Honoring the memory of Peg Dignoti and her lifelong commitment to the disability community: http:/ / www.legacy.com/ obituaries/ hartfordcourant/ obituary.aspx?pid=172262433
Margaret H. Dignoti
1936 - 2014
Margaret H. Dignoti, 78, of Newington, passed aw ay on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. Born on July 20, 1936 in Hartford, Margaret was the daughter of the late John and Mary (Preston) Higgins. A champion for individuals with disabilities, Margaret enjoyed a long and successful career as the Executive Director for ARC, a nonprofit advocacy group in Hartford. During her career with ARC, Margaret received the Executive Excellence Award at the National Conference of Executives in 2004. A staunch democrat, Margaret was very involved in politics and supported the Democratic Party by volunteering countless hours. Margaret is survived by her sons, Paul Joseph Dignoti of Hartford, Robert Preston Dignoti of Newington, D.J. Dignoti of West Hartford, her siblings, Jack Higgins of TX, Jim Higgins and his wife, Carol of FL, and Kathy Jarvis of South Windsor, her granddaughter Gabrielle Dignoti of NY, her brother -in-law, Lou Martocchio, sister-in-law, Diana Higgins and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Donald Peter Higgins, and sisters, Mary Martocchio, Martha Gagne and her husband, Richard E. Gagne. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at the Newington Memorial Funeral Home, 20 Bonair Ave., Newington from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Burial will be held privately. Those who wish may make memorial contributions in Margaret's memory to the Arc of CT, 43 Woodland Street, Suite 260, Hartford, CT 06105. To leave an online expression of sympathy for the family, please visit: http:/ / www.newingtonmemorial.com
Published in The Hartford Courant on Aug. 28, 2014 - See more at: http:/ / www.legacy.com/ obituaries/ hartfordcourant/ obituary.aspx?pid=172262433#sthash.3AGhc0cJ.dpuf
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Moments in Disability History 13
Low ell P. Weicker, Jr., Original "Father" of the Americans w ith Disabilities Act
Senator Lowell Weicker
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., United States Senator from Connecticut from 1971 to 1989, was an advocate for people with disabilities and legislator who often worked independently to further the advancement of public policy on behalf of people with disabilities. In the halls of Congress, he often acted and spoke not only as a U.S. Senator but also as a parent of a child with a disability. He is widely regarded as the original "father" of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Peg Dignoti
In 1981, Peg Dignoti organized a hearing at rthe Connecticut State Capitol for Senator Weicker. Leading experts such as Tom Bellanmy, Karen Green McGowan, and Bob Carl testified about possibilities. The Senator and his staff led the investigation of state institutions across the country, an investigation that culminated in strengthening the protection and advocacy legislation. Below are articles about the hearings that appeared in a 1981 newsletter of the Connecticut Arc and in a 1985 article in the New York Times.
http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ parallels2/ pdf/ 80s/ 81/ 81-TWH-CARC.pdf http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ parallels2/ pdf/ 80s/ 85/ 85-SHA-NYT.pdf
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During his years in the Senate, Senator Weicker introduced and co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation that laid the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the 1980s, the Senator became particularly interested in the institutionalization of people with disabilities, as states shielded their state institutions from allegations of abuse.
Senator Weicker, and John Doyle, the Senator's Staff Director of the Senate's Subcommittee on the Handicapped at the time, reflected on these investigations in this segment of an interview by self- advocate, Thomas McCann, Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities member, and host of the local cable television show "MARC Matters" sponsored by the Manchester (Connecticut) Arc. http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ parallels2/ one/ video/ weickerDoyle/ weickerDoyle1.html
In April 1988, in the 100th Congress, Senator Weicker introduced S.2345, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1988. United States Representative Anthony Coelho of California introduced H.R.4498, the House version of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1988. In this video clip, Representative Coelho shared his personal experience with discrimination. http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ parallels/ five/ 5d/ 5d_html/ 5d_11vid.html
Senator Weicker, Representative Coelho, and several other Senators, Representatives and advocates, testified on discrimination based on disabilities during hearings on the Americans with Disabilities Act in September 1988. This video captured some of that testimony. http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ parallels2/ one/ video11/ adaHearing.html
Senator Weicker's S. 2345 had much stronger language and much broader civil rights policy than the act that was eventually passed into law, however, it was S. 2345 which would become the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Senator Weicker left the Senate before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed. The following video is the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act into law in 1990. http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ parallels2 / one/ video/ video74-ada-signing.html
The historical papers of Lowell Weicker can be found at http:/ / dev1.shanti.virginia.edu/ lowellweicker/ exhibit/ disabilities
Sources:
The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities Web Home Page
Parallels In Time II: 1950 to 2005: A Place To Call Home: The Development of Supports to Have a Home in the Community:
Index of Documents: 1981 The Weicker Hearings (CARC News for May-June 1981): 81-TWH-CARC.pdf 1985 Senate Hears of Abuse in State's Mental Care (The New York Times ): 85-SHS-NYT.pdf Story retrieved from: http:/ / mn.gov/ mnddc/ ada-legacy/ ada-legacy-moment13.html
Page 65: Video - Selected segment from an interview with Senator Lowell Weicker and John Doyle about institutional abuses
Parallels In Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities V. The Reawakening: 1950-1980 - D. Litigation and Legislation
Page 11: Video: Tony Coehlo, U.S. Representative from California
Parallels In Time II: 1950 to 2005 A Place To Call Home: The Development of Supports to Have a Home in the Community
Page 74 - Video: Joint House/ Senate Hearings on the ADA, Video: ADA Signing Ceremony
January 2, 2014
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