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Alexandra Ginos
Final Paper
February 9, 2016
Overlooked and Overshadowed:
The Experience of Women with Disabilities at the
University of Illinois in the Post World War II Era
Introduction
The anthropologist Robert F. Murphy writes in The Body Silent that “the weakening and
atrophy of the body threaten all the cultural values of masculinity: strength, activeness, speed,
virility, stamina, and fortitude” (Murphy, 95). Though Murphy’s opinion is that “disability is a
great leveler,” Murphy consistently addresses the manner in which disability affects the “grasp of
masculinity” and often fails to mention the experiences of disabled women in his book. Since
his omissions occur so frequently, the oversights suggest that the struggles of disabled women
are an afterthought to him and not of the same level of import as those of disabled men (72).
Just as Murphy failed to see the difficulties facing disabled women, the needs of disabled women
seem to have been overlooked at the onset of the University of Illinois’ program for disabled
students. Though the University of Illinois “had been the first” to set up a program for disabled
students, it was primarily created “to help disabled veterans returning from World War II” and
does not seem to have been intended to serve the needs of both genders of disabled people
because the majority of veterans were men (Shapiro, 52). Due to the hyper-focus on men with
disabilities following World War II, women with disabilities at the University of Illinois seem to
have been overlooked by the administration, resulting in inconsistencies in the treatment of
women and men with disabilities.
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Methodology
In order to obtain the material necessary to write this paper, I relied solely on archival
research. After reading Murphy’s ethnography, which was primarily concerned with the
problems that disabled men face, I wondered if the administrators at the University of Illinois
had trouble understanding the needs and capabilities of women with disabilities as well. I
decided to research in the archives because I knew that disabled veterans were first admitted to
the University soon after World War II ended and wondered if veteran status and gender had
affected admissions in any way. I researched at the University Archives and the Student Life
and Culture Archives, mainly searching through DRES files and scrapbooks. While I had some
success finding information in the archives that addressed the female experience, the
concentration on the men’s programs such as wheelchair basketball and the initial lack of
equivalent types of programs for women complicated my ability to find as much information
about women with disabilities on this campus in the years immediately after the war.
Findings
Due to the fact that the original program for people with disabilities was administered by
the Division of Special Services for War Veterans (DSSWV), the program had a specific
protocol for males with disabilities, but did not have a system for helping women with
disabilities matriculate at the University of Illinois. According to the research of Guangyong
Koh on the transition from the Galesburg Campus to the Urbana Campus, “the [Veterans
Administration] was responsible for the essential roles of student selection and funding” and “the
University’s program for students with disabilities was really the product of the V.A., college
administrators, and disabled veterans themselves,” so the admissions and interests of women
with disabilities were never considered at the onset of the program because it was arranged
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specifically for veterans (Koh, Initial Question). While the DSSWV was created to administer
“the educational programs of veterans whose special needs are not met by existing matter offered
in several colleges,” no equivalent program was in place to make sure that the individual needs
of women with disabilities were met (1949 Illio, 59).
A letter written on August 18, 1949, by Eleanor Bainum, a woman disabled “as a result
of having polio as a child” demonstrates the manner in which the administration overlooked the
needs of women with disabilities while making accommodations for disabled veterans. When
Ms. Bainum wrote to the Director of the DSSWV and requested a chance to enroll in the
University, Director Robert G. Bone responded, “it is impossible for you to come into the
Division of Special Services as it is for veterans only and no exception can be made.” Director
Bone adds that he is “taking her case up with Dean G. E. Moore of Liberal Arts and Sciences,”
but does not make any apologies to Eleanor for immediately refusing her access to his program
or explain the reasons that her admission must be handled separately from that of disabled men.
Since Director Bone’s language confirms that he will have to argue for Eleanor’s abilities in
order for any University office to consider her for admission and he does not seem to notice the
discrepancy between treatments of the genders, his letter proves that no procedure was in place
to consider women with disabilities for admission into the University at that time. However,
from his statement that he will consult with another Dean, it seems as if a possibility exists that
she could be admitted if special arrangements were made outside of his specialized program for
men with disabilities.
While the University did have housing and resources available to accommodate women
with disabilities, correspondence and other materials from around 1950 reveal doubts that
women with disabilities would succeed at college. Shapiro explains that the University of
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Illinois’ program for the disabled “required students to be able to fend for themselves,” so
perhaps the doubts were centered on the fact that the administration was not sure that women
with disabilities would have the strength or ability to survive on campus without more assistance
than the men required (53). Since there seem to have been doubts on the level of success that
women with disabilities would be able to achieve on campus, this fact helps to explain the
reasons that women with disabilities were overlooked and only grudgingly admitted when first
building the program. In an editorial printed in an Aurora newspaper in 1949, the writer helps to
reveal these doubts as he details a visit that he made to Shirley Sayers, the first woman
paraplegic on the Urbana campus. He explains that Shirley “is the only girl who attends class in
a wheelchair” and further clarifies her role at the University with his statement that, “If she
continues to do well, next semester others will be admitted. Judging from her grades, they will
get a chance to attend school” (Bob’s Column). Since the decision of whether to allow other
female paraplegics is riding on Shirley’s individual success, some parts of the administration
must have doubted the probability that a disabled woman would succeed at the University, while
men with disabilities did not have to prove their abilities to succeed in the same manner. If
Shirley’s admittance to the University were indeed a trial run as the column suggests, the
University must have been unwilling to invest time and money into a program for disabled
women without proof that a woman with physical impairments could thrive, so administrators
instead focused efforts on men with disabilities.
Based on a memo from Director Bone titled “Increasing Paraplegic Enrollment on
Campus,” the idea that the program for students with disabilities was more oriented towards
men’s needs is again emphasized. Since women with disabilities were not admitted at the same
rate as men with disabilities, there was an unequal ratio of disabled men to disabled women in
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the housing that was provided for students with disabilities. The housing at the Parade Grounds,
which was primarily intended to house disabled men, had 5 spots left for residents sometime
around 1950. While the housing for the men was almost at maximum capacity, Lincoln Avenue
Residence Hall still only housed one woman, Shirley Sayers. Dean Bone states that a “few more
women paraplegics could be housed” at LAR, which he does not seem to think is significant
because he does not provide any greater detail on the point. The difference in language that he
uses to describe the housing conditions for women with disabilities and housing for disabled men
also suggests that a potential increase in women with disabilities on campus and the housing they
would need was an afterthought. To describe the women’s housing situation, he starts off with,
“I imagine,” which gives a dismissive and non-essential tone to the subject that he is addressing,
suggesting that women’s housing is not a concern of his. To attend to the men’s situation, he
states “even a slight increase in men paraplegics would necessitate preparing another Parade
Ground unit,” using language which automatically draws attention to the situation of housing for
males and gives it precedence as a major problem that must be fixed as soon as possible. Since
“a few” spots in LAR seems to be plenty of room for disabled women for the present time and 5
more openings in the Parade Grounds is not deemed sufficient, it is clear that many more men
are expected to enroll, while women are not.
Though more women with disabilities would eventually come to campus in the following
years, Shirley Sayers had a singular experience during her first year on campus while the number
of men with disabilities allowed them to experience the camaraderie of a group. Under a photo
printed in the Daily Illini in 1949, the caption names Shirley Sayers as “the girl paraplegic on
campus” (Muster, Photograph). By referring to her with “the,” the caption elucidates the idea
that Shirley is a novelty on campus because she is the only female with a disability. Even if only
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because they were on campus in lesser number than men, women with disabilities must have
been viewed as a distinct group, separate from men with disabilities based on the information in
the photo’s caption. Further proving Shirley’s isolation from the group of disabled men, the
writer of Bob’s Column provides details about a wheelchair touch football game played by “ten
paraplegic boys.” Since the men have a group of peers with whom to participate in activities
such as touch football, they have the opportunity to experience frequent camaraderie with each
other while Shirley does not have an equivalent type of companionship. As Shirley lives on the
opposite side of campus in a dorm filled only with able-bodied women, the men with disabilities
on campus all live as a group in the Parade Grounds together, furthering her separation from the
group.
Though the exclusion of women from activities specifically for the disabled could have
been a result of the time period, men with disabilities undeniably had a much more developed
rehabilitation program through the various activities that were provided for them. An annual
report that seems to have been prepared by Dr. Timothy Nugent around 1949 states that the
activities for the disabled “were quite complete” (Nugent, 2). Although the women had the single
non-competitive activity of swimming and the men had at least the two mentioned competitive
sports within which to compete on top of their regular rehabilitation program, the author seemed
to think that was fair and well-rounded, since the phrase “quite complete” was used. The author,
presumably Nugent, explains that participation in swimming has been increasing, is “very
complementary,” and is “exciting a great deal of satisfaction and enthusiasm from participants
(Nugent, 2). Despite the mounting interest in the swimming program, no ideas for additional
programs for women are being discussed or added at the time of this report. Though the interest
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in the activity is apparent, the interest in adding more programming for women to even the
opportunities between women and men is not.
Even more puzzling, Nugent explains the reasons that he thinks that wheelchair sports are
of utmost importance in a video interview as follows:
“The whole individual becomes involved: emotionally, mentally, physically,
socially [. . .] because he must deal with people, he must compete against people,
he must work with people [. . .] it is a means by which our people project
themselves outward [. . .] where they overcome some of their self-consciousness”
(Box 5, Film 7).
Though Nugent clearly finds sports and other physical activities highly useful for the
rehabilitation of a person with a disability, he only talks about the effects of such activities on a
man. If competitive activities had such a profound effect on a disabled man’s outlook and selfconfidence, women with disabilities most likely would have benefited from the same
opportunities if they had been provided with them. Since Dr. Nugent was the Director of the
Rehabilitation program for many years and his focus seems to have been largely centered on
programs for men based on his annual report and this quote, the need of women with disabilities
for an increase in activities could have gone unnoticed for some time.
The limitations and lack of programs for women with disabilities in the years
immediately following the war is made glaringly obvious by the “very important and
comprehensive sports program for [able-bodied] women” (1952 Illio, 372). Though the
Women’s Athletic Association offers a multitude of activities for women, it does not seem like
disabled women participate in the leagues offered by the Association because they are neither
mentioned in the description of the program, nor shown in any photographs. Though able-
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bodied men and women and men with disabilities all had comprehensive sports programs,
women with disabilities were not able to share in the same experience because the same
activities were not offered for them. In a DRES scrapbook from 1956-1957, a picture and
enlightening caption of women cheerleaders in wheelchairs was found. This photograph and the
caption beneath it contribute to the idea that the activities that were provided for disabled women
were not the same as those provided to disabled men. While the women all seem to be enjoying
themselves thoroughly in the picture, the fact remains that disabled men were able to compete in
physical activities, and the women only had the options of swimming and cheering for the
disabled men as they competed. Beneath the photo, the first line in the caption reads, “A display
of cheer and courage took place . . .the other day.” The rest of the language in the caption
suggests that the men were representing the courage, and the women only brought “cheer” with
them because the men “won a shining victory over misfortune” during their “game struggle.”
According to the caption, the men are engaged in a battle of “man over handicap” by playing
basketball and proving their prowess on the court, which conveys that the men are beating their
disability. The women, on the other hand, are referred to as “wheelchair patients” instead of
“wheelchair paraplegics” as the men are, so the author of the caption must believe that women
are less capable than the men and somehow need to be on the sidelines (DRES Scrapbook, Box
1).
Conclusion and Recommendations
Comparable to Robert Murphy’s failure to understand the perspective of women with
disabilities in his ethnography due to his focus on himself and veterans with disabilities, the
University of Illinois failed to notice the needs of women with disabilities when the programs for
students with disabilities were first created because the needs of disabled veterans overshadowed
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the needs of women. While the University may have policies in place today to make certain that
females with disabilities have the same opportunities as males with disabilities, the University of
Illinois failed to conceptualize the needs and desires of the female disabled at the onset of the
programs for disabled students. Though University policies work to prevent exclusion of
populations within the student body, potential still exists for groups of students to fall through
the cracks, as evidenced by the lack of history of disabled women in the archives.
To correct the holes in the history of women and ensure that more records of disabled
women at the University of Illinois are not lost, I recommend that the administration funds
research to study the history of women with disabilities at the University of Illinois. At the same
time that research is being conducted to fill the gaps and complete the history of women with
disabilities at the University as much as possible, the administration should take care in the
present to make sure that the activities, accomplishments, and experiences of disabled women
are archived at the same rate as those of disabled men, regardless of veteran status or any other
distinguishing factor.
Limitations and Further Research
Since only a semester’s time was available to research and there seemed to be no choice
but to do archival research for this topic, one limitation on this study was my inability to doublecheck the materials that I was finding against another type of source, such as first hand
experience provided through an interview. Due to the fact that it would be difficult to track
down first-hand witnesses to events that occurred almost 60 years ago, the context of some of the
documents might have been lost because it was not always readily apparent. To further research
and understand this topic, I think that a person should attempt to identify the point at which the
resources provided by the University for women and men with disabilities on campus became
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more equal for both genders and try to explain the reasons behind the change. Additionally, I
think that a future researcher should examine the relationship between the Veteran’s
Administration and the University of Illinois more closely to fully understand the University’s
relationship to and focus on veterans.
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Works Cited and Consulted
“Filmed Interview with Dr. Timothy J. Nugent,” 1960s. Record Series 16/6/14: “Rehabilitation
Films and Videotapes,” Box 5, Film #7, University of Illinois Archives.
Illio Yearbook, 1949, (58-59).
Illio Yearbook, 1952, (372).
Joe Murphy. Article: “1st Group of Paraplegics Register; UI Erects Special Conveniences,”
Program News Items and Photographs File, 1949, Series 16/16/1, University of Illinois
Archives.
Koh, Guangyong. EUI Student Research Project: Initial Question.
Letter from Eleanor Bainum to Professor Robert G. Bone, August 18, 1949, Changeover:
Galesburg to Champaign Subject File, Series 16/16/1, Box 1, University of Illinois
Archives.
Memo from R.G. Bone to Professor Griffith, Provost, “Increased Paraplegic Enrollment
on the Urbana Campus,” Dr. Bone’s File – Programs Terminated, 1949-1951, Series
16/16/1, University of Illinois Archives.
Murphy, Robert F. The Body Silent. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1990.
Muster, Bill. 16/6/1 Box 1, Folder: Program News Items and Photographs. Parade Ground Units
Photograph. Daily Illini. Date unknown. University of Illinois Archives
Photograph of the Cheerleaders for the Gizz Kids, 1956 or 1957, DRES Scrapbook, Series
16/6/12, Box 1, University of Illinois Archives.
Shapiro, Joseph P. No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement.
New York: Three Rivers Press, 1994.
T. J. Nugent. Report: “Student Rehabilitation Center,” Annual Reports File, 1948-1962, Series
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16/16/1, University of Illinois Archives.
Unknown Author. Article: “Bob’s Column,” Program News Items and Photographs,” 1949,
Series 16/16/1, University of Illinois Archives.