Gunnar Dybwad Explained

Gunnar Dybwad
Birth Place:Leipzig, Germany
Nationality:German
Death Date:September 13, 2001
Death Place:Needham, Massachusetts
Spouse:Rosemary Ferguson Dybwad
Occupation:Professor, Civil Rights Activist
Alma Mater:University of Halle
Notable Works:Challenges in Mental Retardation

Gunnar Dybwad (1909–2001) was an American professor and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, particularly developmental disabilities. He is best known for his support for the social model of disability, reframing disability accommodations as a matter of civil rights, not medical treatment. The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities gives out the Dybwad Humanitarian Award annually in his honor.

Personal life

Dybwad was born in Leipzig, Germany, and lived in Germany until 1934.[1] He moved to the United Kingdom, then to the United States[2] where he settled in Wellesley, Massachusetts with his wife, Rosemary, and their two children.

Being interested in architectural planning and disabilities, Dybwad remodeled his home to be wheelchair accessible at the age of 82. He and his wife wished to die at home and it was done as an "anti-nursing home" strategy. He converted the downstairs of his two-story home to function as a "self-contained unit" should they find it difficult to maneuver the stairs.[3]

Dybwad died (age 92) of natural causes at the Wingate Rehabilitation Center in Needham, Massachusetts.

Education

Dybwad studied law and political science at University of Halle in Germany,[4] where he earned a Doctorate in Law in 1934. Dybwad graduated from the New York School of Social Work in 1939.

Career

At the start of his career, Dybwad focused his attention on the humane treatment for people in the criminal justice and child welfare systems. His book, Theorie und Praxis des fascistischen Strafvollzugs (Theory and Practice of the Fascist Penitentiary), explored the practices and theories of Italy's (Fascist) penal system of the early 1930s.[5]

He also served as director of several organizations: Child Welfare Program, Michigan (Director, 1943–1951), National Association for Retarded Children (executive director, 1957–1963),[6] Child Study Association of America (executive director, 1951–1957)

Gunnar Dybwad is well known for his international leadership in the field of rehabilitation and medicine, advocating for disability rights and for ethical and legal protections.[7]

From 1964 to 1967, Dybwad and his wife directed the "mental retardation project" of the International Union of Child Welfare, Geneva, Switzerland.[8]

In 1967, Dybwad became the founding director of the Starr Center for Mental Retardation at the Heller School for Policy and Management, Brandeis University.[9]

In 1973, Dybwad was a founding member of the American Bar Association's (ABA) commission on the Mentally Disabled. Other members included Chesterfield Smith, Jerome J. Shestack, David L. Bazelon, Charles R. Halpern, Jonas Robitcher, Saleem A. Shah, McNeill Smith, Helen Wright, and Alan A. Stone.[10]

He served as president of Inclusion International from 1978 to 1982. The organization, which he and his wife co-founded, assisted parent and self-advocacy groups. He is known for is support of families of children with disabilities [11] and with the development of young professionals in the fields.

Dybwad retired from Brandeis in 1974 due to mandatory age limitations. After leaving Brandeis, Dybwad taught a course on developmental disabilities at Syracuse University and was a lifetime Associate of the Center on Human Policy, Syracuse University.

In 1988 Dybwad appeared on an episode of This Old House showcasing the modifications he had made to his house to make it wheelchair accessible.[12]

Normalization and Integration

Dybwad believed that people with developmental and intellectual disabilities best responded to integration into the community. Maximal integration meant providing these people with opportunities to live in "ordinary family settings," and have access to "typical community services."[13] Although, he was against "custodial care", he understood the need for a range of programs and residential facilities to meet the requirements of a broad array individuals.[14] At the 1959 Convention of the National Association for Retarded Children, he called for "research in problems of management, of residential care, including physical plant and equipment."[15]

In 1979, he co-authored an article called "Unnecessary Coercion: An End to Involuntary Civil Commitment of Retarded Persons" in which he argued for the abolition of the often forced and involuntary placement of people with intellectual disabilities into state facilities.[16]

Citizen Advocacy

Dybwad supported volunteer groups and citizen advocacy, whose purpose was to "demand and obtain" services for people with disabilities. He brought an international perspective to the issue. In the 1950s, Dybwad, representing the Association of Retarded Citizens (known as The Arc), helped to organize family members and friends in efforts to "liberate people" from custodial institutions.[17] He played a major role in encouraging the 1972 Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) to file disability rights litigation with the federal court. Among the top concerns of the group was the right of people with disabilities to receive public education. This action, along with others—including Pennhurst State School vs. Halderman (1981) and Board of Education vs. Rowley (1982) resulted in "groundbreaking" changes to due process and equal protection for the treatment and education of people with disabilities."[18]

Awards

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities gives out the Dybwad Humanitarian Award, named after him, to individuals involved with "culturally responsive programs that have succeeded in full community inclusion and participation".[19]

Dybwad, himself, received the following:

Selected articles

Books

Notes and References

  1. News: Pace. Eric. Gunnar Dybwad, 92; Early advocate for the disabled. Obituary.. 17 April 2018. New York Times. Late Edition (East Coast). September 20, 2001. New York. A.29.
  2. Book: Pelka. Fred. What We Have Done: An Oral History of the Disability Rights Movement. 2012. University of Massachusetts Press. j.ctt5vk2js.7. Institutions, Part 1. 48–60. 9781558499188.
  3. News: Sit. Mary. With Seniors in mind a home can be made more suitable for the elderly. Boston Globe. September 7, 1991. Boston, Massachusetts. 37.
  4. News: Benscoter. Jana. Gunnar Dybwad, Professor, advocate for rights of disabled. Boston Globe. Third Edition. September 22, 2001. Boston, Massachusetts. B.7.
  5. Monachesi. Elio D.. Theorie und Praxis des fascistischen Strafvolizugs. By Gunnar Dybwad. Bonn: Ludwig Rohrscheid, 1934.. American Sociological Review. October 1936. 1. 5. 868. 2084192. 10.2307/2084192. American Sociological Association.
  6. News: Gunnar Dybwad, 92; Advocate for rights of mentally disabled. Chicago Tribune. September 24, 2001. Chicago, Illinois. 7.
  7. Dybwad, Gunnar. (1986). Ethical and legal problems in rehabilitation and medicine. In: The Changing Rehabilitation World: Into the 21st Century (pp.10-15). NY, NY: United Cerebral Palsy of New York City, Inc.
  8. News: Rosemary Ferguson Dybwad, 82; expert on mental retardation.. https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184024/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8766398.html. dead. April 27, 2018. Boston Globe. City Edition. November 6, 1992. Boston, Massachusetts. 31.
  9. News: McLellan . Dennis . 22 September 2001 . Gunnar Dybwad, 92; Early Advocate for Civil Rights of Mentally Disabled . Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California.
  10. Parry. John W.. Mental and Physical Disability Rights: The Formative Years and Future Prospects . Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter. September–October 1996 . 20. 5. 627–633 . 20784739. American Bar Association.
  11. Dybwad, Gunnar. (1981). The rediscovery of the family. Mental Retardation, 32(1): 18-30.
  12. This Old House - Season 10 - Episode 14
  13. Fox. Charles. Debating Deinstitionalization: The Fire at Kew Cottages in 1996 and the Idea of Community. Health and History. 2003. 5. 2, Histories of Psychiatry after Deinstitutionalisation. 37–59. 40111452. Australian and New Zealand Society of the History of Medicine, Inc.. 10.2307/40111452.
  14. Book: Carey. Allison C.. On the Margins of Citizenship: Intellectual Disability and Civil Rights in Twentieth-Century America. 2009. Temple University Press. j.ctt14bs8th.9. The Rise of the Parents' Movement and the Special Child. 105–133. 9781592136971.
  15. News: Rolf. Jean. Readers Respond to the 'Broken Home' series.. Oakland Tribune. July 26, 2006. Oakland, California. 1.
  16. Rosenberg. Norman S.. Friedman. Paul R.. Epilogue: Developmental Disability Law: A Look Into the Future. Stanford Law Review. April 1979. 31. 4, Symposium: Mentally Retarded People and the Law. 817–829. 10.2307/1228428. 1228428.
  17. Book: Fleischer. Doris Zames. Zames. Frieda. The Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation. 2011. Temple University Press. j.ctt14bt7kv.9. "Wheelchair Bound" and "The Poster Child". 1–13. 9781439907436.
  18. Book: Pelka. Fred. What We Have Done: An Oral History of the Disability Rights Movement. 2012. University of Massachusetts Press. j.ctt5vk2js.12.
  19. http://www.aaidd.org/content_448.cfm AAIDD Awards
  20. Book: Wolfensberger. Wolf. Flynn. Robert J.. Lemay. Raymond. A Quarter-Century of Normalization and Social Role Valorization:Evolution and Impact. 1999. University of Ottawa Press. Ottawa, Canada. 73. j.ctt1cn6s45. A contribution to the history of Normalization, with primary emphasis on the establishment of Normalization in North America between 1967-1975. 10.2307/j.ctt1cn6s45 . 53385279 .
  21. News: Kindleberger. Richard. Sit. Mary. Lots & Blocks. Boston Globe. City Edition. November 20, 1994. Boston, Massachusetts. A21.
  22. Book: Taylor. Steven J.. Acts of Conscience: World War II, Mental Institutions, and Religious Objectors. 2008. Syracuse University Press. j.ctt1j5d899.21. "Scandal Results in Real Reforms". 360–380.
  23. Faegre. Marion L.. Dybwad. Gunnar. Parent Education: Courage. And the Parent Educator.. Marriage and Family Living. May 1954. 16. 2. 175–176. 347778. National Council on Family Relations. 10.2307/347778.
  24. Dybwad. Gunnar. Reviewed Work(s): Personality in the Making—The Fact-Finding Report of the Mid-century White House Conference on Children and Youth by Helen Leland Witner and Ruth Kotinsky. Social Work Journal. January 1953. 34. 1. 37. 23712310. Oxford University Press.
  25. Dybwad. Gunnar. Herr. Stanley S.. Unnecessary Coercion: An End to Involuntary Civil Commitment of Retarded Persons. Stanford Law Review. April 1979. 31. 4, Symposium: Mentally Retarded People and the Law. 753–765. 10.2307/1228424. 1228424. 10242375.
  26. Book: Dybwad. Gunnar. Kugel. Robert B.. Wolfensberger. Wolf. Changing Patterns in Residential Service for the Mentally Retarded: A President's Committee on Mental Retardation Monograph. January 10, 1969. Washington, D.C.. 383–426. Action Implications, USA Today. 23 April 2018.
  27. Mandelbaum. Arthur. Reviewed Work(s): Citizen Advocacy and Protective Services for the Impaired and Handicapped by Wolf Wolfensberger and Helen Zauha. Social Work. July 1974. 19. 4. 501. 23712782. Oxford University Press.

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