For some, the past is not so distant. Evelyn Mateo, who served on the commission, grew up in state custody, being shuffled between foster care and state hospitals in the 1980s and ‘90s. She was misdiagnosed with a mood disorder that was actually trauma from years of childhood abuse. “I was mistreated. And my rights were violated as a person,” she told GBH News.
June 9, 2019. Ali Stroker wins Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. An actor, singer, and wheelchair user, Ali Stroker has been a trailblazer for disability representation on the stage. She was the first wheelchair user to graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts Drama Department at New York University. In 2015, she was the first wheelchair user to appear on Broadway, starring as Anna in the musical, Spring Awakening. For her performance as Ado Annie Carnes in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma!, Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony Award in 2019.
Take the quiz: Check Your Ableism!
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