Timothy Nugent

Last updated
Timothy Nugent
Born(1923-01-10)January 10, 1923
DiedNovember 11, 2015(2015-11-11) (aged 92)
Education Tarleton State University
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Timothy Nugent (January 10, 1923- November 11, 2015), also known as the "Father of Accessibility," founded the first comprehensive program of higher education for individuals with disabilities in 1948. He served as professor of rehabilitation education and director of the Rehabilitation Education Center and the Division of Rehabilitation Education Services (DRES) at the University of Illinois. [1] He retired in 1985. He founded the National Wheelchair Basketball Association in 1949 and served as commissioner for the first 25 years. He also founded Delta Sigma Omicron, a national rehabilitation service fraternity. He was president of the National Paraplegia Foundation (now National Spinal Cord Injury Association) for four terms. He has been an international lecturer and consultant, as well as an advocate, publisher, and researcher on behalf of people with disabilities. He was a leader in the development of architectural accessibility standards, public transportation, adaptive equipment, and recreation activities for people with disabilities. He has been and continues to be active in many professional organizations, including the American National Standards Institute, the Illinois State Legislative Commission on the Hospitalization of Spinal Cord Injured, the Committee on Technical Aids, Housing and Transportation of Rehabilitation International, and the Institute for the Advancement of Prosthetics. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Timothy Nugent was born January 10, 1923. He holds degrees from Tarleton State University, Texas; University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, Wisconsin; and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wisconsin. He also has honorary degrees from Springfield College in Massachusetts, Mount Mary College in Wisconsin, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Career

Timothy Nugent's work was committed to making the educational benefits of the GI Bill available to all veterans.

Innovations

Nugent founded the first, and for many years the only, comprehensive program of disability services in higher education. By refusing to abandon his vision for veterans with disabilities, Nugent made the University of Illinois an institution of firsts: the first curb cuts, the first buses equipped with wheelchair lifts, and research that developed architectural accessibility standards that were later adopted nationally. He also created a comprehensive program of adapted sports for students with disabilities, leading to the founding of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. He served as commissioner of the association for 25 years. Nugent also founded Delta Sigma Omicron, the first rehabilitation service fraternity.

Wheelchair basketball

In 1948 the University of Illinois was the first college in the United States to establish a collegiate wheelchair basketball team, the University of Illinois Wheelchair Basketball's Gizz Kids. Under the management and coaching of Nugent, the U of I wheelchair basketball team held the first National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in April 1949. Later in 1970, the University of Illinois formed the Ms. Kids, the first women's wheelchair basketball team in country. [3]

Awards and honors

In 2019, Nugent was inducted into the United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame as a "special" contributor, the only one to have such an honor. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</span> Public university in Illinois, United States

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public land-grant research university in Champaign, Illinois, and Urbana, Illinois. It is the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system and was founded in 1867. With over 53,000 students, the University of Illinois is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheelchair basketball</span> Basketball played by people in wheelchairs

Wheelchair basketball is a style of basketball played using a sports wheelchair. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the sole competent authority in wheelchair basketball worldwide. FIBA has recognized IWBF under Article 53 of its General Statutes.

Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability or other factors. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the maximum number of people possible. Curb cuts or sidewalk ramps, which are essential for people in wheelchairs but also used by all, are a common example of universal design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigma Alpha Iota</span> International music fraternity for women

Sigma Alpha Iota (ΣΑΙ) is a national music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public. Sigma Alpha Iota operates its own national philanthropy, Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. Sigma Alpha Iota is a member of the National Interfraternity Music Council and the Professional Fraternity Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha Gamma Sigma (fraternity)</span> American collegiate agricultural group

Alpha Gamma Sigma is a national collegiate social and professional agricultural fraternity in the United States.

Rehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities. These individuals may have experienced a spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or any other debilitating injury or disease. Functional areas addressed through rehabilitation engineering may include mobility, communications, hearing, vision, and cognition, and activities associated with employment, independent living, education, and integration into the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</span>

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an academic research institution that is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois System. Since its founding in 1867, it has resided and expanded between the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana in the State of Illinois. Some portions are in Urbana Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Serio</span> American wheelchair basketball player

Steven Serio is a wheelchair basketball player. As a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, he led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.

Spinal Cord Injury BC is a not-for-profit organization that helps people with spinal cord injuries and related injuries adjust, adapt and thrive by providing answers, information and community experiences in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Steadward</span> Canadian sports administrator

Robert Daniel Steadward, is a Canadian retired sports administrator, professor, sports scientist, and author. Steadward helped organize the first Canadian wheelchair sport national championships in 1968, and later coached Canada in wheelchair basketball at the Summer Paralympics. He became a professor at the University of Alberta in 1971, later served as chairman of the Department of Athletics, and published more than 150 papers about disability sport. He was the founding president of the Alberta Wheelchair Sports Association in 1971, founded the Research and Training Centre for Athletes with Disabilities in 1978, served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 1984 to 1990, and later became a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambda Pi Upsilon</span> American collegiate Latina sorority

Lambda Pi Upsilon Sorority, Latinas Poderosas Unidas, Inc, is a Latina oriented national sorority founded in 1992 at the State University of New York at Geneseo. Its founders believed that the problems of womanhood, particularly those of Latinas, needed to be addressed and resolved on campus by seeking unity and cultural identity.

Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, part of Jefferson Health, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee's flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia. In addition to the main campus that offers comprehensive services for spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, orthopaedic replacement, amputation, pain management and work injury, Magee provides an expanding outpatient network serving the surrounding communities. In 1985, Magee's brain injury rehabilitation program became the first in the nation to be accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Magee partnered with Jefferson Hospital to create one of the nation's 14 federally designated centers for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Magee has been rated one of America's leading rehabilitation hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Magee provides treatment to more than 5,000 individuals annually. Magee is authorized to treat wounded military personnel returning from war. Magee is not an Obligated Group Affiliate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tau Phi Sigma</span> American multicultural collegiate fraternity

Tau Phi Sigma, (ΤΦΣ), is a multicultural college fraternity, founded in 1992 at the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, now with eight Midwestern chapters and colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Cutts Willard</span>

Arthur Cutts Willard was the ninth president of the University of Illinois and an innovator in the field of heating and ventilation. Known for being approachable, a gentleman and well-dressed; he was known and admired by many. He received worldwide acclaim for his research and contribution to the heating, ventilating field; in particular for his contributions to the Holland Tunnel. In addition to his contributions to heating and ventilation industry, Willard was an educator in heating and ventilation and mechanical engineering between 1906 and 1933. He taught at George Washington University and the University of Illinois. Willard was appointed president in 1934 and served until 1946. Although he served as president during a difficult time for the university and the nation, he continued to have the highest expectations of his students. During his time as president he obtained funding for construction and addition of many buildings on the University of Illinois campuses. Willard strongly believed education needed to be more broad and focus on the social and economic problems facing the nation. At the end of service to the university, the Institute of Aviation was established at University of Illinois Willard Airport, and it was named in honor of A.C. Willard.

The Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association is the peak body for sport, recreation and fitness for people with a physical disability or vision impairment in the Australian state of Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois Wheelchair Basketball</span> Basketball team in Champaign, Illinois

The University of Illinois Wheelchair Basketball teams are the oldest teams of their kind in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pi Alpha Xi</span>

Pi Alpha Xi (ΠΑΞ) is a national honor society for horticulture founded in 1923 at Cornell University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phi Pi Phi</span> Defunct American collegiate fraternity (1915–1939)

Phi Pi Phi (ΦΠΦ) was a social fraternity founded at Northwestern University in 1915. It merged with Alpha Sigma Phi in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelyn Mulry Moore</span> American athlete

Evelyn Marie Mulry Moore was an American athlete who won two gold medals in swimming events at the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo and a gold and two silver medals at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv. She also competed in field events at the National Wheelchair Games in the 1960s and 1970s. She was inducted into the National Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Hovey Wilkin</span> American vocational counselor

Sharon Rae Hovey Wilkin was an American vocational rehabilitation counselor and disability rights activist. She was named an Outstanding Handicapped Federal Employee of the Year in 1977.

References

  1. ↑ Expanding Horizons: A History of the First 50 Years of the Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services at the University of Illinois. Champaign: Roxford DTPublishing. 1998. ISBN   0966368509.
  2. ↑ "Nugent, Timothy J. (1923-) | University of Illinois Archives". archives.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  3. ↑ "History". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  4. ↑ "Tim Nugent". United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.