximately 8.5"x 20". It is comprised of three American flags raised on flagpoles with a navy blue starry night fabric in the background. The border is made of an old Christmas gold color that matches the stars in the sky. It reads in gold thread across the top "Americans with Disabilities Act" and then across the bottom "July 26, 1990."

The Americans with Disabilities Act is the civil rights law for people with disabilities.

Fair Housing Act

The square reads "Fair Housing Opens Doors"

Fair Housing Act

This square is approximately 13"x 17".

It is made up of four houses, each is made of various colors, and each house is structurally different. Down the middle of the square are the words "Fair Housing Opens Doors" in a mustard color thread. The fabric border is purple with a white "swirly" design. Along the edges of the house squares are various buttons of all shapes and colors. Each of the four houses is different in shape and color to symbolize everyone's need for their own unique place, their place to call home. There is an incredible shortage of accessible, affordable, integrated housing in this country, so in addition to advocating for community based services and supports, we continue to strive towards the implementation of universal design and housing for all.

My Life My Choice Consumer Control

Consumer Control

This square is approximately12.5"x 9.5". The fabric is red with tiny gold polka dots. The color red was chosen as a symbol of power, in this case, personal power.
The lettering that is hand sewn with gold cording reads "My life. My choice. Consumer control." Gold beads are sewn at the start and end of every word and are used for punctuation.

If you know what Independent Living is, you don't need an explanation of consumer control. People in the Movement will tell you that consumer control is the foundation on which it was built. It summarizes the philosophy that people with disabilities should determine their own life choices instead of a "professional" making those choices for us.

Oak Tree: Revolutions are not made they come. A revoluton is as natural a growth as an oak, it comes out of the past, its foundations are laid far back.

The Old Oak Tree

The old oak tree is one of my early favorites. The quote surrounding the tree reads "Revolutions are not made, they come. A revolution is as natural a growth as an oak. It comes out of the past. Its' foundations are laid far back. - Wendel Phillips" The old oak tree symbolizing that our Movement was a long time in coming, it reminds us that it took centuries of oppression before we finally said "NO MORE." The square is comprised of a blue marble sky, brown chestnut shaded tree, the green leaves are variegated with gold specks and the grass is a shade lighter than the leaves in the tree. The quote wraps around the tree.

Assistive Technology Act of 1992

This square is approximately 9"x 14". The background is red with splashes of waves of gold. A TTY is made of a solid black fabric and it is hand appliqued. The words "TECH ACT" are hand sewn on the bottom center of the square. This federal law is a funding law for programs and services associated with assistive technology for people with disabilities. The four core services required of the recipients of this funding are Advocacy, Information and Referral, Public Awareness and Training and Technology.

"How wil we sleep at night if we don't try?" -Just Dart Jr.

How Will We Sleep?

This square is approximately 10"x 12".

The quote "How will we sleep at night if we don't try?" is hand stitched in a calligraphy style font on mushroom cloth with gold specks. The threads used in the stitching are purple with metallic filament. The square border is a purple fabric with varying hues. In "NO PITY" by Joseph Shapiro, Justin Dart, known to many as the Father of the ADA, made this statement to a colleague who criticized his idea for a civil rights law for people with disabilities. This colleague believed the political climate at that time was too conservative. Justin Dart never gave up and his words encourage us to adopt the same attitude.

TRCIL

Three Rivers Center for Independent Living (TRCIL) is the CIL in Pittsburgh, PA where I first learned of the Movement. The square is about 22" long and 5" high.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

"The sit-in that changed our lives"

The 504 Sit-In

The 504 sit-in was a significant event in our Disability Rights Movement. The square is pieced with gold and rose alternating blocks and reads "The sit-in that changed our lives." No exaggeration. If you don't know the story,visit the Ragged Edge Magazine Online.

Air Carrier Access Act

Air Carrier Access Act

This square is approximately 9.5"x 15".

The background is navy blue with multicolored air planes flying in all directions. The colors of the airplanes range from orange to green to yellow to blue and the matching variegated thread spells out "Air Carrier Access Act."
This important federal law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities who are customers of airlines within the United States.

Individuals with disabilities Eduacation Act

IDEA

"IDEA"

This quilt square was created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975. This is a medium blue square with a yellow light bulb in the middle. On the right it reads down the side "IDEA" and on the left "1975. Across the top in yellow stitching it says "Knowledge is Power".

Nazi Akton T4 project

Aktion T4

This square is approximately 10"x 9.5" in dimension.

Hitler's Holocaust didn't start with people who are Jewish- it started with people with disabilities. headquartered in a villa in the Tiergarten section of Berlin (the street was Tiergartenstrasse at number 4) Hitler's personal physician Dr. Karl Brandt planned the systematic execution of over 250,000 Germans with disabilities. They were gassed starved and injected with poison. Many of them were children. One story says that Hitler got the idea from a German family who wanted to have their disabled child "put to sleep." Hitler felt that people with disabilities "led lives not worth living" and were "useless eaters." People with disabilities also have their reasons to say "NEVER AGAIN."

Mental Health Parity Act

This square is approximately 15.5" x 9" in dimension.

The Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA), signed into law on September 26, 1996, requires that annual or lifetime dollar limits on mental health benefits be no lower than any such dollar limits for medical and surgical benefits offered by a group health plan or health insurance issuer offering coverage in connection with a group health plan.

OBRA Waiver

The alternating color blocks of this square read "OBRA". The OBRA square is approximately 8"x 10".

The OBRA Waiver is a Home and Community Based Services waiver program that provides services to people with developmental physical disabilities.

Click here to visit page two of my Disability History Quilt squares.