Join the Mercer Public Library on Tuesday, May 26 at 3:00pm for a talk by author Jim Wahner on his recent book “Wheelchair Commandos and Legislative Lions: How Wisconsin Led the Fight for Disability Rights in 20th-Century America”.

Synopsis:

This memoir uncovers the largely unwritten 20th-century history of Wisconsin’s organized movement to secure the rights of people with physical disabilities. Authors Jim Wahner and Jean Logan faithfully trace the work of strong leaders like Ellen Daly, Dan Johnson, and Edith Simons. They, and many other “giants,” blazed trails of change and reform.

As a result, Wisconsin emerged as a national leader in advancing community-based, independence-promoting, rights-based systemic and sustainable reform—long before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. In an era hungry for heroes and role models, many are found in this carefully researched book.

Biographies:

Jean Logan had a 45-year career as a project director for a wide range of public sector quality improvement initiatives. Her experience bridges services to individuals with disabilities, older adults, as well as primary health care and mental health. Ms. Logan is a graduate of UW-Madison and Harvard University’s Executive Program for State and Local Executives. She has contributed her knowledge and experience as an advocate and community volunteer at local, state, and national levels. She is a founder of several coalitions to advocate for the underserved and disadvantaged and received the “Volunteer of the Year” award in 2003 from the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission, and Health Advocate of the Year from the Wisconsin Center for Public Representation in 1988. She lives in Decatur, GA.

James W. “Jim” Wahner is a former Wisconsin Legislative Leader, Human Services administrator, and private sector Health Care Executive, who led Wisconsin to prominence on disability policy during the 1970s. In 1979 he left his post as Assembly Majority Leader to accept a Carter Administration appointment as Midwest Regional Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Chicago. After the Carter years, Jim returned to Wisconsin and accepted the Directorship of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services from 1981 to 1988, then served for 15 years as a Vice President for a large, Milwaukee-based healthcare company. Jim lives with his wife Dorothy in Verona, Wisconsin.