Research Guides: Disability Studies: University Archives

University Archives Sources

A good start for researching university-related sources on any topic is the William & Mary Knowledgebase. Articles, like the one on infirmaries at William & Mary reference Special Collections primary resources on the topic, that the information given is based on.

Some of our University Publications, like the The Flat Hat, are largely available through the Digital Archive and fully keyword-searchable. Years not digitized can be consulted in hard copy in the Special Collections reading room.

A selections of University Archives records that are most likely to contain helpful source materials related to a range of disability issues at William & Mary are listed below. Access finding aids for these collections or search for others in the SCRC's Collection Guides.

Vice President for Student Affairs Records, 1972-[ongoing], UA 128, 42 cu.ft. The Vice President for Student Affairs was created in 1989 with William Samuel Sadler as its first Vice President. The Vice President for Student Affairs and their staff provide a broad range of services to students. The office has primary responsibility and concern for general student counseling, multicultural students, services for commuting students and for students with disabilities, student rights and responsibilities, organizations and activities, student government, the judicial system, the University Centers, student residences, student health and counseling needs. Series 2, Box 1, Folder 16: Affirmative Action - Handicap Accessibility, October-November 1994; and Folder 19: Affirmative Action - Student Disability Policy, December 1994-January 1995, and Folder 20: AIDS, February 1986-January 1993. Staff members work closely with the faculty and administration represent student concerns; this office also presents academic and administrative policies to the students.
Office of Affirmative Action Records, 1973-[ongoing], UA 191, 1.4 cu.ft. This collection includes memos, Affirmative action plans, desegregation reports, Office of Sexual Harassment, annual reports, and grievance procedures. Acc. 1989.122 contains summary reports from 1975-1987 of applicants for faculty and administrative positions. The reports contain copies of the advertisement for the position and a form that tabulates the race and and gender of the applicants. This tabulation is based on AA/EEO forms, the return of which is voluntary. Information is more complete for the later years. Box 1, Folder 5 Affirmative Action Plan for Handicapped, January 1977.
Office of Student Affairs Records, 1964-[ongoing], UA 329, 0.75 cu.ft. This collections contains announcements, annual reports, Rec Sports Calendars,correspondence, fliers, and newsletters from the College of William and Mary Office of Student Affairs. Included in the collection is information on recreational sports at the College; copies of William and Mary Family, a newsletter for families of William and Mary Students; fliers about various programs and events on campus; and information regarding other offices within Student Affairs, including the Office of Disabled Student Services and the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Education.
Williamsburg Documentary Project Collection, circa 1930-[ongoing], UA 361, 7.5 cu.ft. This collection is composed of material collected and created by the Williamsburg Documentary Project. The Williamsburg Documentary Project conducts oral history interviews and builds physical and digital archives, as well as other activities, through which it interprets Williamsburg’s recent past. Additional information about the Williamsburg Documentary Project is available at http://http://wdp.blogs.wm.edu/. For example: one of the topics is "Handicapped Accessibility: Covered in broad strokes (and with CW as institutional focus)." (Box 4).
Facilities Management Records, 1900-[ongoing], UA 29, 19 cu.ft. The collection includes a number of accessions and groups of records directly from the Office of Facilities Management including publications, administrative records, blueprints, and other documents as well as blueprints and other architectural drawings that come under the administrative responsibility of the office, but may have been transferred from miscellaneous sources.