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Sixteen grey suits neatly folded. A child’s trunk with a teddy bear cuddled up next to it. A shovel. These seemingly random objects have one common theme: they all illustrate a dark moment in Ontario’s history of asylums that will now be brought to light through an award-winning exhibit curated by Ryerson’s School of Disability Studies and displayed at Abilities Centre in Whitby from May 11 to June 22.

Out From Under: Disability, History and Things to Remember is a fully accessible exhibit that features 13 unique objects chronicling the roadblocks faced by disabled people and paying tribute to a proud legacy of resistance and survival.

One of the 13 featured vignettes was created by Whitby resident Cindy Mitchell, whose daughter, Kristen Anne Inwood, died from a deliberate overdose at the Hospital for Sick Children in March 1981 when she was a small infant. Mitchell’s loss has now empowered her to speak up for the rights of disabled people and build activist networks as a facilitator for the Durham Association for Family Respite Services.

“Out from Under documents an emerging public history, one that enriches understandings not only of disabled people's experience, but of Canada's broader social and cultural legacies,” says Kathryn Church, co-curator of the moving exhibit and director of Ryerson’s School of Disability Studies. The other co-curators are Professor Melanie Panitch and Professor Emerita Catherine Frazee.

The exhibit was developed by the university’s School of Disability Studies students, faculty, alumni and community activists who took part in a course designed to shed light on the historical struggles of disabled people.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to share with the public such an important part of our past,” said Leo Plue, Executive Director for Abilities Centre “Out From Under helps bring a lesser known aspect of history to the forefront where it belongs.”

Abilities Centre is not only dedicated to providing fully accessible fitness to all, but also wishes to educate the general public by inviting the community to find their own place within this living history.

The launch of the free exhibit will be on Saturday May 11, 1 to 3 p.m. and will include volunteer and self-guided tours. Full schedule details can be found at the Abilities Centre website.

Since its successful opening at the Abilities Arts Toronto festival in October 2007, the exhibit has been showcased across the country including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in 2008 and the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in British Columbia. Its permanent home will be in the Winnipeg-based Human Rights Museum of Canada in 2014. The exhibit also received a City of Toronto Access, Equity and Human Rights Award for Disability Issues in 2008.

The exhibit was generously supported by the Abilities Centre and Ryerson University’s School of Disability Studies and President’s Office.

Media are invited to the exhibit’s opening and will be able to interview Church, Plue and some of the artists who contributed to the exhibit.

Listen to an interview by Mitchell describing her exhibit, Remembering, here.

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About Abilities Centre

Abilities Centre is a charitable organization that delivers enriching sports, arts, music, and life skills opportunities for all ages and abilities within a 125,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. Since opening its doors in June 2012, Abilities Centre has fused barrier-free navigation and access with inclusive and innovative programs. As an International Centre of Excellence, Abilities Centre serves local, national, and international communities by providing resources and research tools that promote inclusivity and accessibility. At the heart of Abilities Centre, are the people whose lives are changed as a result of the friendly and welcoming environment. Every day Abilities Centre helps people lose weight, increase mobility, follow their passions, and connect with their community.

About School of Disability Studies
The School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University is a leader in providing undergraduates with a degree education in a rapidly expanding, international field of study. The program is based on the premise that the disadvantage typically experienced by people with disabilities reflects primarily the way that societies define and respond to disability.

About Ryerson University
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 38,000 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 140,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

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