A newly opened exhibit at the Western Heritage Center in Billings tackles a chapter of Montana history not widely talked about, called Equally Different: Uncovering the History of Disabilities in Montana.
This year is the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But more than a century ago, parts of Montana were taking a different approach to services and integration in that area, says the Western Heritage Center’s community historian Lauren Hunley.
“There are things happening in Montana and things happening in Billings as far back as the 19-teens and 1920s that are setting national standards,” Hunley said.
An example is the establishment in 1947 of the Montana Center for Cerebral Palsy and Handicapped Children, which occupied the basement of McMullen Hall on what was then Eastern Montana College.
For the last two years the Center has been collecting oral histories from people across the region who have been living with disabilities and combined them with Montana’s history of institutionalization, innovation and separation to form the foundation of this exhibit.
“This particular exhibition weaves together not only the history, both nationally but also locally through the local lens, while also pulling in those contemporary stories from those oral histories we were able to collect,” said Hunley.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Western Heritage Center is, again, sponsoring a student contest exploring the history of people with disabilities through the theme “Every Body Counts.”
“It’s a really great way for us to encourage the students within our community to interact with a piece of information that is really important and impactful to our community but they may not be really aware of,” explained Hunley.
She said the contest is open to students in Yellowstone, Carbon, Stillwater and Bighorn counties.
“We don’t define what the student project should be. If you want to write a song—do it. If you want to create a piece of artwork—absolutely. If you want to write a paper—sure, why not. What we want students to do is interact with the information,” Hunley said.
More information is available at the Western Heritage Center’s website at ywhc.dot.org. The contest deadline is May 16th.
The exhibit—Equally Different: Uncovering the History of Disabilities in Montana runs through December.
Also on display in conjunction with main exhibit is an art exhibit, Empowered heARTS: Work from Artists with Disabilities. The art exhibit will run through August 2025.
