This is the first in a series of interviews and postings that looks at the people and the history of the Disability Rights Movement in West Michigan.

We recently had the chance to have a lively conversation with Clark Goodrich, a disability rights activist and founder of the ADAPT chapter in Grand Rapids. In Part 1 of the interview Clark talks about his own personal journey, growing up with a disability and what led him to become involved in advocacy and activism work.

In Part 2 of the interview, Clark talks about the work he has done with ADAPT and some examples of actions he has been involved in across the country. Part 3 of the interview Clark discusses the difficulty of bringing the energy of national actions to the local level and then discusses an action that he and others did at the Greyhound Bus station in Grand Rapids.

In Part 4 of the interview, Clark responds to questions around the ableist culture that still exists and the ongoing fight against institutionalized bias. In the last part of the interview, Clark talks more specifically about the climate for disability justice in the greater Grand Rapids area and what efforts and possibilities exist for the movement he is part of.

For those wanting a more detailed investigation of the history of the Disability Rights Movement in the US, we highly recommend the book, A Disability History of the United States, by Kim Nielsen. For those interested in the work of Clark and the local ADAPT chapter, you can find them on Facebook at Grand Rapids ADAPT. In addition, Clark provided us with some archival photos from ADAPT actions and campaigns over the years. Go to this link to see archival photos.