Disability Studies

One example from the correspondence in this collections is a letter giving an assessment for the need of a hospital for the “blind, deaf & dumb:" Folder 32, Item 3: Richmond. Cary [Caroline Lambert] to Elizabeth Galt, Williamsburg. "There has been a most interesting exhibition of the blind, deaf & dumb here. The wish to establish an Asylum in Virginia, there being more afflicted in that way in the state than in any other..." "The blind sing, read, write... & the deaf & dumb beside other things give an exact representation of the different passions... equal to the best dramatic performance." January 26, 1838.

Papers, 1840-1862, of John M. Galt II (181901862) concerning his work at the Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia. Included are: correspondence, reports, clinical notes, medical diaries, financial papers, and printed material.
The subject matter is predominantly mental health. Some clippings are about Eastern State Hospital ("Virginia Lunatic Asylum") and other mental health institutions.

Helen Saw Telle Cassidy Conley worked as a teacher at "The Spruces," a long-term care facility for children with emotional problems located in Staatsburg-on-Hudson, New York State. "The Spruces" was founded by Dr. Victor Vance Anderson in 1928. The letters describe Mrs. Henry Cassidy's time at "The Spruces" as a teacher, giving vivid descriptions of the children's behavior and medical issues. The Spruces still exists today as the Anderson Center for Autism.

The collection is composed of material, chiefly 1862-1868, relating to the former "Eastern Lunatic Asylum" (now Eastern State Hospital), Williamsburg, Virginia. Includes correspondence, patient reports, and requisition orders of Dr. Peter Wager, director of the hospital during the Civil War and Union occupation of Williamsburg. There are also replies, 1956-1957, to inquiries for information about Dr. John de Sequeyera [or Sequeyra], a physician at the hospital from 1773 to 1793, and for information about the hospital during the Civil War.

Mss. 83.C36: Papers, 1950-1982, of R. Harvey Chappell, Jr., relating particularly to his tenures as president of the Virginia State Bar and the Richmond Bar Association and as a member of the council and executive committees of those organizations. Includes correspondence relating to philanthropic endeavors as well as to certain legal cases.
Subjects covered by the papers include advertising by lawyers, contingency fees, the unauthorized practice of law, legal aid, legal ethics, lawyer referrals, legal assistants (paralegals) and the "Crippled Children's Hospital of Richmond, Va." (Series 1, Box 13, Folders 921-939)

Papers, circa 1963-1999, focusing on the founding and early history of the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Center which serves children and adults with developmental disabilities . A significant portion of the collection includes clippings and biographical material on Chester Carlson, inventor of xerography, who was a major donor to the Sarah Bonwell Hudgins Center.